The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-07-03

emulatiug tnelr example. l, SIR, agree with
| the South Carolina authority L have quoted
| here IN regard TO the legislation of Massachu-
| sets.
Sir, my time is passing away. and must has
ten on. The State of Massachusetts, is the
guardian OF the rights of her citizens, and of the
inhabitants within her border line. If her cit
liens go beyond the line, into distant lands or
upon the ocean, then they look to the Federal
arm for protection. But old Massachusetts, is
the State which is to secure to her citizens the
inestimable blessing of trial by jury and the
writ of habeas corpus. All these things must
come from her, and not from the Federal Gov
ernment L believe, with her great statesmen
and with her people, that the Fugitive Slave
Law is unconstitutional. Mr.. Webster, as an
original question, thought it was not constitu-
tional; Mr.. Rantoul, a brilliant statesman of
Massachusetts,, said the same thing they both
thought that the clause of the Constitution was
addressed L the States. Mr.. Webster bowed
tn the decision of the Supreme Court in the
Prigg case; Mr.. Rantoul did not. Massachu-
sets believes it to be unconstitutional; but
whether II be constitutional not she means,
so long as the Federal Government undertakes
to execute that law, that the Federal Gov
eminent shall do it with its own instruments,
vile or otherwise. She says that no one
clothed with her authority shall do anything
to help in it, so long as the Federal Government
undertakes to do it. But, sir, pass from this.
did intend to reply seriatim to all the attacks
which have been made upon the State, but |
have not half time enough. The gentleman
from Mississippi, Mr.. Bennett after enumer-
ating a great many things he desired Massa-
chusetts to do, said, amongst other things, that
she must tear out of her tatutebook this per-
sonal liberty law. When she had done that,
and variety of other things too numerous to
mention, then he said the South would forgive
Massachusetts" The South forgive Massachu-
sets Sir, forgiveness is an attribute of Di-
vinity. The South has it not. Sir, forgive
ness is higher quality than justice, even. The
SOUTH mean the Slave Power-cannot COM
prehend it. Sir, Massachusetts, has already for
given the South too many debts and too many
insults. If we should do all the things the gen.
tleman from Mississippi desired US to do, then
the gentleman from Alabama Mr.. SHORTER
comes in, and insists that Massachusetts shall
do great variety of other things before the
South probably will forgive her. Among other
things, he desired that Massachusetts, should
blot out the fact that General Hull, who surren-
dered Detroit, had his home in Massachusetts.
Why, no, sir; she does not desire even to do
that, for then she would have to blot out the fact
that his gallant son had his home there-that
gallant son who fell fighting for his country, in
the same war, at Lundys Lane-that great bat
tie, where Colonel Miller, Massachusetts, man
by adoption, when asked if he could storm GER
tain heights, replied, in modest Massachusetts
manner, I" / will try, SIR" He stormed the
heights.
The gentleman desires, also, that we should
blot out the history of the connection Of Massa-
chusetts with the last war. Oh, no! She cannot
do that. She cannot so dim the lustre of the
D.
public. Where, then, would be your great sea-
fights? Where. then, would be the glory of
"Old Ironsides," whose scuppers ran red with
Massachusetts blood Where, then, would be
the history of the daring of those brave fisher
men, who swarmed from all her bays and all her
ports, sweeping the enemy's commerce from
the most distant seas? All, sir she cannot
afford to blot out that history. You, sir, cannot
afford to let her do it-no, not even the South.
She sustained herself in the last war: she paid
her own expenses, and has not yet been paid
entirely from the Treasury of the nation. The
enemy lowered on her coast with his ships, as
numerous, almost, as the stars. He looked on
that warlike land and the memory of the olden
time came back upon him. He remembered
how, more than forty years before, he had trodden
on that soil; he remembered how vauntingly he
invaded it, and how speedily he leftit. He turned
rushing from the mountains to the sea to de-
fend it (; and he dared not attack it. Its CAPT
tai stood in the salt sea spray, yet he could not
take it. He sailed south, where there was an
other capital, not far from where we now stand
forty mikes from the sea. A few staggering
WORKOUT sailors and soldiers came here They
took it. How it was defended, let the heroes
of Bladeusburg answer Laughter.
Sir, the gentleman from South Carolina Mr..
KEIrT made speech and if l may be allow
ed to coin word, l will say it had more cantan-
kerosiy in it than any speech ever heard on
this floor. Renewed laughter. 1t was GER
tainly very eloquent in some portions-very
eloquent indeed, for the gentleman has indis.
putably an eloquent utterance and an eloquent
temperament. l do not wish to criticize it
much, but it opens in the most extraordinars
manner with "weird torchligt~, -
he introduces a dead MAJ OF ,tnt, ana then
ICES him. and Nh. fric--h, and then he galvan-
bs maL,,S a. :, .,s him in that chair, and then
IT, aes him "point his cold finger" around
CHS Hall. Why, it almost frightens me to al.
lude to it. And then he turns it into a theatre,
and then he changes or transmoggifes the
gentleman from Indiana, Mr.. COLFAE, who
has Just spoken, into a snake, and makes him
"wriggle up to the foot-lghts;" and then he
gives the snake hands, and then ENABLED
hands," and With one of them he throws off
Cuba, and with the other clutches all the Cana
das. Then he has men with "glozing mouths"
and they are singing psalms through their
noses," and are moving down upon the South
"like an army with banners" Frightful-is
it not? He talks about rotting on dead seas
He calls our party at one time "toad," and
then he calls it lizard" and more, which
cen to mention would be unlawful" Sir, his
rhetoric seems to have the ST. Vituss dance.
Laughter. He minges metaphors in such a
manner as would delight the most extravagant
Milesan.
But pass from his logic and his rhetoric,
and also over some historical mistakes, much of
the same nature as those made by the Presi.
dent, which have already pointed out, and
come to some of his sentences in which terrific
questions and answers explode. He answers.
holly and tsuntingiy, that the South wants
none of our vagabond philanthropy. Sir, when
the yellow pestilence fluttered its wings OYER
the Southern States, and when Massachusetts
poured out her treasures to greater extent in
proportion to her population than any other
State, was thai yagabond philanthropy? ask
the people of Virginia end Louisiana?
But, sir, the gentleman was nost tender and
most plaintive when he described the starving
operatives. Why, sir, the eloquence was most
overwhelming upon some of my colleagues.
though: ! saw the iron face of our Speaker
soften little, when he listened to the unexpect-
ed sympathy Of the gentleman with the hard.
ships of his early life. Sir, he was an opera
tive from boyhood to manhood-and a good
one, too. All, sir, he did not appreciate, as he
tasted the sweet bread of honest toll, his sad
condition; he did not think, as he stood in the
music of the machinery which came from his
cunning hand, how much better it would have
been for him, had he been born-a slave, laugh.
ter and put under the gentleman from South
| Carnlina-a kind master as have No donht i q