Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1856-08-23

speech of Hon. John Letcher, ofvirginia,
Delivered in the House of Representatives
in Committee of the Whole, on Saturday
August 2, 1856.
Mr.. CHArRMAN:-I have listened atten.
lively 10 the speech just delivered BY the
gentleman from Ohio, Mr.. Wade, and
before proceed to the questl ons which
design TO discuss. desire to notice very
briefly one or two points which have
been made in that speech.
The gentleman starts out with the in
quiry, Could our fathers have resisted the
power of Britain if the slave power had
then held the control Of this country?-
Now, sir, it seems to me the gentleman
oug ht to know that at the time Of ou
difficulties with England, when the war o
the revolution began, all the States o
this Union were slavehoding States
The State of New York, and all the State.
Of the original thirteen. recognised slave
~. Now. sir, according TO the gentle-
mans theory. is it not somewhat remark.
able that, with all Our colonies slavehod-
ing, our arms SHOULD have been favored
by Divine Providence. and our cause so
eminetly suctessful? How does he fetcn.
cile this glorious result with his theory Of
the sin, guilt, and shame Of slavery
But the gentleman pays, further, tina!
we are .dishonoring the memories Of
our fathers and mothers-those of Us. at
least, who live in that portion Of the Union
where slavery is Recognized and now ex-
lists. How are we dishonoring the memo
ries Of CUT fathers and mothers? Are not
our institutions in the South now exactly
tae same that they were in the day oil
our struggle with the mother country? Is
there any change in that section Of coun-
try IN which our lot has been cast9 Has
any new thing been introduced into the
condition. Of the southern States that is raj
vula,ed to throw discredit or dishonor on tbs
ance tors Of he present generation Sir ,el
The gentleman call to mind the fact thai
tina, portion Of the Union which has freed
itself from slavery act rid Of 1t, not by acts
of emancipation, but BY acts On either the
post nafa, or some postpohement principle
which allowed the slaves to be rem owed
before the law went into effect, in order
tina, they might be disposed of for full
pecuniaty consideration. Such was the
case in New York. 1t has not been many
years since a suit for freedom was tried in
my own section Of Virginia. instituted by
slaves who were taken from New York
aud sold in my State. in violation OF her
laws, as they alleged. The owners of the
slaves III New York at that day preferred
10 sell the ir slaves for money and pocket
the proceed, before the law of New York
could go iu,u effect. they had no lnalms
Of conference than TO restrain them. Re-
cognising slaves as property. they sold and
transferred them as property to any one
who would purchase and pay for them.
There is an other point. The gentle
man tells us that he desires Moderately
aud tempefateiy to draw line around the
southern States" and proclaim to the peo-
pie OF The South, thus far slavery shall go.
and not one inch beS ond it. The gentle
man has given us a sample tonight OF his
temperance aud moderation upon this sub
jet, and say God help that portion Of
thi. country that is to have lines drawn
under his charitable views. His speech
tonight is as ultra as any one that have
heard on this floor, from any quarter what,
ever; aud when the gentleman talks about
temperance and moderation on his side. in
a discussion of a question like this, he must
permit me TO say that it is a most scandal
Gus misapplication Of terms. Laughter ]
And, in thls connection, the gentleman
tells us thst "he torcs this Union"-that
"he Generates it''-,hat he enteltains "a ho'
Ia affection for it, and here, sir, ] might
apply his own quotation without disre-
spect. imagine that the sentiments d
affe elton he has expressed on this Il" .r for
!l'e Union are very much like the alice
ton lin his own language which 'Mt
devil has for holy ,oaier." ILaughter.]
The next proposition the gentleman
laws down is, that the phrase In the pre-
ambIe 10 the cousii,ution-''We The peo-
ple"-meaLs. not the people north Of Ma
son and Dixop's line, not the people
south of that line, but all the people Of
the United States. | should like to know
from the gentleman from OHIO whether
it is his opinion that the phrase quoted
from the preamble to the constitution was
Intended to include all the people Of al
colots and compilations when inserted in
that preamble is he TO be understood as
wing that |, embraced the white people
OF the States, male and female. and the
black people of The States, male and fe-
male, aud the mulanoes Of the States
male and female, and fiat it was recog
milton of that equality between these class
rs and races which he says is maintained
IN the Declaration Of Independence Il
he to be understood as saying that thT:
clause was intended to cover all and en-
brace all of these classes OF people,
When that provision was inserted il
the preamble to the constitution slavery
existed in all the States. Our fathers ney
err intended to declare, nor did they ever
admit by word or act, that the phrase
"We. The people," when placed in tha
preamble, was designed to recognise ths
equality Of the white and black races
No, SIR II refers to, and was intended te
include, none other than the white race
taen existing. and their descendants ane
successors. They never dreamed OF in
GLIDING the negro, because the position IN
socie,f which he occupied forbade it.