Minnesota weekly times. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1859, 1855-10-27
SPEECH OF SENATOR WILSON.

Amid the bitter and harsh denunciations he ped
so often upon me, am grateful for KIND word
from my fellow citizens anywhere, and especially
Of the commercial metropolis of the Union
[cheers.l Yesterday, while engaged in the exciting
and somewhat angry contest in my own State OF
Massachusetts,, l received your kind invitation to
meet with and address you to night. am here
tonight, gentlemen, to congratulate you of New
York on having inausurated a Republican party,
to carry out the grand idea of Thomas Jefferson,
proposed in 1884, the prohib ton of Slavery in
the territories of the United States [applau<e -
congratulate you upon the splendid platform
you have adopted with SO much Immunity in
New York. l congratulate you especially upon
the candidates you have been so fortunate ms to
present to the freemen of New York. Staining
upon that platform, they are worthy of your sup
port, and their election will carry JOY to the hearts
Of the American People. You are not here to-
night feilow-citzcns, to commence a warfare up
any section of our beloved Union. l know,
gentlemen, that you embrace in your affections
every foot over which wa, es the banner of the
Union (cheers]. know that you embrace in your
affections the people of the whole Of the country,
of every race and of every color (applausel l
know that YOU are not hero tonight to heap Bit
ter words or bitter reproaches upon our fellow
citizens of the South or of any section of this
Union (cheers You have war upon the
South lcheerngl. l know, gentlemen, that ut
ter your sentiments as we'll as my own, when saw
that you of New York do not war upon the South
lapplause]. But you are here, gentlemen, to re-
slst with all the power that the Constitution gives
YOU, the enc oachments of the Slave pOwcr Of this
country lappl,ur. You are here to dethrons
american Slavery and to enthione American lib
erty in the government loud cheeringl. We are
met, gentlemen, in the outset with the declaration
that this movement endangers the perpetuity of
the Union. Gentlemen, the movem mt is within
the limits of the Constitution. Within the limits
thnf N~
tend to battle for the overthrow of the Slave pow
or of the republic [cheers]. We accept with all
our hearts the declaration of Andrew Jack son =
g This Union must and shall be preserved (ap-
p!ausel. We accept the words of the great states
man that lies at NJ lrshfeld Liberty and Union,
and forever, one and inscperab cheering |.
Mr.. Choate tod US the other day that he could
not belong to a party that did not carry the flag
and keep step to the music of the Union. The
Republican party carries the banner ana keeps
step to the music of the Union cheers -
And above all gentlemen, the Republican party
carries the flag and keeps step to the muse of
liberty loud cherrs]. For myself, Sir, | say
that the Republican party is pre-eminently the
party of the constitution and Of the union. that
we mean to maintain the constitution, to secure
the blessings of liberty to ourselves and pos
terity forever, that we mean to maintain the
union because we love the union, the whole coun-
try and the people all over this broad and glori-
Gus land; and we believe that if we are true to
the constitution and the union we shall overthrow
the slave power of the country and prepare the way
when we shall have a government without des-
potism, and an empire without a bondman. For
myself, gentlemen, will vote every dollar in the
national treasury and in the pockets of the reo-
pie and every drop of blood in the veins of the
country to maintain and defend the constitution
and the integrity of that union intended to secure
the blessings of liberty to the American people
[applause]. And, gentlemen, We wish it to be
understood, let it 90 abroad on the wings of every
wind that the gathering hosts of northern freemen
who are rallying under the banner of the Repub
lican party intend to maintain with unfAltcring
fidelity their constitutional obligations and the
preservation of the amity of the States [cheersl.
But, gentlemen, let it 60 abroad, let it 20 to the
South on every wind in the words of the Chair
of the National Democratic committee that
we, the Republicans of the North arc opposed to
Slavery in every form and color, and in favor Of
Freedom and Free soil wherever man lives through
out Gods heritage loud cheers That senti-
ment, gentlemen, lives in the hearts of the Repub-
licans of the country, expressed by the Chairman
of the National Democratic committee of the
United States; man who has received the mark
and favor of the pres mt Executive of the United
States: a sentiment that was endorsed by Charles
!. Greene, Franklin Pierce's especial friend, as
national sentiment in lS49. Let it be under
stood, however, Gentlemen, in the words of the
chairman of this committee that by common law
and common sense, as we'll as by the decision of
the Supreme Court of the United States, the state
of Slavery is a mere municipal regulation found
ed upon and limited to the verge Of State rights.
say then, let the States understand, let the pco-
pie of the country understand, that we, the Re-
publicans Of the couptry, recognize the great
democratic doctrine of States Rights in all their
length and breadth, and that We do not propose
to interfere with the legal rights of the people of
any of the States of the Union [cheers Let it
be understood that within the territories of the
United States We intend to prohibit forever the
existence of human Slavery Loud cheeringl.-
Let it be understood by the country precisely and
exactly what we mean. We mean to restore free
dom to Kansas Immense and long continued
chceringl. We mean that Kansas shall never
come into this Union as Slave State. No, ncy-
er. Cheers and cries of '' BravO"1 We mean
to restore freedom to Nebraska clear up to the
boundaries of the British Queen [Applause]. We
mean that Nebraska shall come into the Union
free State with Il free Constitution Continued ap-
plausel We tell Atchison, Stringfellow and
other border rufhans that they may violate law,
honor, every thing, but that Kansas comes into
this Union clothed in the garments of liberty IRE
newed arplause]. Wemean that, Utah, if she comes
into this Union ever, shall come into this
Union free commonwealth. We mean
New Mexico, Minnesota, Washington, Oregon.
every foot Of the territories of this republic shall
be consecrated forever to Freedom and free in.
situations for all men, and chains and letters for
none Loud chcers]. Standing here to- night. gen.
tlemen, proclaim it, and let the country under
stand it, that we are opposed to slavery every
where, and if we had the power we would abolish
it forever [Cheers]. Let it be understood that we
have not the power to abolish it in the Slave
States of this union and We do not propose to in
terfere with the legal rights Of the citizens of the
slave states lCheers]. But let it be above all I'M
derstOod that within the territories of the United
States we have the constitutional right to prohibit
Slavery, and we mean to do it ut anv cost or at
any sacrifice Loud and enthusiastic applausel.-
Let it be understood BY this country and the
world that We mean that If any portion of this
continent shall ever be incorporated into this
Union we mean it shall be forever consecrated to
Webster, that wherever our language is hereaf-
:" ter to be spoken, our history remembered, our
a. example quoted, or our kindred acknowledged,
" there let universal and equal laws be proclaim
e cd to man" [Cheersl. Now, gentlemen, l hope
we are understood-l hope we are understood
just what We mean, and if there is any body in
this country that wants to dissolve this Union be-
cause we intend to carry out this old Jefersonian
policy, we say oday they have the inalenable
right to grumble, but if they lay their hands upon
the Union of these States they shall die traitor.
deaths and leave Performances in the history of
this republic loud cheers]
Now gentlemen, We say we already hear it at
the Wing Convention in Massachusetts, the other
day, we had an assemblage of Bohoos-men who
tremble for the Union. Last year. gentlemen,
when the Kansas Nebraska act passed, the Wings