The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1854-04-07


iional inequality have already spoken Of.
With these sentiments have felt, and shall
ever feel, bound in duty 10 resist, here or
else where, 80 far as cons,iinilonally may,
the extension Of slavery in this country 10
The utmost Of my power - with lille Ell.
feet, II may be, bu, the obligation is no less
| imperative on ,ha, account.
But peace was obtained. We were a
happy people. We sal down under our
own vine and our own fg.,rees. We Ell.
deayored 10 be quiet. Broiherly love was
all abroad. We met our friends from the
South in perfect concord. All differences
had been settled. There was no trouble
anywhere. We were all, TO use familiar
expression, "happy as the days are long,
Suddenly, in The mids, OF this concord OF
ours, comes proposition to take from 'he
free States JUS, iha, which had beea given
for all these civil, social, and political adj.
yan,aces which mad accrued 10 the South
to lake the little that was allowed 10 The
free States by the compromise, or compact,
or whatever you may call il, OF 1920
This pro,Tsilon precenls itself in This Cham.
Der without word to The country, without
a syllable having been said, 10 my knowl-
edge, a, least, in any State Of the Union up
on the subject. Southern gentlemen on this
floor repuiiaie the authorship OF the prop.
osi,on, protesting that il dill not come from
them, and would no, have come from them
- admitting in point Of fact, as ! under
stand them, that they couside.t ID The whole
,hing as dishonorable in itself, nd The sin OF
/, shorld no, be laid al their door.
Why, then, is this remarkable proposition
before Us, For what purpose has !, come
To allay agitalioul I. ere was none.
To make peace? There was nothing
but harmony, says the Compromise OF
1850. WHY was il! | am at loss 10
divine. Was il TO establish princi.
pie merely! Will you set this county
IN fame upon principle! Gentlemen
from the South tell Us that nothing is 10 be
.ained b, slavery from ii. They tell us
upon their honor that they think slavery
cannot 20 into these Territories. Nothing
practically good. or practically evil, is 10
come from il. And yet We ti"d every mali
OF them, almost, OH this floor. and on this
a. ton, con,ending ,ha, This thing shall be
done, iha, il is right, aud that although they
had received all The advantages which l
have mentioned liom the previous leglsla-
lion Of this Government, they yet demand
more, and require that the Compromise
which Sc, asiGe The whole of this territory
for freedom shall, for political co.sidera
lions, be abrogaled aud dissolved.
Sir, have in my po Session an address
TO the people OF Maine, bearing date MAJ 3"
!, 1920, and signed by u majority OF their
I, representatives in Congress, among whom
were Euoch Lincoln, afterwards Governor
of The State, and Ezekiel Whitman, afler.
wards Chief Justice Of lis highest conI'.-
That address states The true ground OF "o'
lection 10 the admission OF iha, State into
The Union. Al thai time she equal'ed III
size and population any Of one halt The
States Of lhe Union. No one disputed her
riuht 10 be admitted rs n sovereign and in.
dependen, State, ., Alabama and Mlssis-
sippi had been admitted, wihou, question.
Her li,ory was n part aud portion OF The
old thirteen. She had furnished sOldies
| in the Revolution, and recruits To- your army
and navy in the second war Of indepen.
dence, as i, was called. She had every
claim 10 be received with open arms; aud
vet, sir, how was The fact! Her admission
W opposed Oh political grounds. The op.
position was founded in jealousy OF power.
w.. inc was objected 10 without Mis- oLri,
because Name, without Missouri, increased
the power of the noh. .rlaveholding States.
For the frs, time, the question OF the bal
ance Of power was raised, and raised by
the South. And thus il happened that
Maine, with her thousands OF Inhabitants,
in II position, and having every capacity
10 become powerful memh"r Of this Un.
ion, was 10 be, and was, excluded, nolwI'h-
standing the previous admission OF new
slave States almost without question, un.
less, and until, yet another slaveholdins
State could come in n, the same time. Sir,
with such warning, vas il wonderful, |
ask again, that the free States should h: We
insisted upon line beyond which slavery
should no, 90! And when we find The
South, almos, 10 man, advancing to obli'-
crate ;ha, line, can we be AT n loss 10 under
stand The object Of such movement!
The time and the manner, as It strikes
me, of introducing this proposition into this
body. are both singularly unfortunate
Why, sir, have ceen,lemen forgotten, on
either side Of The Chamber, the appeal they
made OIL this floor TO the people OF The
North 10 quie, agitation! Have they for
gotten all they said and prayed for! Have
they forgotten The denuncialions they threw
on, against those who causelessly or use-
lessly brought this country into state oi ~.
i,a,ion 7 Have they forgotten The stirring
appeals they made 10 The iraiernal feeling
of the free States! II they have not Tor
gotten these things, let ms ask them with
what proprieiy can lhev now, when they
say this is merely the affirmation OF prin.
ciple; when they admi, that no practical
good is TO come Of il; when they say they
expect nothing OF il except 10 put few
words upon the s,aiuie.books - how can
they, with any regard 10 their own pte'ei'-
sions TO love Of county, yield their support
TO a proposition like this Ia proposition
most carefully calculated 10 excite all the
angry feelings that can be excited in the
bosons of Northern men. Sir, this was a
compact. Will they no, yield something
for good faith! l, is demonstrated here
| ,ha, the South received lis consideration
long ago. Will the fee States feel nothing
at being robbed Of their portion il 10
shown, palpably shown, ihn, slavery has
gained grea, advantages fiom this new ter
rilory will You take away all The advan-
,ages you agreed some thirty years ago
that freedom should receive from il
Mr.. Douglas. Who says i, was a com.
pacl'
Mr.. Fessenden. Who saysii was oom.
pacit Everybody has said so since have
been on this floor. II has been said SO over
and over again.
Mr.. Douglas. What friend Of the bill
said sol
Mr.. Fessenden. canno, call names,
bu, have heard nothing else.
Mr.. Pratt Give one name.
Mr.. Doualas. Yes, give one name. II