Weekly North Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1850-1858, 1855-04-04
4NoRTH-oARebINA EDN ESDAY,s APRIL q, 1856:

REMARKs By JUDGE DoueLAs.-The abolitionists
are in the habit of nvadating the nfence of Judge
Douglas by mputing to him mercenary motives,
such being influenced in his course by the pos
session of large plantation of negroes. Mr. Wade,
of Ohio, in the o. S. Senate made the same nsin-
uaton which drew from Judge d. the following
eloquent and affecting ~emarks:
Mr.. President, the Senator from Ohio {Mr. Wade]
has invaded the circle of my private relations in
search of materials for the impeachment ofmy official
conduct He has alluded to certain southern interests
which he insinuates that I possess, and remarked,
that where the treasure is there the heart is also
So long as the statement that one of the larg-
est shareholders in America was confined to the
Abolition newspaper and stump orators treated it
with silent contempt. would gladly do so on this
occasion, were it not for the fact that the reference
is made in my presence by Senator for the purpose
OF imputng to me mercenary motive for my official
conduct.
Under these circumstances, silence on my part in
regard to the fact, might be construed into confess
sion CT guilt in reference to the impeachment of mo-
tive. therefore say to the Senator that his insin-
uation is false, he has searched the records
has any reliable information on the subject. / am
not the owner of slave and never have been, nor
have received, and appropriated to my own use,
one dollar earned by slave labor 1t is true that
once had rendered to me under circumstances CRATE
fu to my feelings, plantation with large number
of slaves upon it, which l declined to accept not
because had any sympathy with Abotonists or
the Abolition movement but for the reason that,
being northern man by BIRTH by education and
residence, and intending always to remain such, it
was impossible for me to know, understand, and
provide for the wants, comforts, and happiness of
those people.
refused to accept them, because was unwilling
to assume responsibilities, which incapable of
fulfilling. This fact is referred to in the will of my
father-n-law, reason for leaving the plantation
and slaves to his only daughter, who became the
mother OF my infant children as her separate eX-
elusive estate, with the request that if she departed
this life without surviving children the slaves should
be emancpated and sent to Liberia at the expense
of her esa,e hut in the event she should leave sur
vving children the slaves should descend to them
under the belief, expressed in the will, that they
would be happier, and better off wtk the descen-
dants of the family with whom they had been born
and raised, than in distant land where they might
find no friend to care for them. This brief state
ment, relating to private and domestic affairs, which
ought to be permitted to remain private and sacred
has been extorted and wrung from with extreme
reluctance, even in vndicaton of the purity of my
motives, in the performance of a high public trust.
AS the truth compelled me to negative the insinua
ton so Extensively made by the Senator from Ohio,
God forbid that should be understood by any
as being willing to cast from any responsibility
that now does, or ever has attached to any member
of my family So long as life shall last-and shall
cherish with religious vcncration the memory and
virtues Of the santed mother oe my chiidrcn-so
long my heart shall be filled with parental solici
tnde for the happiness of those mohercss infants
l implore my enemies who SO ruthcssly invade the
domestic sanctuary, to do me the favor to believe
that have no aspiration, to be considered purer
better than she, who was, or they who are slave
holders Sir, whenever my assaants shall refuse to
accept like amount of this species of property
rendered to them under similar circumstances, and
shall perform domestic trust with equal fidelity and
disnterestedness, it will be time enough for them to
impute mercenary motives to me in the performance
ofmy official duties.