The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-03-15

| adopted by SIX hundred Massachusetts Democrats
with shouts of applause:
ResoLUed, That by common law and common
sense, as well as by the decision of the Supreme
| Court of the United States lin Prigg u.s. Penn
sylvania, Is Peters, the state of Slavery is
mere municipal regulation, founded upon and
limited to the verge of the territorial law that
is the limits of the State creating it.
Resolved therefore, That, as Slavery does not
exist by any municipal law in the new Terrific
RES, and Congress has no power to institute it,
| the local laws of any State authorizing Slavery
can never be transported there, nor can Slavery
exist there but by local law of the Territories,
| sanctioned by Congress, or the legislative act
OF a State in its sovereign capacity"
Now, sir, we, in Massachusetts,, agree with these
resolutions. We believe have the power to
abolish Slavery in all the Territories of tile Union:
that If Slavery exists there it exists by the per-
mission and sanction of the Federal Government,
and we are responsible for it. We are in favor of
| its abolition wherever we are morally or legally
responsible for its existence.
| We of Massachusetts believe the Fugitive Slave
Act of 1850 inhuman and unconstitutional
enactment, and we are in favor of its immediate
and unconditional repeal The extraditon of
fugitives from labor should be left to the States,
where we believe the Constitution leaves it. |
assure Senators from the South that we do not
propose to interfere in any way whatever with
| Slavery in the States; but we are in favor of
aboshing it wherever ii exists under the juris-
! diction Of Congress-to Danish the question from
the Halls of national legislation.
believe conscientiously, that if Slavery should
be abolished by the National Government in the
| District of Columbia and in the Territories, the
Fugitive Slave Act repealed, the Federal Gov
| eminent relieved from all connection with or re-
sponsbiiity for, the existence of Slavery, these
| angry debates banished from the Halls of Con-
gress and Slavery left to the people of the States
that the men of the South who are opposed to
the existence of that institution would get rid of
| 1t in their own States at no distant day be-
heve that If Slavery is ever peacefully abolished
in this country-and l certainly believe it will
| bet must be abolished in this way.
| The Senator from Illinois I Mr.. DoCGLAs1 pro-
nounces all the Abolitionists disunonists If he
| means to include men who think as think and
act as | act beg leave to say to that Senator
that he mistakes us altogether.
Mr.. DOUGLAS. / have letter in my possess
| sion, written from Boston, ndugng in the most
| | VIII not say fulsome-terns, of the Senator
| from Massachusetts, just elected, in which the
chief merit urged is, that upon the question of
the dissolution of the Union that Senator would
| prove himself man.
Mr.. WILSON. All | have to say is that
never uttered word in my life to warrant such
| an assertion. Sir, make no pretensions to any
peculiar devotion to the Union over other men :;
but, If know myself would sacrifice all of life
| and OF hope to maintain and perpetuate the
| Union of these States. From boyhood, | have
dreamed of glorious destiny for my country
have wished to see the flag of the Union wave in
peaceful triumph over the North American con-
tinent, over Confederacy of free Common
| wealths. | have so much faith in Democratic
ideas, so much confidence in the people that
have no fears from the annexation OF territory
and the extension OF the boundaries of the Re-
public.
| The Senator from Illinois 1Mr. DoUGLAs1 has
undertaken here tonight to denounce all of us
| of the North, whom he is pleased call Adolf
| tlonists, as disunionists. Now, sir, in my judg-
ment, no part of the Confederacy is more devo-
| ted TO the Union than the State have the honor
| in part to represent. | believe that in my State
| the opinion in favor of the Union approaches
unanimity. We respond, with all our hearts, to
the words of Daniel Webster, uttered on this
floor more than twenty years ago ;" Liberty and
Union, nolc and forever, and UlsspdraJle :" But
| we mean Liberty and Union. The voting Anti-Sla-
| very men of Massachusetts will not be frighten-
| ed from their advocacy of impartial liberty by
| threats, made here or elsewhere, to dissolve the
| Union. These menaces have no terrors for us
We know that the people will stand by the Union,
even if Slavery should be abolished
But the Senator from Illinois fortunes our ex-
| pressions of confidence in the stability of the
Union into designs our part to plot for its
| dissolution. Sir the Senator has asserted what
he cannot believe. That Senator understands
| the sentiments of the people of the Northern
States quite too well to mean anything like that
The State of Ohio gave seventy thousand majot-
ty, at the last election, against his Nebraska bill
Docs the Senator believe the intelligent people of
Ohio, who gave that majority of seventy thou
| sand--or eighty-four thousand as the Senator at
my side Mr. CHASE reminds me-are enemies
of this Union? He knows they would shed their
| blood this day quite freely az he himself or
any other Senator, to perpetuate the Union. The
great State of New York gave an almost I'M
| counted majority in opposition to the Nebraska
bill. Does the Senator believe that the intelli-
| gent freemen of New York are opposed to this
UniOnE The State | represent on the floor of
the Senate gave more than one hundred thou
| sand majority against the Nebraska bill at the
| last election. | do not know one dsunionist
among them all. Hundreds of the men the SEN
ator pronOunces hostile to the Union have peril
ed their lives and shed their blood in defence of
| the country.
Alluslons have been made to the recent cleo
tons. The Senator from Illinois has been pleas
| ed to say here, that, in his opinion, Know Moth
| ingism has swept the Northern States and not
opposition to the Nebraska bill 1t is not my
purpose to underrate the power and influence of
! the organization to which he refers. | will say
to that Senator, however that the first State to
was the Presidents own State 1t was my for
| tune to travel more than one thousand miles in
that, my native State, few days preceding the
election. | know something of the sentiments
and wishes of the people, and say that the sup
porters of the Administration did not dare in
New Hampshire to defend the Nebraska bill.
They denied it 10 be issue in the canvass and
by so doing they saved themselves from utter de-
feat but they not able to secure the Legis-
lature of the State so as to elect their Senators
The State of Connecticut voted early in April |
do not believe there was then single man, in |
either of these States, whom you might designate
as Know Nothing. So far as nv own State is |
concerned, although the Know Nothing party, as |
he calls 1.-THE American party-have taken no |
position the subject of Slavery at ALL yet the
sentiment of that State approaches unanimity |
and / do not know of Nebraska man in the |
Legislature, and am sure there is not Nebras- |
ka man in the delegation of the House. and on |
the floor of the Senate are unit upon that /
measure. A VOICE. No doubt about that"1 |
As to the organization Of the American party, in |
some sections it has had influence in favor of /
Freedom in other sections it has been hostile to /
Freedom.
The Senator from Indiana Mr. PETrIr1 has
made a long argument tonight to prove the in
feriority of the African race. Well, sir, have no
contest with the Senator upon that question. | |
do not claim for that race intellectual equality |
but say to the Senator from Indiana that know
men of that race who are quite equal in mental
power to either the Senator from Indiana or N.Y.
self--men who are scarcely inferior in that re-
spect, to any Senators upon this floor. But, sir,
suppose the Senator from Indiana succeeds in |
establishing the inferority of that despised race
is mental inferiority valid reason for the per-
petual oppression of a racer Is the mental, NOR
al, or physical inferiority of man, just cause of
oppression in republican and Christian America