The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1854-07-06

have always said thought it was in bad taste,
and have never attempted it.
| Mr. SUMNER. l beg the Senator's pardon. I
always listen to him. and know whereof affirm.
He has profusely dealt in it. ] allude now only
| to a single occasion. In his speech on the Ne
! braska bill, running through two days. it was one
of his commonplace. In that he openly present.
| ed contrast between the free States and slave
| holding communities" in certain essential fea-
lures of civilization, and directed shafts at Mas
! sachusetts, which called to his feet my distin-
| guished colleague at that time, Mr.. EVERETT, I
and which more than once compelled me to take
| the floor. And now, sir, the venerable Senator
not rising from his seat and standing openly be-
| fore the Senate, ventures to deny that he has
dealt in such comparisons.
! Mr.. BUTLER. VIII the Senator allow me?
| Mr.. SUMNER. Certainly; / yield the floor to
| the Senator.
| Mr.. BUTLER. Whenever that speech is read
and | wish the Senator had read it before he
| commented on it with good deal of rhetorical
| enthusiasm-it will be found that l was particu-
lar not to wound the feelings of the Northern
| people who were sympathizing with us in the
great movement to remove odious distinctions.
was careful to say nothing that would provoke
| invidious comparisons /; and when that speech is
| read, notwithstanding the vehement assertion of
the honorable Senator, he will find that when
quoted the laws of Massachusetts,, particularly
one act which termed the totes quotes act by
which every negro was whipped every time he
came into Massachusetts,, quoted them with a
| view to show, not contrast between South Car
DINA and Massachusetts, but to show that in the
whole of this country, from the beginning to this
| time-even in my own State, made no excep-
tion-public opinion had undergone a change
and that it had undergone the same change in
! Massachusetts, for at one time they did not re-
| gard this institution of slavery with the same
| odium that they do at this time. That was the
purpose; and challenge the Senator as an ora
tor Of fairness tolook at it, and if it is not
| Mr.. SUMNER. Has the Senator done?
| Mr.. BUTLER. l may not be done presently;
but that is the purport of that speech.
Mr.. SUMNER. VIII the Senator refer to his
own speech He now admits that under the
guise of argument, he did draw attention to
what he evidently regarded an odious law of Mas
| sachusetts And, sir, | did not forget that, in
doing this, there was, at the time, an apology
which ill-concealed the sting. But let that pass
The Senator is strangely obivious of the statisti-
cal contrasts, which he borrowed from the speech
of a member of the other House, and which, at
his request, were read by Senator before him
on this floor. The Senator, too, is strangely OBJ
liyious of yet another imputatiOn, which, at the
very close of his Speech he shot as a Parthian
arrow at Massachusetts. 1t is he, then, who is
the offender. For myself sir, understand the
Vi IOeudJOIS SIdNcDOluluS COM
munites, and would not wound them by a super
huous word. OF slavery l speak strongly, as
must; but thus far even at the expense of my
argument, have avoided the contrasts, founded
on details of figures and facts, which are so OBJ
| yiOus between the free States and +" slaveholdng
communities " especially have | Stunned all al
| lusion to South Carolina. But the venerable
| Senator, to whose discretion that State has in
trusted its interests here, will not allow to be
STILL
God forbid that should do injustice to South
Carolina. l know well the gallantry of many of
her sons. know the response which she made
to the appeal of Boston for union against the
Stamp Act-the fugitive slave act of that day
by the pen of Christopher Gadsden. And ] re-
n ember with sorrow that this patriot was obliged
to confess, at the time, her weakness in having
such a number Of slaves" though it is to his
credit that he recognised slavery as a I" crime"
| fBancrofts History of United States, VOL s. page
| 426) | have no pleasure in dwelling on the hui
Mutations of South Carolina | do not desire to
| expose her sores; would not lay bare her ma
kedness. But the Senator, in his vaunt for
| q slaveholding communities" has made claim
for slavery which is so inconsistent with history,
and so derogatory to freedom, that cannot allow
| it to pass un.. swered
This, sir, is not the first time, even during my
| little experience here that the same claim has
| been made on this floor and this seems more
astonishing, because the archives of the country
| furnish such ample and undOubted materials for
| its refutation. The question of the comparative
contributions of men by different States and sec
tons of the country in the of the Revolution,
was brought forward early as 1890, in the first
Congress under the Constitution, in the animated
| and protracted debate on the assumption of State
| debts by the Union. On this location Fisher
Ames, Representative from Massachusetts, mem
orable for his classic eloquence, moved for call
upon the War Department for the number of men
| furnished by each State to the Revolutionary ar
mics. This motion, though vehemently opposed,
was carried by small majority. Shortly after
wards, the answer to the call was received from
the Department, at that time under the charge
of General Knox This answer, which is one of
the documents of our history, places beyond
| cavil or criticism the exact contribution in arms
| of each State Here ii is:
Statement Of the number Of troops and militia fur
nished By the several States, for the support Of the
Revolutionary acar, from 1915 to l783 alclasiUe.