The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-07-03
KANSAS AFFAIRS. !
SPEECH OF HON. JAMES MEACHhM
M Varmouf -
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,,
APRIL 30, 1856. Il


The House being in the Committee of the Whole on the
OF the Union-
Mr. MEACHAM said:
Mr.. CHAIRMAN: In rising to address the Com
mittee at this time, / cannot fail to be ramind
ed that you* and / have been here together be.
fore; nor can l fail to recall the scenes through
which we passed six years since. Then, aS
now, there was an agitation in regard to the
Territories of this Union and believe there
was great deal more luminosity on the subiecl
than there is even now. The Territories were
different, but the same principles lay at the
bottom of the agitation then and now. Tins
has passed on, and dealt far more kindly with
you than with me; and upon your healthy and
Joyous countenance there are fewer marks or
the ploug h-share, and far fewer burrows upor-
your brow than upon mine. / cannot blu: be-
reminded that there are now only about fifteen
men here who were together then. have said,
sir, that the principles which we were agitatng
at that time-although in relation to different
Territories-were the same as those we are
agtating now. And you will recognise the fact
that probably never, in the history of the world,
has there been agitation in relation to Terrific.
ries so rich, so large, so fertile, and in their
anticipated destinies so prosperous, as those
then and now under consideration. Z
reperusal good many things of importance
which we had passed over in the first reading,
1t was 80 in reading the last Presidential mes
sage. There are eighteen columns of the Con.
gressiOnGt Globe occupied in it. The President
has discussed in ten columns our condition. al
to war and peace, the army, and the navy, end
the revenue, and the tariff, and the public lands,
and then he has gone abroad and discussed bur
foreign relations. And after he had gone over
the whole American continent, and gone abroad
over the rest of the world he comes home, end
devotes eight columns out of eighteen in refer
ence to the controversy between the Moth .and
South Eight mortal columns of the Congress.
sionaJ Globe are devoted to the agitation Of
Slavery; and throughout the whole he lays the
entire blame upon the North, and excuses in
every respect, and in every possible way, the
SOUTH
Now, remember by whom that is done. II is
done BY President whose nomination was
made at Baltimore, where the party was pledged
that the man coming into power should rot
agitate the subject of Slavery, and should rot
promote sectional agitation. The President
himself came out in a speech, and promised the
same thing. He came out afterwards in his in,
augural, and repeated the pledge over and over
again. 1t was repeated again through the votes
which he got in this House. After all that,
there stands the eight columns of agitation.
And venture to say-and | say candidly and
honestly-that, of all the abolition documents
that ever | read, never read eight columns
better calculated to promote sectional agitation
than these eight columns of the Presidents
message. No such thing can be found in any
other official document of the United States.
One Of the points which the President makes.
is the aggression inflicted on the South by the
North. | will read an extract from the mes.
sage:
1t is impossible to present this subject as.
truth and the occasion require, without noticing
the reiterated bpt groundless allegation, that
the South has persistently asserted claims and
obtained advantages in the practical admins.
tration of the General Government, to the pre-
judice of the North, and in which the latter has
acquiesced-that is, the States, which either
promote or tolerate attacks on the rights of
persons and of property in other States, to dis
guise their own injustice, pretend or imagine,
and constantly aver, that they, whose constitu-
tional rights are thus systematically assailed,
are themselves the aggressors. At the present
time, this imputed aggression, resting, as it
does, only in the vague, declamatory charges
of political agitators, resolves itself into misap-
prehension, or misinterpretation, of the prinsi.
Piles and facts of the political organization of
Mr.. Meacham then proceeded to exhibit a
colored map of Texas, to show what portion Of
the Territory was given to Freedom, and what
to Slavery.
Where is now (said hey the territory which
was then declared free? 1t has been given over
to New Mexico and Kansas, with the permits.
sion to fiji it with Slavery if they please. There
indicating it on the mapl is the southern bourd-
airy of Kansas, and that has gone into Kansas
with the permission to fill that with slaves. The
only portion of free territory which remains Of
all that We were to have is just that little red
pstch. 1t is degree and half of Longitude
in length, and half degree of latitude in width.
That is what remains. There is the promise
made to us, and there is the manner in which
it is kept. That little patch of territory is all
we have to show that the free States we're ever
recognised in the distribution. There was once,
as you will remember from reading Prescott,
territory in the mountains of Mexico. 1t was
| Republic; and while the hosts of Spain were
pouring over all the rest of Mexico, that little
| Republic maintained its independence for fifty
| years; and SO perfectly detefmined we're they
| to maintain their Independence, that they we're
| fifty years without ever tasting salt, because
| they could not get down to the ocean. trust
the time will come when in these settled Ter.
ritories there will be body of republicans who
will have the same spirit and determination to
| maintain their freedom, come what will.
have shown you, then, what has become .ol
that portion of territory. There indicating i'll
| is what the slave States have got, and there il
what the free States have got. :,
The President has made the establishment
of the Missouri Compromise line one of the
great aggressjons of the y orth against The South
That line has been broken up-we think, I'M
justly broken up. 1t was made by our fathers