Washington telegraph., 1856-06-04
VOL. XVI.
SPEECH OF HON.F Z ZOLLICOFFER.
Of Tennessee, Delivered in the House
Of Representatives April Sth, 1856.

Of his own anIendment to the Texas annex
alton resolution, he (Judge Douglas) said !:
Nv bile Texas remained an independent
power. it was all slave territory. from the
Gulf of Mexico to the forty second parallel
Of latitude BY the resolution of annexa-
ton, five and half degrees of this slave
territory, to wit: all between thirty-six and
half and the forty parallels were
to become fixed. pledged, fastened, to be
free, and not slave territory forever, by the
solemn guarantees of law Here is ter
ritOry stretching across five and half de-
arees OF latitude, withdrawn from slavery
and devoted to freedom, by the very ac.
which the Senator Dir. Websterl has cho-
sen to denOunee and -deride as the work of
northern Democracy"
"And when the Northern Democrats are
arTaigued aud condemned for having con-
tlibuteCi 70 the extension of slavery, the FIVE
and i half degrees of latitude north of So
80, fer which provision was made to be con-
ver:ed from slave into free territory abso-
Iutely, and probably double that amount
south of that line by the action of the peo
p!e themselves when they come to form a
State Constitution. ought to have been
brought to the notice OF the public, and put
to our credit In the statement of the ac-
count"
Here We have Judge Douglas own in
appreciation OF his own action, connected
with the three most mOmentous measures
touching the public territories, for which his
southern friends give him so much credit :
Is it rot legitimate to present these record
facts Of history? Still it is just to say, that
Aessrs- Douglas, Shields, and Richardson
age Of the very sOundest of Northern Dem>
ocrats, and are really entitled to much cred
II for the patriotism and general nationa.i-
ty Of their sentiments
They are far better than the masses OF
the Democratic party at the North, who
have been 50 fearfully complicated with
I.eeso:i:sIa and the WiImo; Proviso. So
generally has this been 50, that, after Dir.
f!trco'S nomination for the Presidency, the
Washington Union, edited BY 4 Tennessee
IN, vas tUrced 10 say-at least | have often
seen this language quoted from it:
The Freesoil Democratic leaders Of the
North are a regular portion Of the Demo
cratic party. and General Pierce, if elected.
Will make no distinction between theu and
tie rest of the Democracy IN the di>tribu-
ton Of official patronage. auG in the selec-
'loH Of agents for administering the Govern
ment.
The public Offices were accordingly filed.
10 great extent. by Frcesoil Democrats
from the Norih-such as Dix, Bishop, Fow-
Ter, Cochraue. Croker. &c-while sound
rail0Hal men-such as Dickinson, Bronson,
and others were neglected or prescribed
" j Brown, of Indiana. who would have
teen made the Democratic Speaker of this
House, in the Thirty Second Congress. but
ilr the accidental discovery that be had Civ
en- written pledge to Wilmot that be would
compose the committees with Freesoil ma
joTlties, was appointed to, and now holds
under the Administration high and impor-
iaui ot1lce- The present Secretary Of the
Interior Is a Wilmot ProviSo Freesoiler of
SO strong type as to deny that slaves are
property Our Minister Pleuipctentiary to
kussia Is Freesoiler OF the seventy
delegates appointed by the Soits to attend
the Democratic Convention in June next all
were old BuffolO platform Freesoilers of
1913 (says the n Y National Democrat)
but l. But | have not time to 90 further
into details.
What is the present ostensible position of
the Democratic party? Why, It's platform
Is not founded upon principle at all. but up
On solitary measure-the Nebraska bill
which is construed variOusly by its support
ers General Cass, for example, heads
those who see in il squatter sovereignty; my
colleague is of those who understand it diff
isreDlly; General Shields is of the class who
think it a measure ''for freedom;;" and the
distinguished c. c. Cambreling, as oTtho-
dox Democrat as any of them. is in love
with it because he saws it will so operate as
'oleave ''nOt single square inch of slave ter
li;ory in the United States.''
Where, then. is the identity of principle
where the SOundness of the Democratic
party. of which my colleague speaks3 The
same radical differences of opinion which
characterize them on the slavery question,
also attend them on other leading branches
q public policy But my colleague claims
That this party are strict con>titutiOnalists;
and, before l leave this slavery preston, let
me call attention to the fact that there is a
i7rse section of the Democratic party who
aFe such strict constiutiOna!ists that they
dehy that the Federal Government had the
Constitutional right to pass the present fngi-
Tive slave Iaw.
DIR Smith. Of Tennessee. Do [ under
sand my colleague to say that any recog-
MED part Of the Democratic party at the
North resist the execution OF the fugitive
Slave law
Nr ZollicofFer l cite the late dis:in-
fuiShed gentleman from Massachusetts, Ro-
*: gS8 -RantOul. il, formerly member Of
:, Hr Smith. Mr. RantOul was an aboli-
INST and was turned heels over head. out
i .ne Baltimore Convention, In 1852. upon
Va. very account.
ar nf zolieOffer. 1 will give my colleague
Ilo'heT instance, not of a Northern man,
81 81 OF Sonthern man, [ mean the present
in i'elaTy Of War. who is reported as saying,
= published speech, that "When any State