The true Democrat., 1856-05-27
Speech of Hon. l.. M. Keitt.
OF SOUTH CAROLINA

The House being in committee of the whole on the state of the Union,
 Mir. KEITT said:
 MT. CHAIRMAN: The Nebraska vendetta i: accomplished. The weird torchlight which gared upon the fusion band met here to sat and mine the constitution revealed impacable if discordant, factions. Week after week s fearful spectacle rose before us. The south fol two months saw the controlling party in ono section of the confederacy paralyzing the go- vernment in its struggle to obtain the mastery in the popular branch of Congress, in order to devote Its powers to her destruction. In that struggle tanaticism has triumphed. Its leader after lying in state for weeks, in sight of the Speakers desk. has at last been galvanized into the Speakers chair His cold finger, excited by abolition electricity, has wandered "round the dial plate, and now points to the stroke'' of massacre and servile instruction In chari- ty, let the curtain drop; on this scene in the drama let cloud and darkness descend
 But, sir, another actor appears upon the stage While the scene-shitters are arranging for the subsequent incidents, To! creeping through the interstlces, and wriggling forward to the foot-lights, comes the member from h. diana, Mir. CoLFAx. With face trained in the mirror of free-soil morality, he waves Cuba from him with one hand, but with the other slyly clutches after the British possessions in North America. What spectacle here rises to our view. The member from Indiana, and his party, with mailed hand would tear from Great Britain her possessions in the north but at the same moment they would gladly see her embatted navies thunder along your southern coasts, and her flag float defantly over wonder southern island, while negro mob shouted around the chariot wheels of British authority. Ay, they would bring African barbarism where civilization is planting her memorials; they would bring steralny where Heaven has scattered tropical fertility; and they would do this because there is not there that pneumatic essence in the atmosphere, or that geological property in the dirt, which make free soI
 And these are the men whom we of the south are bade to call brethren! With their blood warmed into insolence, with the trumpet of philanthropy in their glozing mouths, and singing psalms through their noses, they move down upon the south like an army with ban ners;' they come to set their venom to do its work, and seal her overthrow with havoc and cohagration. Between the south and these men there must be war To the democratic party, and to conservative men at the north, and to their representatives here-and such there
 
 fusion party, 1 would say: You must meet and crush out this aggressive tanaticism. know it has already darkened the northern mind, and is fast usurping the northern con- science; but the struggle must be made, and the sacrifices incurred. Better adventure upon the perilS of unknown seas than rot upon dead aoateys, In emergencies bold men triumph. Any one can SOW peas for the market; 'tis only ha bprn ,ph n ha d 's " they spring up armed men.
 Sir, there is confusion all round us-n our foreign as well as domestic affairs At this point wish to make remark or two upon our treign relations. However grave and threaten ing the complications may seem to be, they are, with cautious diplomacy, susceptible of sure disentanglement and pacific solution. The complications supervened by the expedition of Walker against Nicaragua present the gravest embarrassment; but they may be settled by time and a wise use of events. Against Eng land l have no chronic hostility; and if she practices but a proper abstinence from intermedd.lng with our legitimate and peculiar relations, l would do her only deeds of kindness and good will. Totterng under the pressure ot debt, cOrrOded with taxation, rife with dlscontent, and with her historic glories partially echpsed, and her best blood drenching foreign soil, 1t requires no great stretch of imagination to see her in the future turning to us for aid and sue cor The spectacle will be new in the history of the word-old England leaning upon the arm of Young America, like old Udipus, blind and bleeding, resting upon the arm of Anti gone!
 Tidinas have reached us that peace will be patched up in the Paris conferences. May not the next act in the drama be a continental league of despotism against constitutional and representative government, free trade, and a free press, which will crush Great Britain, and bring back the middle ages upon Europe, unless Great Britain and the United States form an alliance entente cOrdiale blockade every continental port, sweep every war vessel from the waters, capture every merchantman, and rouse oppressed natonalities to the assertion of their rights? But how can this be done while Great Britain and majority of the States of the Union regard the African as an oppressed nationality, and are stupid enough to think that they can make him the equal of the Teuton, the Celt, the Sclave, and the Magyar? Sir, the middle age, may recur nisI Deus intersH
 As grave and fruitful in speculation as these topics are, 1 cannot press them now, for must turn to domestic issues. Events now crowding around us are big with the destiny of the re- public. Cast your eyes over the field of battle in the next presidential election. Many flag which in other days stopped down upon the field, even when the fortunes of the fight were toughest, have been whired away amid the rage of political strife. Borne over It now three flags are seen, viz: the democratic, black re. publican, and Know Nothing flags The party which bears the latter 1 may dismiss with a single remark. Its platform is mass of yer biage insipidities, crudlties tiatulent profes- sions, and mpal pable distractions. However respectable in character and talent, it is too in- considerable in numbers to be more than skir- mishing party upon the field of battle.
 Facing each other, then are the democratic and black republican banners, and the question now is, "Under which hag?" To determine this, let us see what inscriptions are upon the banners. Upon the one carried by the black republicans are "The restoration of the Nils souri restriction, the abolition of the inter- state slave trade, the rejection of slave State from admission into the Union, and the repeal of the fugitive-slave law" Thus it will be seen that all differences of opinion are merged into anti-slavery hate, and that all sections oi party are rallied to a crusade against the south Under the plea of justice this party commits a fraud, and it grins indignantly from behind the mask of religion. This party has resorted to the Missouri compromise" as the lever with which to turn the mind and conscience Of the north; and this hall is still re-echoing the cries of violated faith and disregarded compacts" " I will now strip this issue of false and factions statements and see what section reeks With violated faith.
 In 1920 Missouri was authorized to form g State constitution. The act is as follows:
 Be it enacted, etc.; That the inhabitants o that portion of the Missouri territory, etc., be and they are hereby, authorized to form fol themselves a constitution and State govern ment and to assume such name as they shal deem proper; and the said State, aohen formed shall be admitted into the Unionu upon an equa footing with the original States in all respects whatever"
 In conformity to this act the inhabitants O the territory of Missouri did "form constitu: ton and State government" and, sohen tornaed did apply for admission into tSs the Union. mo h The The
 ;rbt +o ba admitted? Let the facts answer