Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1856-01-26
Gbe Anti- -9lauerp Buale.
SPEECH OF SENATOR HALE.
DELIVERED IN THE SENATE, JAN. 9 /


DELIVERED IN THE SENATE, JAN. 8 1856
se Mr. President: do not rise for the purpose O
making personal explanation, because | beicy
that the country thinks it of no very great conse
quence what the opinion Of any individual Senate
may be; but, Sir, have not a word to say agains
the propriety of those gentleman from Northern
States who voted for the Kansas-N ebraska bill, AM
ore still members of the Senate making expla
nations; for there is not one of them that ha
ever had his election submitted to the people of
Free State. who has had chance to make an ex
planaton on this floor, or will be likely to get i
yer soon. Hence, have not word to say abou
that. ~
have right 10 assign any motive to the Pres
ident for sending the message here under the cir
Cumstances under which he transmitted it. shal
not do so but, Sir, there is privilege which ap
pertain to the Yankee nation universally, and
that is guessing. That we have right to resor
to, and can only guess what the object was
am not going TO undertake to say that the sending
of the message at the time VIXEN it was sent, will
the Extraordinary doctrines which it contains, haC
any possible relation to the fact that several
Soathern Democratic State Conventions were to
sit about the 9th Of January, and that it became
important to let it be- known what were the views
entertained by the President certain points be
fore those Conventions sat. If he had any sucl
view that wish to say to the President, here
from my place, that he spoke too late altogether
II0 Is llKe u ueSperule VI optCuulUT VI
desperate fortunes, coming in just as the auction
has closed, who makes tremendous high bid
the article has been struck off to another man be
fore he got in.
He is Just as effectually "out of the ring" as il
he had held his tongue. 1t is unkind of those gen
tlemen who are the peculiar frnds of the Presi
dent to let him labor under such a delusion any
longer. There is more chance of his being re
nominated than there is of one of our pages receiv
ing that honor. He may be told so, and he may
be Aattered into believing it, until about the time
when the National Convention SITS But wish TO
suppest to bis particuiar friends whether it is not
unkind, seeing that the President can make moth
ing by it. to let him get DOWN on his knees and
humble himself, and insult his native State, by the
insinuations with which his message is hlled, when
it can do no possible good to anybody on earth.
The thing is done; the matter Is settled. lie has
been used Just rs much as you want to use him, and
he will be thrown aside. In fact, he IS thrown
aside already, though he does not know it.
Now, sir, wish to say few words in regard to
the doctrines of the Message. In the first place,
the President has great zeal to say about, Cen
tral America, as if that were the engrossing sub
ject with tn people at this time. l tell the Pres
ident that there is central place in the United
States-not Central America, Central United
States-calleo Kansas about which the people Of
this country are thinking vastly more at this time
than they are about Central America down in The
land of fibusterers; and it seems to me that
the President of tie United States would have
discharged justas appropriately his proper con
sttutiona functions if he had favored us little
with that, instead of consuming so much space
upon Central America, outside of the United
States.
have not the slightest fear of any such thing.
My fears are the other way. My fears are that
she cannot do anything that will wahe up the ma
ticnal spirit beyond little talk and recrmnation
against those who are supposed not to favor GER
tain views. Why do think 50? Because l know
the history of the past know when you made
it of the issues of this country that we should
insist on the boundary liue of 50' 40> or fight;
3 i know that when Mr. James X. Polk took the
oath of Office in the Eastern portion of this Capt.
tol, he delivered an Inaugural Address, in which
he declared that our title to the whole of Oregon
was "clear and indisputable" Just as clear our
title to the district of Coumbia-for that is only
clear and indisputable-lthere cannot be any
thing clearer than that;1 and know, after that
after it had been made an issue upon which Mr..
Polk came into The Presidential chair, and after
the Democracy pledged themselves to sustain our
rights in Oregon or fght-and after it was pro-
claimed, under these circum stances from the east
ern portco of this Capitol, our indisputabe ter
3rtory, which was our next chapter? Why, Strive
gave it all away to Great Britain--we gave her
more than she asked Wegav away Vancouver's
Island, sustaining the same relative positions to
the harbors on the Pacific coast and the Columbia
River that Cuba does to the harbors on the Gull
coast and to the Mississippi. We gave that away
, to Great Britain without asking for consdera-
ton. The next chapter in the history of the same
Administration was that they offered S2OO, 900 OOO
for Cuba That is the difference between territory
North and South! Vancouver's Island could be
given away. but Cuba was to be bought even at the
cost of S200,000,000?
actions before, and have stated on other occa
sions and repeat now, that there is ono curious
fact in regard to our territorial treaties, and it is
very curious one. do not know but that it i;
what Mr.. Weller-I do not mean the member o
the Senate but Sam Weller, of Pickwickiau
memory-woud call an astonishing coincidence
At any rate, the fact is, that every treaty tha
has been made in regard to territory on our North
orn border has been cut off and given away. We
cut off Maine, and sold to Great Britain all She
wanted, which was good military road from
Nova Scotia to Canada, and then we gave away ar
Empire to her on the Oregon question. On the
South however, we have always taken. We have
constantly been cutting off at one end and buying
at the other and when we could not sell Northern
territory, we gave 1t away.
Then, Sir, think l can say to the President, tina
the people would have been quite as much pleased
TO hear O little more about Kansas, as SO mucl
about Central America. The President however
does have very little to say about Kansas yer.
little indeed. He says:
.'In the Territory of Kansas, there have beer
acts preiudical to good order, out yet none hay
occurred to justify the interpostion OF the Fedora
Executive"
wish that were true; but take issue with him
! say the nterposition of the Federal Executive
has been there and it has been there on the sid
of those very acts Of violence, Sir, the people o
Kansas have had to protect themselves agains
mob law, instigated by the President and sustaine
by his officials there When no says there has bee
nothing to Justify" official interpostion, ! admi
il is trne there was nothing to justify it, but tn
interposition was there, whether justified or not
Then he goes on to say that the people of Kansa