Daily national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1854, 1854-02-18

Gus enthusiasm on the prospective enlarge
ment Of our commerce in the East, and Of our
political sway throughout the world And
what have we now here but the oblivion oi
death covering the very memory OF those great
enterprises, and prospects, and hopes?
Senators from the -slayeholding States
You want peace. Think we'll | beseech you,
before you yield the price now demanded, even
Tor peace and rest from slavery agitation.
France has got peace from Republican agila-
ton 10y similar sacrifice. So has Poland; so
has Hungary and so. at last. has Ireland. Is
the peace which either OF those nations enjoys
worth The price il cost Is peace, obtained al
such cost, ever lasting peace2
Senators from the slaveholding States You,
too. suppose that you are securing peace as
well as victory in this transaction. | tell you
now, as told you in 1850, that il is an error,
an unnecessary error, TO suppose, that because
you exclude slavery from these Halls to-day,
that Il will not revisit them 10 morrow. You
buried the Wilmot Proylso here then. and cels-
brated It's obsequies with pomp and reyelry.
And here il is again to-day, stalking through
these Halls. clad in complete steel as before.
Even il those whom you denounce as faction
lists in the North would let il rest, you your
selves must evoke il from lis grave The rea-
son is obvious. Say what you will, do what
you will, here, the interests OF the non slave
holding States and OF the slaveholding States
remain just the same and they will remain
just the same, until you shall cease to cherish
and defend slavery, or we shall cease 70 honor
and love freedom! You will not cease 10
cherish slavery. Do you see any signs that we
are becoming Indifferent 10 freedom? On the
contrary, that old, traditional hereditary senli-
ment OF the North Is more profound and more
universal now than il ever was before. The
slavery agitation you deprecaie SO much is an
eternal struggle between Conservatism and
Progress, between Truth and Error, between
Right and Wrong You may sooner, BY
ACT Of Congress, compel the sea TO suppress its
upheavings, and the round earth to extinguish
its internal fires, than oblige the human mind
to cease its inquirings, and the human heart 10
desist from its throbbings.
Suppose then, for moment, that this agita-
ton must 90 on hereafter as heretofore. Then,
hereafter as heretofore, there will be need. on
both sides, OF moderation; and TO secure moder-
alton, there will be need OF mediation Hither-
to you have secured moderation by means of
compromises, by rendering which, the great
Mediator, now no more, divided the people OF
the North. But then those in the North who
did not sympathize with you in your COM
plants Of aggression from that quarter, as well
as those who did, agreed that if compromises
should be effected, they would be chvalrously
kept on your part. lcheerully admit that they
have been so kept until now. But hereafter,
when having taken advantage, which in the
North will be called fraudulent, of the last of
those compromises, to become, as you will be
called. the aggressors by breaking the other, as
will be alleged, in violation of plighted faith
and honor, while the slavery agitation is rising
higher than ever before, and while your ancient
friends, and those whom you persist in regard
ing as your enemies, shall have been driven to-
gelher by common and universal sense Of
your injustice, what new mode of restoring
peace and harmony will you then propose?
What Statesman will there be in the South,
then, who can bear the flag Of truce? What
Statesman in the North who can mediate the
acceptance OF your new proposals?
II, however, err in all this, let us suppose
that you succeed in suppressng political agita-
ton of slavery in National affairs. Neverthe-
less, agitation OF slavery must 90 on in some
form; for all the world around you is engaged
in il. Ii is, then, high Time for you 10 consider
where you may expect 10 meet il next. much
mistake il, in that case, you do not meet il there
where we, who once Were slavehodng States,
-.
succumbcd before it--namely, in the Legislative
halls, in the churches and schools. aud al the
6reside. within the States themselves Ii is an
angel with which sooner or later every slave
holding State must wresile, and by which il
must be- overcome. Even If. by reason of this
measure, il should the sooner come 10 that
point. and although am sure that you will moi
overcome freedom, but that freedom will over
come you, yet do moi look even then for dis
astrous or unhappy results. The institutions
Of our country are so framed, that the inevi-
table conflict of opinion on slavery, ms on every
other subject. cannot be otherwise than peace
ful in its course aud benehcent in It's termina
ton
Nor shall "bate one joi of heart or hope"
in maintaining just equilibrium Of The non
slaveholding States, even if this lll-starred
measure shall be adopted. The non slave
holding States are ieemIng with an increase OF
lreemen-educaied, vigorous, enlightened, en-
ierprising ireemen-such freemen as neither
England, nor. Rome, nor even Athens, ever
reared. Hall million of lreemcn from Eu-
rope annually augment that increase and, ten
years hence half million. twenty years hence
a million, Of freemen from Asia will augment IL
still more. You may obstruci. and so turn The
direction Of those peaceful armies away from Ne
braska. So long as you shall leave them room
on hill OF praine. by river side or in the noun
tain Businesses, they will dispose OF themselves
peacefully and lawfully in the places you shall
have left open 10 them and there they will
erect new States upon free soil, TO be forever
maintained and defended by free arms, and
aggrandized by free labor. American slavery,
know. has large and ever flowing spring,
but il cannot pour forth its blackened tide in
volumes like that have described Ii YOU are
wise, these tides Of ffeemen and of slaves will
never meet, for they will not voluntarily com
mingle but if, nevertheless, through your own
erroneous policy, their repulsive currents must
be directed against each other, so that they
needs must meet, then il is easy 10 see, in that
case, which Of them will overcome the resist
ance Of the other, and which Of them, thus
overpowered, will roll back to drown the
sources which sent il forth
"Man proposes, and God disposes." You
may legislate and abrogate and abnegate as