The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1854-03-11

sons. our brothers, our neghbors and frisnds-now in
or who shall hereafter 90 ino. the Territories Of Kansas
and Nebraska WIN sny one OF ,be senators who voted
for that xmendmtnt-l see number OF them Ia the
chsmber--and who now oppose this bill tell me Did
senators then act upon pnnsiplet nave shown Ihat
such was the issue Sir, am not to presume am mol
at liberty 10 pIesume-that any senator acted then or
now acts from sinister or sectional motives; but am
bound presume that each acted as he believed would
secure 10 The eople of these Territories their just rights
under the constitution Not only So sf have the
right 10 pIcsume-nay, l am hound 10 piesume-tha
those senators then they declared by heir votes
that the people of those Territories where The proper and
safe depository Of power regard 10 their own domestic
institutions. and particularly touching the subject OF
slavery. ..#t 4.#f. I
out why this change Has any light broken IN on
the mind which should lead 10 distrust the in
ssnes and apaey Of hs s9p ia now e and
Sir, the senator from Connecticut is the only ore who
has even suggested anything looking like reason for
This change indeed 40 moi know that he meat 70 pe
hour the institution OF polysamy IN ulah, and char
acterized it OF the results OF self2osernmen there
ell sir did not the senator know that polygamy was
here and Brigham Young with his wives there,
before the organization OF the Territory Did he not
know that the Brigham Young with his forty wives
was appointed governor of tina, Territory by the late
wing administration Surely he knew all this Why
then did the senator TO restrict polygamy in that
Terrtory' Why dd he not vote to reject Brigham Young
Now, sir, while deiest this system of poygamy as
much as the senator. will say to him have no doubt
that it will be abolished as certain laws have been, which
once stood on the statute Of the colony OF Con
nectcui One OF these Connecticut laws became IN time
peculiarly obnoxious to the good people OF that noble
State, llimposed fine Of forty shilllngs-and be-
loving husband who should be guilty OF the gross i'm
propre,y Of kissing bls wife on Sunday Here, sir you
OF the most innocent one OF the most pleasant
that could perform, declared. not felony 10
sure, but high misdemeanor, and the offender mulc
damages and in bonds for good behavior in the future
Sir the good Of the people OF Connecticut seeing
tha all and ut lnlnr
abolished il; and have no doubt The people OF Utah
will the monstrous absusdy and gross mpropriey
of such bestial license, and abolish polygsmy.,
/ will now proceed to examine the so-caled Missouri
Compromise prohibition, and the character given to it BY
those who oppose this bill II is not little remarkable
that among all those who have discussed this question
opposition TO the bill not has quoted the whole
OF the eighth sectonthe proviso has been sudionsly
left out. The whole section is as follows;
SEC Belt i~thu enacted, That in all that territory
ceded by France to the United States under the name OF
Louisiana, which lies north of Sc deg 80 min of north lat
tude, included within the limits Of the State conem
wise than as The punishment of crimes, shall be- and is
hereby forever prohibited Provided, Arrays, That any
escaping the same from whom labor service is
lawfully claimed in any State Territory of the United
States, such fugitive may be lawfully reclaimed and con-
veyed the person claiming his or her labor or service as
aforesaid"
Sir, l shall meet the question on this branch of the
subject as an original one and shall discuss il without the
70
ground, let the OF fanacsm foam and break upon
me as they may will stand there with this neyer-dy
ing inscription upon my bannerthat every organic ed
community or State within the limits Of the United States
of America has the right to exercise and ought TO be
permitted 70 exercise, the powers OF segoyernmens
With this banner thrown to the breeze, shall make
war upon what believe 10 be the doctrine of congress
sional usurpaton touching the people OF the Terrific.
ries, fearessy as would upon what believed TO
have been parliamentary usnrpauon upon the rights OF
the usurpaons the part OF the
former less odious and reprehsnsible now than
they on the part OF The latter IN ITO, Now, what
fh. hat chaT.
given to il by senator's who oppose this bill Sir, II has
been held up sacred, involabe and irrepe aable
compact--as a"law beyond The power OF the action oil
the government" The honorable senator from Massa-
chusetts EVERETT has attempted 10 tas,en upon the
lamented and dstng Webster the last declaration
have quo,ed-that the Missouri Compromise was law
irrepealabe and beyond the power OF the government
And how does the senator attempt to show that In no
way except by the most forced mpcationan Implication
not warranted by the Language OF that great statesman
Sir he left anything 10 doubt in regard to what he
meant in any speech
Mr. Webster, in his 7ih-of- March speech, had been
speaking OF the character Of the country embraced within
the Territories of Utah and New Mexco-the former
tending from 81 degrees 40 degrees morrill, and the lat
ter from 80 degrees to 3s degrees north, having "A de-
gTees Of latitude the south and degrees the north
Of the Missouri Compromise line-witb the Arkansas
river the north and the Rio Grande TO the west and be-
ing upon the plain OF elevation Of the southern por
ton Of the Territory proposed 10 be organized and
extending degrees further south than the proposed Ter
r,ory OF Kansas yes sir the Territory Of New Mexico
extends degrees further south than part OF the Ter
rilory now proposed TO be organized.
Mr.. Webster, that occasion, repeat, was speaking
of the character OF these Territories thus situated and
he asserted that in his Judgment the laws OF God and
the laws OF forbid the existence OF slavery there
II in speaking in regard TO this, and this alone that
he declares, In his own emphatic syle what has been
quoted by the senator from Massachusetts:
'And now say, sir as the proposition upon which
stand this day. and upon the ruth and rmness OF which
until Is overhTown, that there Is not at this
within the United States single foot OF land the
character of which, in regard TO its being free soil territory
slave territory not fixed by some law, and some re-
pealabe law beyond the power Of the action Of the gov
eminent" E
Now sir the senator assumes-and il is nothing but
assumpton-,hat MIR Webster, by such language uttered
in such connection, "meant, OF course, TO give to the
Missouri Compromise The character OF compact" Not
oHe word did Mr. Webster say about compacts or Mis-
sour Compromise lines Now, sir, Notwithstanding the
very learned senator has been requested by tina, great
and amened man to super The publication of his
works. must be permitted to deny that that gives the
senator any rsh, authority whatever TO nterpolse
into The speech OF the 7th OF March, $780, opinions which
are not 10 be found in that speech think the senator
will fail to fnd anything there about compacs or The
Missouri Compromise in connexion with the declaration
quoted by him.
Bat SAYS The senator Mr. Webster "meani, of course,
to give to the Missouri Compromise the character OF d
compact which the governmenLn good fs'n, could not
repeal" Now, sir, permit mSAo say that hr Webster
said no such thing He said nothing about good fath
and il is not little remarkable that the senator interpo-
la,es ihese words thereby changing the sense from an
absolute to conditional declaration BY this in,erpo-
lation he makes Mr. Webster say the law may be repeal
ed by breach of good faith, while Mr. Webster, speak
ing Tor himself says the laws beyoDd the pootr OF
The action Of this government" ~
y H.. l.srn. rrnx