Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1856-07-25
Il o l. | II | G A l..
SPEECH OF THE
HON. ANSON BURLINGAME,
or MASS, DELIVERED N IN
Ror,, Of Rrn,,rielir,,, Jnn, 2l, $50.

), House Of Representatives., June 81, 1856
] Mr.. Chairman-The House will bear wit.
mes, that / have not pressed myself upon IL
deliberations | never before asked its Ia
dulrcncc. have aSailed no man nor hay,
sought 20 bring rcproach upon any mans
+ state liut while such has been my course
as well as the course OF my colleagues from
Massachusetts,, upon this floor, certain mem.
bers have seen ft to assail the State which
in part represent, not only with words but
with blows.
In remembrance ol these things, and sciz'
ing the first opportunity which has present
cl itself Tor long time, | stand here to-day
70 say wOrl for old Massachusetts,. Not
that she needs it--n1 sir--lOr in all that
constitutes true greatness, in all that give
abiding strength m the great qualities oi th,
head and OF heart, in moral power, IN mate
rial prosperity, In intellectual resources, and
physical ability, by the general judgement
OF mankind, according 20 hGr population,
she is the first state. There does not live
any man anywhere, who knows anything,
90 whom praise of Massachusetts, would not
bc needless. She /, as far beyond that a'
she is boyuul crnsurc. Members here may
snccr az hcr-thcy may praise her past al
the expense Of her prrsgnt-hut | say, with
iull conviction ui 10, truth, that Nassa'
chusctt- iu her present performances is even
greater than ia hgr pas, rccu.lccilon'. And
when have said this, what more can lsy
Sir. although am here Us her young i
and humhlDst member, vet MS her rcprc-tn'
s.... T.I sI.t ..t.. a.. ,...r q. Z nttt. tDH d
upon this door Occupying that high stand.
point, with molsty hut with frmnc>',
cast down hyr glove o. ihc whole band ul hgg
a.Jilbu,s She has been as,a!ll m tht
House aud ugt ul tho llUus', at The other
end %, the Capitol and 40 the other end OF
the Avenue. There have hcyn hr1uchtagliu,t
her general charges aud specific chars.s, ]
am sJsry % add that not ihy least among
her as,ailauts is the President ol the United
States, who not only as-,il- Massachusetts,,
bat tIr whole North. llo defend, one see
t.1n ul the luipua 40 ihr expense % the other.
llc Ggclargs that one section has ever brru
mindful ui its constitutional obligations, and
that the other has not. H. declare, that 81
one section ul our country were q Foreign
country, tie other would have Just clusa ui
war ar,us, it And O. sustain these r.
markablg declarations, Doe goes into an rlah-
Uratc Vygyrrsluu OF m,,0ry-such as that
Virginia coded her iaulsu.A.nst tie Interests
ug the South, Tor thc h.u...t ul The North
when the truth is sho coded h.r land. as
New York and toe other State dil, iur The
benefit OF the whole country, She gave her
land, O. freedom hgcause Size thought free
dom better than slavery, because 10 was The
policy OF The times, and events have ,iudi-
Gated that policy. IL j, % ugrNcr-iln OF hi,-
tory when hr ,4ys that doe territory oi the
country ha, b.cuacIgir.I NOR. Tor thc bgug-
DO OF tAc North than iDr the south. llr
SAYS that Substantially, sir, out Of the t,rr,-
tory thu, acquired, sIX slave States and two
!rtJ state, hayg come into the Union, with
a plcl.c iUr four mhrc, while but two have
come int, the Union as free, and one,
~ we all know, fought its way into tie
Union through clmlyJmtsc degrading 20
ihr North.
The North docs not uhrct o. tio acVui.i-
tiuu % territory when 10 is desired, bat sHc
d.sir.. that taccumpltNlu %. that territory
shall o. ir.c. II such complexion bad
bcyu given, how different would have h'ru
the fariuu, OF ihc Eepah,ic to-day. This
may o. asegrAiu.l Boy comparing thc pro.
rr-,s OF Ohio with tlat OF any slave state
Ia the Mississippi valley IL will aTPnr
more clear ~ comparing thc free with the
slave regions have NOT time % Do moEc
than 90 notice thym.
Freedom and slavery started together in
the great race ON thi. continent In thc
Very var the Pilgrim Father, landed at
Plymouth Rock, slaves landed iu Virginia.
Freedom hs. gone uu twmpiiuc down bar
5Ari.w and planting SUtg,, building the
symbol, % it- faith hy every lake and every
river, until nJw the son, Of The Pilgrim,
stand hy thc shore 70! thc Pacific. slavery
ha. ul,I made It's way towards .hc setting
sun 4, las reached iaa Rio Gmnle vu tli'
South. and the .rllus ol It's victims aud tGt
clauk Of IL. chaiusmay %, heard "a, il slowly
asgCuls the western ,gIuuT.H, ul thy Mis-
i-.ippi river. Freedom has..l the land be-
,T4nglrl with free schools, and i.lli thc
whole Lclycus with the shining tower, oil rc-
Isiuu aud civilization slavery has len d.s-
U,atiJu, Ignorance aud death in It's path.
When we look 40 thgse ,Iiugs when ~ SEQ
what the country would have been bad lrty-
dom bccn given % thg territories. when We
thiuk what it would have bctn but !og thIs
hl.h; in the bosom %. the country, and the
SJuth-that the whole SJuta--that fair
land God had blessed ~ much would have
been covered with cities, and N.lA-gs, and
railroads, and that iu thc entire country,
iu tle place OF .j,UpO,UOO of people, a1,-
900 600 would have hailud the rising morn
cXultiug in republican libgrty-whcn W.
think ol these thing how mustcycry honc,:
man, bow must any man with any brains In
his head, or heart n hi, bosom, regret that
theIolicy OF old Virginia, iu hrg better days,
did not become the auimatll policy OF tuis
expanding republic.
IL is a pcrygrsiOn OF history, say, when
the President iutimat-s that the adoption Ui
the Constitution ubru.lt'l the ordinance OF
l7S7. IL was recognized by tie fret Con-
gress which assembled under the toustiiu-
ton. and 10 has bgru sanctioned by every
President from Washington down. 10 is a
pcrycrsion Of history when the President in
innate, that the Missouri COmprJmis' was
made against the interests OF the SOUTH and
for the benefit 5r the North. The truth. the
unmistakablc truth j, that it was forced 10y
the South on 20 "a, North. IL received the
united vote of tho south. IL was claimed
usa victory OF the South. The men who
voted fur II were sustained in the South,
and those who voted for it in the North
passed into oblivion, aud though some OF
them are physically alive to-day, they are
as politically IS dead rs are the President
and his immediate advisers. Not only has
the President perverted history, but hc bas
turned scctiunalist. llc Las become the
champion OF scctiOnalsm. lie makes the
extraordinary declaration that II STATE Is
refused admission into the Union because
her constitution embraced slavery o. ON in