Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1854-06-24

quite so full tO
satisfy my mind that desire to say what are the prn
ciples which ], with my feeble intellect and MS unior
member Of this Senate have been able to
the bill, and which seemed to have escaped the more
pracsed acuteness and superior ability Of the Senator
from Tennessee
Now, Mr. President when look at this bill for the pur
pose Of evsceratng its principles find them standing
in such bold relief that he who desires TO see cannot
avoid perceivng them. fnd first the obliteration of
geographical line by which the two sections Of the Coned
eracy have for upwards OF thirty years been separated
from each other That line purely arbitrary.
deserts intervene mountains their rocky cress
deep and broad separate u.s. an arbitrary
ideal line has been drawn and the South has been told
by the North, "thus far shalt thou 60 and further
thus far will the different sections of this Confederacy
blend together and no further they blend Ii
ideal line sir II is one going shy, of principle;
but there is no principle in it. II is such line
eloquenty alluded to by the Senator from Virginia the
other day-a line which, though IDEAL eectually sepa
rates the sections Of the Conederacy if it wall
Of adamant When gentlemen from the South approach
their friends from the North reaching this line they
are repulsed When they endeavor to unite with their
Northern brethren in those bonds Of fraterna affection
and cordial sentiment which ought to acuate every
Der OF the Confederacy it is though wall of ice
interviewed between them chill their and most
brotherly emotions Sir, this geographical line is of
the very points against which warned by the ia
Their OF our country when he made his farewell address
the people of the United States and retired those shades
from which henever again emerged into public life. His
warning voice to his counrymen against all who by
word or deed should advocate, establish or maintain any
thing like geographical divisions of the sections Of the
Conederacy Divide upon any thing else; take any prin
cpe you please take lax or strict construction Of the
Constitutions take internal improvements be for them
against Them take protective tariffs advocate oppose
them but geographical ines-eschew the that sup
ports them traitor the besnerests of his country
That understand it, the warning voice of the
Father of his Country in his Farewell Address Here then
find one great principle which Of itself would recommend
this bill to my warmest support at all times and upon all
occasions.
Apnip civ han a looL bocL fot ba
upon which the Constitution of this country formed
what do we find there? We find but two points upon
which the domestic institutions of the South ever
confded to the of the General Government. One
was the delegation Of authority to interrupt the slave
trade with this country after certain perodand history
bears witness to the fidelity with which the Congress Of
the United States took advantage Of the first instant
consttutonay to exercise that power for the purpose of
prohibiting that trade-he other is that clause of the
Constitution which protects the peculiar property Of the
South and deprves the North of the power conscate
1t when it escapes from the owners custody into North
ern State There again, is clear precise, and definite
grant of constitutional power the subject and
power which is the duty Of this Government exercise
and which it has exercised in good faith. When you
have through these two enumerated grants of power
you have gone through all that the Constitution will give
you warrant for and accordingly what do we find
We find that, from the very foundation of the Govern
men from the period at which the Congress of the Unit
ed States first began to egsate for the country up to
that unfortunate year, 1920, cardinal principle of
fathers that the Congress of the United States had
right to egisate upon the subject of slavery at all out
side of these two delegated powers And sir the Sec
onal controversy and the heated feeling the excited
state Of mind existing between the North and the South
did arise, and could arise, so long as the
Congress of the United States looking to the Constitution
OF the United States as its charter confined its action to
the Legitimate sphere within which the trainers of the
Constitution intended it to be limited.
fnd then, that this BILL retracing the steps of Fede-
raj legislation far it interfered with this subject
from the year 1920 to the present hour proposes
back to the traditions of the fathers 1t proposes to put
this Congress in the position occupied by every Congress
up to the year 1920 1t proposes to announce prn
cpe to the people of the United States that the General
Government is not to legsate at all upon this question
of slavery 1t is not to legisate to extend it; is not
to legsate to prohibit it is forbidden subject The
flaming sword ought to guard all to it. No mpous
foot endeavor to tread within its sacred precincts
That is the principle which find in this BILL and that
is the principle which wish to see established in the
country and when it shall have been established it will
be in vain for fanatics, either North South to endeavor
create permanent excitement in the minds of the
American people The aliment will be gone. You may
light the fame but the fuel will be wanting 1t will die
out itself And them and then alone shall be able
to bear patiently with the taunts thrown out this day
the Senator from Ohio then alone shall be able to
hear with composure his threat that his warcry issued
against the South from this time forward and that all his
energies will be devoted to repeating this bill and
throwing the principles upon which it is based
Let the American people understand this bect in its
true bearing let the North be dsabused Of the false
impression that the South desires any advantage it.
unequal share of the privileges of the Government
let friends in the Northern States once be convinced
that all ask and desire is the simple privilege of being
let alone; and ask lcss Bes or cursed as you
please, with institution which find established
among when were born, and which will probably
exist when descend to graves institution which
is so firmly knit among US that it cannot be torn out
without tearing the very heart strings of society," is it
wonderful is unreasonable, is it no most reasonable
that should ask gentlemen from other sections of the
Confederacy simply let alone We ask of you the
passage of no law ask Of you the enactment of no
statute any further than to put back just in that po
ston occupied by fathers when they acted upon the
principle which now invoke, of leaving each section
of the Conederacy free establish and maintain its
internal domestic institutions and promote its own hap
piness it proper. Here is, them second great
principle which in this BILL and for the establish
ment of which say other Senator'S have said upon
this floor, will sacrifice this amendment and housand
others like it.
But this is not ALL The Senator from Georgia MR.
TooMBs to-day spoke Of third principle and he antic
paed me in that respect There is the great fundamen
tai principle of American liberty contained in the prov
sons of the BILL 1t is that principle which laid the oun
daton Of American independence. 1t is that principle
for the establishment of which owe many blessings
to the memory Of revolutionary sres ay sir to our
sires They first planted this con-
nent the germ which has grown up into lofty tree that
with its spreading branches overshadows and protects
this nation They first enunciated in the face of the
civilized world in the face Of the then almost omnipotent
English Parliament, the principle that had right
to segovernment They first declared that it against
the inherent rights of mankind for Government egis
late for the local interests of distant dependency They
decared-and it is upon that that your Revolution is
foundedhat the people of the United States although
colonial dependencies Of Great Britain were entitled to
in the British Parliament or TO be exoner
atcd from the duties Of British subjects All that is ask