The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1856-07-18
Speech or non. JOHN n. SAVAGE,

Mr. SAVAGE said i,
Mr. sPEAKEa Fbe short space Of fifteen minutes win
prevent me from pursuing the line Of argument had IN
tended by touching the general questions discussed IN
this debate have no time TO define policies euedate
principles but shall con6ne the little that do say 10 ihs
And what Is il with which the member from South Carr
olina stands cbaTged1 After all, say what we VIII 90
what We may, Ii Is nothing but assault and battery
the most common and the least degrading OF all e oneSes
known 70 the criminal code
maintain these three propositions lst whatever OF
fence has been Committed thls House mas NO Sa
get lick than he richly deserved and LAST al
though the member from South Carolina may have viola
ted The letter Of the law BY breach q the peace YET o. Al
the excusable and, instead Of deserving punishment
merits your highest commendaton. #se NJ. n
protest against this first step in the path Of tyranny
which you attempting 70 take You do not pretend
that you have any ue Of action known and prescribed by
he supreme power 70 govern you In ,hs case oas you
hidden and confined Ia your bosoms which no mortal
know until the destroying edct Is ready to blast
him Sir where law ends tyranny begins discretion y
the unlimited rule Of your will il contrary 10 the
spirit and genus OF American Institutions and is not adj
mited rule Of action in England nor In any court
upon the American continent The courts OF chancery
have such doctrine old law-wrter remarking that
you might well make the rule of usce the length OF the
chanceos foot as the uncontrolled discretion OF his con-
science. @. ' a
II you have 20 ser to punish offences committed out
side Of this House. il is unlimited power extending TO
moral well criminal deeds embracing all punishment
from petty fine TO the penalty Of DEATH your feet are in
the pathway Of blood You grasping at power as
absolute dangerous unlimited and underlined, as the
basest despot yet exercised II my life liberty, and
reputation are to be destroyed what matters it to me
whether by the decree Of single Gar Emperor or the
edic Of hundred tyrans in the shape Of back-repub
members Of Congress urged TO awles violence BY
party zeal2 .... .y..... IL. .-
Your course viii be progressive Take this step and
you bound to 60 further. The tenure by which you
now hold your positions on this floor is falschood cal
nmny, and Islander To triumph over men better than
sailed by these base corrupt and infamous instrument
taltes, the constitutional rights domestic institutions
peace and safety Of the whole southern people To main
tain places here required TO wound their
sensbiies and destroy their character but in the days
Of your progress other men worse even than you VIII grow
up uoder your culture and tread you down for they
will be ready go further than YOU and dip their hands
In innocent blood and your precedent OF this day VIII be
their authority.
dare the majority here to imbody in law the prnc
pie upon which they to In their malice towards
the member from South Carolina They know If brought
forward that the people its true character they
will doom it and its authors keep company in all time
to come with the dead bodies Of the sedtion law and fed
eras yes sir and with another odious law Of the Brit
sh Parliament creating the offence of scGadatum g9no
mj BY which words, when spoken of peer, or other
great of the realm punished with extraordinary
penalties, although harmless II uttered Of private cit
izen And have in this republic privileged classes
and is 1t necessary to guilty members Of Congress
from the punishment that ought TO be inflicted upon the
sanderer and assassin of private character that should
create by construction the offence of grand and bat
ey2 Must there be law for the proud SENATOR an
other for the humble citizen
SIR the senator who will give to every his due and
the freedom of speech to inure else, will
never be assaulted but SUMNER prosued his high posi-
onmade IL cloak for the utterance Of malice, false
hood, and Islander. He got good whipping as he de-
served and what you this floor ought TO have
Perhaps some gentlemen may think ] merit the same
thing but hope they will not come TO any such conclu
sion, as am not fighting man.
have examined the speech of the Massachusetts senator
malice alsshood slapder and literary thevng,
II has parallel in any age any nation All southern
society is assaed by the foples charges in all ranks
from the President 70 the western pioneer character
zed in the rudest manner by the grossest epthets even
the gallant dead Of his State does not escape his vile
tongue Harlot crime usurpaton, swndle, oligarchy,
slave power thugs and assasns and other kindred terms
are common words in this odous production TO character
lie his adversaries As matter OF course he introduced
"the weird sisters imagine be could not make speech
without the of such hackneyed phrases but in
my opinion was most fit occasonfor ever there was
hellbroth of all that Is vile and hateful beneath the SUM-
upon which bags and hends only ought to feed that
pound then flowing from the senator's lips II north
ern gentlemen fancy such entertainment envy not
their and Is understood that there are those
on this floor who admire the purity OF It's language and
the nobility Of its sentiments.
Dir these words and sentiments are moi the production
Of pure, brave or generous soul nor Of bad man
with redeemipg traits they indicate nature and heart
corrupt Satan-one whose thoughts all eyi-and
matter how well the arfu hypocrite may have con-
Quoted the osr man. and guarded his character before
the world those who judge the by its fruit know full
well that night and solitude perpetual witnesses TO his
abascment ~ E"..#" 81" Hl.'7 r#~..'...t" s|...
Itwas General Jacsons maxim hthat he that can wan
tony outrage the feelings OF anothercan intend wrong
where 10 due capable Of any crime however de-
tesabe In nature and will not fail 70 commit IL when
IL may be imposed by necessity What then ought
TO be the punishment Of SUMNER who, with heart over
flowing with malice and fatally bent mischiefdis-
honorng the high commission which had been given him
by cenhdng Satewith false charges and gross eptbets
ISLANDERS the people Of fifteen States OF this Unionmen
and women infancy, old age the living and the dead
all alike Not only did no deserve what he received but
every honest hand earth ought TO have q whip 10
sconrge the villain around the world,
You cannot do whatever you please In the Of lib
erty. Your natural right s restrained by civil law Nor
win the liberty Of speech justify the utteance Of asehood
caumny, and SANDER such offences pursued by the
public law and the private avenger Where alsehood and
slander begin the freedom OF speech ends . VS.
0ther men have rights as well rs SunxER, which are
natural inherent and naenabe Such life personal
security, and private property. These law limit
prevent from defending Personal security includes
reputation The character IL protected by the law
hatguards the body SuNsKh then the original aggres
by bis fasehood and SANDER he attacked the natural
and naenabe rights Of every woman and child In the
South. Every law-book warned him that such
led 70 bloodshed and breaches Of the peace; and now
when misfortunes come he endeayos 10 shift the certain
consequences OF bis guilty deed 70 the head Of him
whose only fault II any be Imputed Is that be yielded
readily TO the promptings Of generous nature 't
not here deny that Col Brooks violated the laws
OF the land by the assanlt which he committed aud did
Gen jackson New Orleans when he arrested the person
his high Office for base purposes aud 70 the injury Of The
country, a Senator SUMNER did his. But the mem
Der has quietly submitted the bar Of your Justice
and fully answered and atoned the violated law OF his
country and yet seek 10 punish him second time for
N yop e.ne The ne,oh., e,oD eo,h f.,o,i,a orr ..