Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1856-04-11
Threats of Disunion.

Threats of Disunion.
March 9th, at the close of an able speech
for Freedom by Senator HARLAN Of Iowa
Senator BUTLER of South Carolina rose and
announced to the Senate that he was calm
and thereupon he deliberately threatened a
dissolution Of the Union, in case Congress
should dc, Just what it did for sixty years, to
wit inierdct shareholders from carrying
slaves and slavery into federal territory.
Said the South Carolinan;
] am not n slave to submit myself to legis.
lation controlled by mere discretion. Mir.
President, # George Washington and Ben
lamln Franklin, aud the wlsest men who ever
lived, were to come here and attempt to leg.
lslate under the dictates OF mere discretion,
and should do me an injustice, | would be a
craven and q traitor to the principles OF Mag
ma Chdrid-to everything which ! have
learned from the highest sources of history
If could submit to any measure that
would place my children the ninety-nlne
hundredth part Of an inch beneath the chill
dren of the Senator from Iowa.
The Senator afterwards explained what he
meant by injustice"-thus:
never commended that | desired law to
carry slavery into any Territory, and never
wanted law to exclude it, All that |
have contended for is, that the common do
main of this Government, acquired by the
common blood and treasure of all parts Of the
United States, shall be Just as free to one
class of citizens as to another. When the
In MI 80 a., ,.f
approaching what may be called the maturi>
ty of their territorial EXISTENCE State gov
ernment--l say much is to he pardoned TO
the opinion which prevails at the time. But,
sir, if an insulting interference were to be
made 10y a majority of Congress, or such an
Interference as would exclude shareholder
on the broad ground that he was unworthy
Of equality with a non-save-holding popua-
ton, do you suppose would stay in the I'm
ion-lf | could get out of 1t.
A law which excludes Slavery from fed
eral territory is the injustice" and the " in
sultng interference" which made the Sena-
tor from South Carolina so very calm, so ve~
ny patriotic, as to threaten a dissolution of
the Union. To be sure he puts in a qualii.
cation, that this exclusion is based on the
broad ground that "he was unworthy Of
equality with non-slavehoding population"
Well, then, let this ground be repudiated, for
nobody maintains 1t, and nobody ever did /;
let the Senator be told that this is no question
Of equality-no question of the rights Of any
population, North or South, but, is lmi.
tstion upon every body alike will he then
be paciiiedY Will he then recant his threat
and his treason? OF course not. The hon
orabe Senator would fall back upon the
point from which he started. lie would tell
us that the denial to every body to Introduce
slavery into free territory is legislation :" con-
trolled By mere discretion The upshot
simply is, TINT if Congress shall exclude
slavery f.om Federal territory, the Hon. A.
p. Butler of South Carolina will, in the calm
est manner imaginable, refuse to stay IN the
Union-if he can get om Of Il This is the
way the Union is to be dissolved, VIC sup
pose. The Hon Senators and NJ. Cs ind
pdudHy, are bent upon going out, ifthey can
Butler don't speak for his state don't threat
en- notification by the sovereignty of South
Carolina. Not bit of il. He is bent upon
acting for himself, 10 be sure. He will put
on shirt, coat, hat boots aud brooches, pack
his travelling bag and brandy bottle, and
start right straight ont Of this blessed Fed.
eral Union-J he eeni Well, we hope
nobody will stand in his way. We hope
President Pierce won't send a Proclamation
after him. We hope the Attorney General
won't think Of an indictment for treuson.-
Why, if A. P. Buter wishes to 90 OUTLET
him go. The Union will survive the loss Of
many such
Seriously though, it strikes US that it is
worthy of remark that member Of the u.
s. Senate has openly threatened disunion,
and yet nobody noticed it. No Senator re-
buked the South CarolniHn. Butler said he
was " calm" lie did not say that he was So
Der. Perhaps there was something in his
condition which precluded reply, for, to tell
the TRUTH the Hon. Senator from South Caro-.
lima has sometimes attempted to speak when
his tongue would not perform its Office. But
the opportunity was fine one to administer
Just Tebuke to Slavocratic insolence. Sonlh
Carolina came into the Union, when Slavery
was excluded from every rood of Federal
territory. She was party to that exclusion,
and in consi deration Of that, aud of that a.
lone, she obtained her right TO reclaim fugi- /
tive slaves from federal territory. This was .
compact older than the Constitution a com
pact which was perpetuated in the Consti.
tuition, "by George Washington aud Benja-
min Franklin, and tue wsest men who ever
lived, "-South Carolina statesmen inc I'D.
ed. Senator Butler requisites il; does he
also repudiate the Teelamailop Of fugitive
slaves Senator Butler imposes O nsw con.
dii,on Of Union, contrary to that 10 which
South Carolina agreed and he tells w lhat
If the North will not submit,--if the North
will not perrin, the local state institution of
Slavery to become .NdiOnal, contrary TO the
intent Of the founders Of the Union and Con
stitution,-f, under the plea of common
ownership p. the North will not permit The iohole
to be nonopolized and blighted by one ofihe
pariners,--the Union shall be dissolved = |
why is il that nobody rebuked this insolent
sDd impoicut tbreaii Was Butler drunk !