Weekly hawk-eye and telegraph. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1855-1857, 1855-07-11

when se4ec4 that { ariss 10 represent thu
views o. the nixksr West on this yexed Gues-
fion of Slavery, INV under discussion. !
would to God That scme gerffensn more COM
petent 70 that task had undcFfakcnir il. Gen
tienen II Other States have shavn . strong
disposition to discuss party politics in this
debate. With the dirty details Of party
politics ws have nothing to do, in Ohio. -
Our principles are patriotic and pure, oar
purposes high and holy. :.
! The gentl .n,en who preceded me have all
mi. AIKEN the policy Of the founders OF tho
Republic. They never intended 10 tolerate
Slavery, or even to b. rcsponsible for its ex.
istenee. With the framers Of the Constitu-
ton, Freedom was the rule, Slavery the ex-
ccption; Freedom, national; Slavery, sec-
tionai. But those patriotic gentlemen from
the South are desiYous of changing tho rule,
30 ns 70 make Slavery national and Freedom
sectional; to extend over territory now free.
the soai. withering, God dishonoring curse OF
human slavery.
We, on the other hand, are DESTROYS of aus
tanning the policy OF our forefathers-a BIZ
BILE basel, law.loving, liberty built policy.
And here we take issue. The Hon. gentle
man from North Carolina, pointing to me,
tauntingly save: tsYou of the North refused
to extend the Missouri Compromise line ia
the Pacific, when We offered it to you." To
this reply, we did 30 refuse, and for this
reason; We are DESTROYS Of extending the
area Of Freedom, instead of the curse Of hui
man bondage.
The honorable gentlemen from Tennessee
and Alabama have said that we, at the North,
were generally opposed to the establishment
of that Missouri Compromise line at the time
the compact was entered into, in 1920. "Or
what pretext can you base your opposition
to its repeal?' In answer to the gentleman,
say that the people Of the North Tere op-
posed to the establishment Mt that time, and
for this obvious reason: it was base sur
render Of territory to Slavery that had been
by the God Of Nature and our laws conse-
Grated to Freedom. That Mt this moment,
instead of the voice of Freedom ascending
TO Heaven in ardent prayers for the perpetui-
ty of this Union, thousands of human be-
ings were clanking the chains of nbject Sla-
very there. Those men who were in Con-
gress from the North and voted for this Com
promise, lie forgotten somewhere-their me-
mories having persisted with them. So have
we sent those who voted for its repeal to
/ their political graves, to DO remembered nc
more by US, except in the long living annals
of infamy. The gentleman over the way
asks me to reconcile that position. will
Sir. The territory the South acquired BY
virtue of tina contract is already fingered
Z yes. fingered all over. The crack Of the dri-
4 ver's lash TO the disgrace of humanity be i,
s"id) is this day heard on its every acre.
! The voice of Freedom is not heard there, but
Slavery, dark and damning, curses that 9th
! erwise beautiful country. having territory
; sufficient to make an empire Of freemen.-
That Is the reason We opposed its repeal and
and now ask for its restoration. We cannot
recall Slavery there now-'tis too late! II
we could place that territory in tbs same sit.
uaton it was in 1920, there would be nc
trouble from our State about the repeal oil
the Missouri restriction. No: we. would
like men, enter the aren, and fight manfuily
| the battles of Freedom, our Inheritance, wa.
not turned to strangers and our homes tl
aliens, and Liberty left desolate in the land
Of our forcfathers.
But the dark and damning deed is done
md regarding the rights eff the States unde,
! the Constitution, We cannot change it now
And now, after our submission for thirty.
four years to that inquiry, you come forward
/, and infict this renewed outrage upon u.s.
You say, ''It is true, north of that line wa.
set apart by solemn compact to Freedom; bu
the contract was unconstitutional, and con
sequentiy null and void.'
/ care not from what point you view it
you have taken under that contract and OF
course are bound by it. You now como te
us whiningly and cay. ssThs contract i:
! void, do ut attempt to enforce it," Sup.
pose you give your note for ono hundred dol.
lars borrowed on the Sabbath; and after.
wards, to avoid the payment, set up for de.
fence that the note was given on Sunday and
consequently void and you would not pav it
In what light do you suppose all the honor.
able men would view it? In no o: her lieh,
ne consummate Williams, unworthy the conf
d'nce Of all honorable m n. In this light
Ohio and the terming millions Of the might,
West, whom feebly represent here, view
you, Gentlemen, in relation to this Kansas.
Nebraska inquiry! Iappeal to Representa-.
tlves from the South, in the name of all thu,
! lie honorable.-in the name Of God, to ht
this once influenced by the pure prompting,
Of right and justice, and restore this com.
promise line, Or from this day hide = our de.
formed heads and make your appearance NJ
more among intelligent beings.
| But | am reso we'd to place the gentlemen
-those chivaIrous Southern gen.lcmen,-
right on the record. Many Of them do say
that the repeal of that time honored line, ito
use their own words) was wrong, an iniu.
, ~ and an outrage, and that it ought to be
restored. say many Of you have slid 50
to me: and inasmuch as every gentleman
from the North has been challenged to give
the name of any Southern man who has dar-
| Oh n hr00 fh ..NrA, IN IS
m, therefore, to avoid being asked SO to do,
come up to the confessional, or shall with
out hesitation name the gent emen to this
convention. Cheers and laughter.l
At length lion. Kenneth Revner, of North.
Carolina, arose and stated that he had so
said, and took this occnson to say that he
considered the repeal of the Missouri Com:
promise wrong and an outrage, to which
the North ought not to submit. He said if
he had been membrr of Congress he would
have had his rirhthand served from his body
before be would have consented to the in-
EQUITY.
Gov. Brown, of Tennessee, said he had
stated that it was wrong and unjust to repeal
that not; but inasmuch as it was passed, he
was opposed to agitation on the subject by
reins.ating it.
Four or FIVE more, at this point, took the
for at once, Ford remsrking pie sanity,
"Keep cool, gentlemen: we are going to have
an interesting class me'ting here: but CO me
up to the confessional one at a time ~
daughter long and Loudly A number of
gentlemen confessed in substance what Gov.
Brown dbl
Mr. Ford proceeded by saying that s'an
open confession" was 'seood for the soul;'
and e hoped the gentlemen would learn an
other truism: The only way to get rid of
guilt is s'to repent and sin no more" All
we ask of you gentlemen, is 90 do right, re-
Numbering that there are eternal and un-
changeable principles of right, which no cir
cumstances can vary, and which God him
self may not disturb.
BY your confessions this day, coupled with
your action, you place yourself in the condi-
tion of n thief who having broken into your
house and got possession of your money, you
detect and arrest You say to lin, s.You
william! shat are you doing, thus inv ,ding
my most sacred rights!'' The thief comes
up to the confessional as our friends have
this day, saying, 81 know | have invaded
your most sacred rights: lconfess l have
committed an outrage and inflicted a great
injury upon yau. have broken into your
house and stolen your money. have done
this mran thing. l regret it, depiore it,
La IL RI