Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1854-03-03
SPEECH OF THE
HON. Truman SMITH,
ON THE NEBRASKA BILL.


Our readers will have treat in this speech
of Mr. Smith. He occupied parts of two days,
and he has made the best speech that has
been made in the Senate on this subject
We shall give few fthe points in his first
days speech ofthe second day we give entire.
On Thursday last, Mr.. Smith bad the floor,
and commenced his speech by saying, that he
seldom troubled the Senate with speech-ma-
king During the fifteen years he had been
in Congress, he had made but one speech in
which slavery was concerned, though he had
never been Northern man with Southern
principles and he never had any confidence
IN any man who was. In this Bill Slavery
provision bad been thrust in. Ii ought 10 be
excluded by unanimous vote Of the Senate.
He was opposed TO the Bill indepedent in
that provision. We mad already Eve Terrific
RES to bill up. They we're in need of il
Bringham Young and his forty wives ruled
Utah, and a respectable wolf would hardly
emigrate to New Mexico. This attempt 10
smash up the Missouri Compromise, if sue
cessfuI, would smash up many things with it,.
Every new Territory organized incurred
an expense Of $4,000. These Terrific
rles could not be organized without viola.
ting lntlian Treaties. No white man was
allowed there without license; if any came
without one, the dragons would drive him off,
- Cincinnati Gazette.
The nator from Illinois was the most
prolific man he ever knew in getting Terrific
ries. (Laughter) Every year he called the
attention Of the Senate TO the partraiton of a
Territory, and sometimes they come two at a
time, (loud laughter) and that too when he
had whole litter Of them on hand laugh
ter) He desired to give the Senator some
suggestions as to how to prepare himself for
the next parturition. (Laughter) The Sen
ator should first extingush the Indi n title
and have the lands surveyed, laid of, and to
some extent inhabil ed, and when he got all
things in this condition, he then might 20 it
blind If he choose. loud laughter) He
Mr.. Smith) however, objected 10 contributing
his quota toward defraying tie expenses at
tending these reported parturition of Terrific
ries. (Laughter) There being no Inhabitants
are defined by law. then there were no per-
sons to elect officers. or from whom officers
could be selected. The Governor of the Ter
ritory was required to divide it into districts.
He would like to know how the Governor
was to district this Territory. He might Sc
lect log cabin at the head of some branch
and call that number one, and then take an
other wherever he could find it and call it
number two, and so on, running the lines in
such manner as were drawn upon paper,
there would nothing more be necessary to show
the whole thing farce. He then read the
provisions of the several treatises by which the
Indians had consented TO leave the homes
and graves OF their fathers and 20 west Of the
Mississippi TO this Territory. and maintained
that the solemn faith Of the nation was sacred
ly pledged in the face of God and man 10
leave them forever undisturbed in this per-
manent homo provided for them. The bill of
the Senator was equally as dexterous in sur
mounting this difficulty, as il was in other
respects. 1t first described the boundaries
Of the Territories. including within them the
Indian possessions Ii then said the Indians
should not be included in The Territories un-
I'll such time as they should signify 10 the
President their wish TO be so included. Here
was singular legls alton. Everything in these
days was done, not by positive legislation,
but BY provisos lie had but little regard
or respect for any proviso. not even the cele
brated "Wllmot Proviso." This bill first in
cluded the Indians, then put them out, and
then allowed them to come in, when they
signi6ed their desire to do SO. Ii first ierked
them into the Territory 10 vi.lation Of all
treaty stipulalions, it then shut them out aga n.
aud Immediately and pulled them back again
under Specification TO the President, and all
this was done in a provso.
Here Mr. Smith concluded for the day.
The Senate adjourned. and the next day,
Friday he spoke as follows:]
Mr.. SMITH quoted from the speech of Mr..
Webster in which he opposed agitation North
and South. and declared his devotion to the
Union. This was the platform on which he
(Mr. Smith) now stood He was opposed to
agita,jors and pro- Slavery agita-
tors. No man could say be was actuated BY
sectional motives in stubbornly opposing this
bill He had voted against the Nebraska bill
Of last year, when it contained an approval or
sanction Of the Missouri prohibition. He had
voted with FIVE other Northern Senators
against taking it up. and afterwards he had,
with four other Northern Senator'S votes laid
it on the table and killed it. Tie was some.
what surprised now to see some of those who
then voted with him prepared to vote for this
time. 1t looked to him very much as il this
course was adopted by them because this
Slavery clause was in it. He did not believe
that II this bill was not sweetened by this
negro provision it would not be allowed to live
in the Senate half hour. The Slavery ques.
lion overshadowed all things. This bill re-
enacted the fugitive slave act Eve tines
But II i re-enacted the Missouri prohibition
and the W;lmot Proviso both five times over
he would not support it He was and had
always been utterly opposed to agitation on
this subject He had always and now con-
demned the introduction Of it into Congress
where no good bu; much evil was to be ef-
fected by it He could see no reason or mo-
live for il now. 1t might be perhaps that as
the Administration had cast out Daniel s.
Dickinson and his friends into disgrace if not
oblivion, and had taken John Van Bnren and
his Free,SoiI allies to its bosom. that an exi
gency had arisen, calling for this policy OIL
this however he knew nothing definitely. but