The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1854-04-05
THE LANCASTER LEDGER.
r. s. BAILEY,
EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR.
SPEECH OF HON. P. S. BROOKS
V Soam Carolina, in the House Of Re
personalities March Is, 1854, on the
B'H Pro0iding Territorial Gocern-
nsents for Nebraska and Kansas.
r1eltt lcnSrtJ-DEn


nsents for Nebraska and Kansas.
lcoScLuDED.l
Nor was the right to import slaves all
that the pro-slavery States retained and
secured by the compact-for though they
were in minority in the convention. vet
so confident was the North of the cnt;re
worthlessness of slaves, and so pcrt;po-
c1ous the pro-siavery States in their ,cfu
sal to enter the Union upon any othor
terms than those which now onnaor -
the compact, that they guaranteed 10 MI
the states eqaa! rights in the public do.
main; and, by the second section Of tho
fourth article OF the Constitution con.r,n
teo 10 denver up our runaways, and, if
heceSS"fS' 10 protect us and all the States
against any kind Ct domestic violcucep
Let we are now told that it wa. the
Pohcy OF the country to exclude slavery
from all national territory.
or' there Is suspicious sound in that
WORD national, which jars upon Southern
ears, and when coupled with tho doe.
trines 1t lncucateS, comes athwart tLc
gale like the low whistle of TN, b,nd;t
and admonshes honest men TO the socu'
rity Of their estates.
~ IS worse than absurd to quote the
individual opinions of any man ara;nst
the institution of slavery, which werr ox.
pressed before those great stan,es yyh;cb
are now grown SO abundantIy IN the Saul,
"uu southwest, entered as controlling ell
"he"'S mo the commerce of the worI5.-
Ill every aspect in which YOU view il tho
appearance Is different The destrur,;on
oy tne war OF the little commerce W,
possessed, together with the absence of
'ha' great staple which has since piveu
employ ment TO millions, had well n;mb
rendered property in slaves not ONLY v1I-
ue'eSs' cut an absolute incumbranre The
''''cS were propitious both to schemes of
emancipation and to the entertainment of
sentiments OF -phanlhropv. Lands
were abundant, labor cheap the cotton.
g'h unknown, sugar uncultivatcd nv ps
the tobacco market overstockeJ ami tho
t''o'e culture otrcc thought TO be con
m nleu 10 Underwater swamps and, AS Il co.
ROTARY to these postu' ates, the negro al.
most too expensive an article for poor
man to keep. " pun
Inc moral and Intellectual charoctor
u. 'ne negro his peculiar adaptation to
the culture of our greatest stapIes the
staples themselves in q measure ami tLo
great and varied uses to which ibev hovo
since been applied, were then wholly nm:
=, lhe territorial expansion of our country.
''S h"hericai strength, and our mapniii
cent commerce, had never been foreshnl-
owed by tho most fervid imagination. In
ii4l, but eight bales of cotton were cx.
ported from America. In 1871 IAN IN.
..erval OF so years. but forty-scvcn b,Ics
Inc. Inc invention of Whitney came into Use
lI9S, and our present production is nm.
wards OF three millions of bales. worth
over a hundred millions of dollars, and
wh'ch the ingenuity of man has appIied
10 almost every conceivable purpose. The
acquisition OF land from France and Spaip
mas added other staples to our exports.
an" tiine has revealed the fact. that the
elevation and chrstanization ortbe negro
Is only to be effected 10y his scrvitude to a
superior race, and the amelioratinp infu.
eice OF an intelligence borrowed from the
white man. WV
=, put, SIR, we repudiate all authority bul
me Constitution. II bv that ius,rumcnt
1T can be shown that we of tho Snm,h
nave oecn committed to an odious ine-
quahty OF right in the public domain, then
we Will submit, but so long rs we are A.
cie 70 hoid with one hand this charter be.
,ore the eyes OF our children, and to de-
'enu IL WITH the other, you will find anv
ana every authority other than the Con.
stitution insufficient to restrain us.
VIII next proceed to the second OBJ
Jectlon TO the bill, winch is because of an
ACT OF legislation, passed in 1920, the con-
saeration OF which has been enioyed by
the South and the benefits of which have
not yet accrued to the free States. We
are asked to revere the provisions of tho
ac' OF March o, 1920 as sacredly binding
upon honor, and told that refusal in.
wolves the tnrpitude OF fraud.
Since the last assemblage of Delegates
from American States, TO confer upon
matters affecting the general welfare, on>/-
tions connected with the institu,/1 of
slavery have been the never falling source
OF sectional disagreement and Legislative
contention. The foundations of this Gov
ernment have been threatened by its
throes, and rs often has repose been re-es-
tabished by the magic of compromise. II
was compromised in the Congress of the
Confederation, and opened again in the
Federal Convention. After eiiciting much
eloquence, and more of patriotism, it was
seomingly settled by the adoption of the
Constitution, but again disturbed by the
acquisition Of territory from France. Here
again the fires of discort We're smothered
over only to break out " ith fiercer violence
upon the organization Of territory acquired
OF Mexico.
Again, the virtues of compromise were
iagoked. and with q triumphant success,
which has heralded forth to the world Us
specific against the ills Of State. But
three short years have passed, and again
the subject is before us, with lis extremes
as thoroughly charged with opposite quail
lilies as before the equilibrium had been
created by the aid of compromise. This