Nashville daily patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1855-1857, 1856-01-31

that couse which a patriotic man, living in the
South, and devoted TO the principles OF the Constr
tuition. should take.
Mr. Stephens AS the gentleman has announced
to the country who are the best friends and who are
the worst enemies Of the country, and that certain
men Of the South in the Senate and in the House,
though patriotic in their motives, are worse
enemies OF the South than the AbOlitioai>t,
think it's but right that the South shoald be en-
lightened to what his position wrEl! be, If tue
event have supposed would happen.
Mr. ZoI.eolfer Dol understand the gentleman
to maintain that the South assumes the power, and
has used it in prohibiting slavery from the Terrific
ri,s?
Mr. Stephens Southern Senator's, aad mem
beers Of the House from the South upon this floor,
did vote for s!divi>ion upon the line OF So : 80
and they did unanimously vote TO extend it to the
Pacific ocean They did it reluctantly, as an al
ternatiye for some show Of Justice, bat | ta1e il
for granted that every Of them dii what he
thought was right, under the circumstances, as the
lesser OF two evils; and that none OF them thought
they were violating the Constitution OF the U@ited
States. But che gentleman saws that those who
;hus voted were the worst enemies OF the South
Mr. Z0ilicOffer. l have stated to tho House. and
have repeated It again and again, that did not
say that those seutlt men WHO conceded tie CON
stitutiOnal power OF Congress to prohibit slavery,
were less patriotic than those Who construe the
L
enemies OF the South. | did saw that in my opinion
the theory, that the Federal Government has the
right for the States to be formed out of the
Territories of Union, in forming their permanent
domestic Institutions. is d theory most dangerous to
the South, and the more dangerous when enters
tanned by gentleman living in the South.
Mr.. Stephens. The gentleman will not answer
my>queston. Be il so. The South can judge best
who acts upon a theory most dangerous to her in-
/ Z Nv and | was Vr1ilin
to divide as an alternative only, bur majority OF
the North would not consent To il; aud now We have
got the great principle established in 1880 carried
out in the Kansas Neb.ask bill that Congress at
Ter removing all Instructions, is not TO intervene
against This is the old southern republican
principle, obtained after hard and proJraeted
struggle in 1850, and saw if Congress ever again
exercises the power to exclude the South from an
equal participation in the common eFIi oirs, l. as
a southern man, for resisting it. The gentle
man from Tennessee does not say what he wOCld do
in that contingency.
Mr. Howard | understand the gentleman TO say
that be in favor of equal division because t
was just aud tar. He says, the Territories, being
out idt the Constitution, the giving the whole OF
them TO one part, would be unconstitutional be-
cause unfair.
Mr. Stephens No, sir, did not say ''tbe giving
70 the one Or the other" but "the giving exclusive
" t, one"
MIR. Howard. Was it constitutional to take from
either OF those parties the share they got upon
a just division?
Mr. Stephens. No, sir; and that was not one: the
North herself woud not abide by the division con.
tgmpLaled. The iiea on which the line was first
established in 1920 vas, that Missouri should come
into the Union slave State, and that slavery
should DE excluded from all of the Louisiana pur-
chase North OF SO deg so miu., with federation
o. it South Of that iue, # the people chose But at
the next session OF Congress, in 1921, the North
voted Missouri out She was denied admission on
the terms Of the act OF 1920 The whole South wac
Tor H. aud the almost entire North against IT, The
North would not stand by the compromise intended
to give her exclusive part The Missouri con-
temphted division, therefor, has virtually been a
deal letter from that CAV to his; the North, or ii
majority OF her Representatives in Congress, repu-
dited it themselves; the South never did; they
stood by it in 1921. And in order 10 see whether
the North looked upon it, and considered il a
living principle, and not a repudiateG offer 60 com
promise upon the principle Of division, the South
proposed in lS4T and in lS4S, as alternative in
lieu Of the 'Wmot Proyiso" to the Oregon BILL to
abide in good faith by it, Bat this proposition, vo-
ted for Oy every Southern Senator and Representa-
tive upon this floor, was voted down, again aud
again, by overwhelming majority from the
North
They thus repudiated it over the very territory
which we acquired with Louisiana the same re
pudiatiOn was again and again carried in this
House in 1850, when the South was unanimously
for standing in good faith by The principle
| Therefore the South never even got the admS-
sion Of Missouri by their agreeing TO take as an
alternative division on that line, and we were
thrown back, in 1850, upon the original princi-
pies, which were, that there should be no con-
grcssional restriction at ALL but that the people
settling the Territories from all sections OF the
Union shonld regulate this matter Of slavery for
themselves. That is the principle, as | under
stood. that the South stood upon in 1870 before
the Missouri restriction was moved Ii was the
old republican principle; it was the principle that
the Congress of the United States could not, on
general principles, justify and rightly legisate
for people who are not their constituents and
| say 90 those gentlemen who call themselves
Republicans on this floor, that, in assuming that
misapplied title, they do violence TO every prin-
ciple consecrated by the name they espouse
TIE Old republican idea ola represe n alive Gov
ernmeumeut acted on in the beginning, very
different thing from what you proclaim at this
time. At the time OF the formation Of our Con-.
sttutioH every State in the Union Tut a
srye State; aud were thy not re publican States?
The Constitution saw. States NAV be ADMITTED
aud the ouly thing you have 20 lock at, upon the
application OF any for admission is 70 see that is
constitution is republican ia its charter, and YOU
gentlemen, who call yourselves Republicans now.
say that il the Constitution toe ates slavery il IS
not republican and therefore, your fathers your
republican fathers With slavery existing in every
State but onse did rot know the meaning Of re-
pgblcanism?
According TO your Interpretation Of the term
they acted upon an idea that would have exclu-
ded any one OF the Old Thirteen from the Union
but One-Aassachusetts alone could have been q
Union by herself upon your principles Is Il
supposed that the other twelve would have dis
puted over the character Of a State constitution
to be admitted into the TuiOn, because it was not
republican, If it only embraced the same princi-
pies OF republicanism their own. / state 70
these gentlemen who call themselves "Repuhli-
can, that they desecrate every principle eonse-
Grated by the name they bear, not only in this
view, but they do 50 again when they undertake
90 set up that they are better judges Of what is
right IN the Territories, and better Legislators
for the people Of Kansas and Nebraska than the
people Of those territories are for themselves
They do so when they set themselves up as the
masters and judges of the proper Institutions OF
the people q Kansas. The people OF Massachu-
sets. and the people Of the other northern States
not content with attending TO their own business,
set themselves up TO be superior to the people OF
Kansas and Nebraska. and pretedd that they can
know their interests and determine them better
than they can themselves. Sir, | utterly deny
the republicanism Of their pretensiouS
Mr. Stanton, (nterrupting,) made inquiry Of
Mr. Stephens, which the reporter did Dot distinctly
bear.
Mr. STEPHENS. am going to bring my remarks
Ia aaff.a md 49, 4 -