Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1854-06-17

those lerritores that the citizens Of one half of
the Union should be also excluded that Con-
gress had the right, and ought TO exercise it.
10 make Territories, and consequently States.
treesoi States and Territories. i accepted that
issue, and so did the democracy of Missouri.
ne battle has been fought in Congress over
the Douglas bill, and the democracy have won
a proud victory. On the one side stood the ad-
ministration; the true-hearted democrats rom
the north nearly every congressman from the
south, wing and democrat majority from every
State west of the Alleghanes, from the Lakes
and the Falls of st. Anthony on the north. To
the Gull and Rio Grande on the south, (except
ONO and wisconsin, aided gallantly by your
sister State on the Pacific. On the other side
was VAS 10 use the language of Benton, when in
1851 ne was battling for the democracy and the
VEST "a molly group, most miscellaneous
concourse, the speckied progeny of many con
functions, veteran federalists benevolent females
politicians who have lost their caste,'' &c. all
marching under the leadership of Benton, Gid
dlngs, Sumner, Chase, Seward s. Co. The lines
were thus drawn on the national theatre as they
had previously been drawn by Benton in our
State-the democracy battling for the Consttu-
ton and the rights of the people to govern them
selves, against the gathered fragments of old fed
eralism, abolitionism, and all the varied isms of
which freesoil has been SO prolific in these latter
times. My position on this subject was well
known in Washington, and the issue that Ben
u.
same speech at Parkvillc said
:" large portion my constituents are slave
holders; could it be expected that would be
very anxious about organizing territory from
which very large portion Of my constituents
would be excluded; The free States have a
pious and philanthropc class of men who OBJ
serve the higher iap, and whose duty it is to
attend to other peoples business, and who think
that they are rendering God service in stealing
their neighbours negroes.
:. But, fellow-citizens, that may be clearly
understood in relation to this point, / now de-
clare to you that | will not vote for a bill to
organize a government for the territory Of Ne
braska, unless that bill leaves the territory
open tor settlement to all the people of the
United States, without restriction or limitation
open TO the STAKEHOLDER as we'll as TO the non
Shareholder. | will vote for no bin that directly
or indirectly makes discrimination between the
citizens of the different States of this Union, north
and south, saveholding and non-slaveholding no
pill that strikes at the equality of the States of
this confederacy.' -
Thus was the gauntlet, which was thrown at
my feet by Benton, promptly taken up by me-
The "pious and philanthropic" class in the north
Ind east, to whom | referred, have SINCE headed
by three thousand clergymen, openly stalked into
the political arena, and undertaken to defeat the
action of Congress. Arrogantly assuming TO con-
.roi the legislative action of the country, and des
ecrating their holy calling, they became abolition
Partisans; but they did not escape rebuke from
The wisest and best statesmen of the land The
attempt to inaugurate priestcrah in our republic,
ipon the ruin of the Constitution received the
same fate it did when, in 1912, it encouraged
olue-hghts upon our coast, for the benefit of the
British invaders, and subsequently, when it called
'orth the Sunday mail report Its last impotent
Ind fanatical exhibition in Boston, in the person
Of the Rev. Theodore Parker, must show to the
people its wholescope and tendency. That "higher 4
,uh l. lac
ance to the Constitution and laws, declares the
Union g a league with the Devil, and a covenant
with he'll, " has shed the blood of worthy citizen
who stood up in defence the tribunals Of Justice
in the city of Boston, and thereby has aroused
spirit OF patriotism which will never brook " trea-
son, although it may come in the false garb Of
philanthropy, or under the impious assumption Of
Divine sanction. The pure and holy and peace
iul truths OF Christianity cannot, it hoped, be
ever again mistaken for the blasphemous rawlings |
of abolition preachers.
The same distinct acceptance of the issue ten
dered by Benton was not only met by me in nv |
speech at Parkville, but also at Weston, and Fav-
cite, and elsewhere. AT Weston / declared: |
COL Benton and others had assumed that |
slavery was excluded from that Territory by tho |
law commonly called the Missouri compromise
II so, was then and am now opposed to inter |
iering with that Territory unless that restriction
oe removed. was in favor of, and did vote for,
the appropriation of money to enable the Pres-
dent to make treaties with the Indians, to extn-
guish their titles to the lands upon which they
reside, and to obtain their consent to the organ-
zation OF a territorial government; and this was
all, in my opinion, that Congress should have
done In the premises at the last session Now |
will tell you what will do will vote for the
ratification of treaties to extinguish the Indian
titles to land in that Territory, and will support
a bill to organize government for that Terri |
tory, upon the condition that such bill contains
no restriction upon the subject of slavery and not
otherwise. will vote for bill that leaves the
stakeholder and on-slaveholder upon terms of
equality. am Milling that the people ,rho map
senie there, and who have the deepest interest in
this question, shall decide it for themselves AS
very large and respectable portion of my const-
tuents are directly indirectly interested in slave
property, am unwilling that they, with this spe-
no advantage to one citizen over another.
49,
That there may be no mistake, and that ]
may not be misunderstood hereafter, now saw j
emphatically, that / will not vote for any bill
that makes Nebraska free-soil territory. have
not, and do not intend, upon any OCCASION to
yield one inch to the spirit of feesoil and aboli-
tionism. whether they exhibit themselves at home
at Washington" s
| trust, fellow-citizens, that have redeemed
that pledge to the letter; congratulate you and
The country that the boldncss with which this new
dDoiitlOn cTusaOe was met mas resulted IN Danish
ing, it is hoped forever, from the halls of Con-
gross the long-continued agitation of fanatics
against our property and our rights, the guaran-
tees of the Constitution and the cherished princi-
pies Of selfgoyernment. As Benton, however,
continued his assaults in letter after letter. dur
ing the whole of last summer, 1t became neces-
sary for me repeatedly to meet the issue he had
formed. Hence, in my speech at Fayette, as
reported by others, may be found the following
:. MIR. Atchison had opposed the admission OF
Nebraska, and would oppose it, unless the Mis-
souri, compromise Of 1920 was virtually repealed
Colonel Benton had announced in the Senate that
there was not one foot of slave territory now
belonging TO the Union Clay and Webster hav-
ing asserted the same thing, he took their word
for it but in this matter be would endeavor so to
act not to violate the known interests of his
as he would never compromise his
principles. Policy may sometimes be compro-
missed principles never Fifteen millions Of dol
lars had been paid by shareholders, in common
with the free States, for Louisiana and theirs
mad mingled in common with the blood and trea-
sure that had obtained all the territory Of this
great and growing country. Therefore, no power
under the sun could compel him to sustain the |