Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1856-03-03
8, 1856
G5e 9aiIp sppg,
MONDAY, MARCH 8. 1856.
KANZAS AFFAIRS.
SPEECH of HON. HENRY WILSON.
OF MASSACHUSETTS,
IN THE SENATE, FEBRUARY IS, 1856.
[ReUised by himseIfl

The law, thus enacted, is the law that is to
be executed in Kanzas, if need be, bv the
sabres OF the United States cavalry. If the
| men from the free States in that Territory
should print or circulate this sentiment utter
ed by the President of the United States, on
the LIST day OF january, 1851, in the consttiu-
| tional convention of New Hampshire-
:" would take the ground of the non-ex-
tension of slavery, that slavery should not be-
come stronger" " What one thing is there
connected with slavery that is not obnoxious:''
say that, If these avowals were circulated
! IN that Territory the person circulating them
might be denounced as circulating a speech
that was calculated to excite disafection AMONG
men held in bondage.
! If STAKEHOLDER should find in the hand of
some one of the bondmen, who may have been
taught in spite of legal prohibitions to read the
ten commandments, the pregnant question of
the Chief Magistrate of the Republic, .sWhat
one thing is there connected with slavery that
is not obnoxious would he not think it at
least dangerous "inuendo," calculated to
create a" diseffecton . in the bosom of his
slave And, sir, if in his wrath he should
make the discovery that son of the Granite
State had "caused to be circulated" this SEN
tlment OF the prominent son of his native New
Hampshire, would he not try the virtues to be
found in the term of five years imprisonments
If some Shareholders should find in the hand
OF his fleeing bondman the speech of the At
torney General of the United States, delivered
in June, 1886, against the admission of Ar.
kansas with constitution making slavery per-
petual, wherein | find these sentimen(s-sI
do not persuade myself that liberty is an evil,
or slavery biessing;' "Shall we be BRITISH
ly dumb when it is sought through us to rem
der slavery perpetual in new States J" 81
should be false TO all the opinions and princi.
pies OF my life if did not promptly return
peremptory and emphatic NO, when called up.
on to accord my sanction to form of govern
ment which perpetnates slavery F" would not
the stakeholder deem it +" fixed fact that
the man who circulated these sentiments was
guilty of felony" punishable with five
years OF Imprisonment? Ay, sir, if some son
OF Massachusetts should be found circulating
the resolutions of the Democratic State Com
vention in lS49 written by Benjamin f. Hal
lett, the chairman of the National Democratic
Committee and now the Presidents District
Attorney for Massachusetts, declaring that
" we are opposed to slavery in every form and
color, and in favor of freedom and free soil
wherever man lives throughout Gods heri-
tage "a pretty broad declaration, that in
cludes Kanzas--I say, that if these resolu-
tons, endorsed by Charles G. Greene, the es
pecal tavorite of the President in New Eng
land, as national Democratic doctrine, should
be circulated in Kuuzas by some son of Massa.
Ghusetts.. he would be subjected ia. ~
Here, sir, is another act of this inhuman
statute:
elf any free person, by speaking or writ
ing. asert OR maintain that persons have not
the right to hold slaves in this Territory, or
shall introduce into this Territory, print, pub
fish. write, circulate, or cause to be introduced
into this Territory, written printed, published
or circulated in this Territory, any book, pa
per, magazine, pamphlet or circular, contain
ing any denial of the right of persons to hold
slaves in this Territory, such person shall be
deemed guilty of felony, and punished by I'M
prisonment at hard labor for term of not less
than two years.
Here is law which Furnishes any freeman
as felon who went into that Territory under
your organic law-under your ''squater sover-
eighty" doctrine-with two years imprison-
ment If he shall circulate a2y paper that shall
"deny the right of any person to hold slaves in
the Territory under these laws :" and this is
the law which the President of the United
States IS SO anxious to enforce; and this is the
law which the Senator from Connecticut con.
graduates the country is to be enforced
And, sir, If any person shall be arrested by
Governor Shannon for circulating in Kanzas
any papers denying the right OF any person to
hold slaves there, this code provides that
:" No person who is consclentiously opposed
to holding slaves, or who does not admit the
right to hold slaves in this Territory, shall sit
as juror on the trial of any prosecution for
any violation of any Of the sections OF this
act
When the Legislature assembled, when it
turned out the men who had been legally
chosen, when it brought in the men imposed
On the Territory by armed invaders from a
neighboring State, when it removed to the
Shawnee mission, when it was repudiated by
your Governor sent there by this Administra-
ton, then it was that the freemen of Kanzas
assembled in their primary meetings, and de-
clared against the legality of this Legislature
and lis acts. A convention Of the people was
called. That convention assembled, framed
constitution, the people ratified it, and that
constitution is now submitted for the action of
the Congress OF the United States. The Sen.
ator from Connecticut denounces it as a s'spur-
ious convention" Sir, this convention was
the act Of the people of Kanzas i'll their soyer-
egn primary capacity. They accepted the
doctrine Of squatter sovereignty. They accept
ted the doctrines laid down by Madison, by
Marshall, by Story, by Judge Wilson, By Blu
chanan and Wright, and the chiefs of the
Democratic party, in the days when the Dem
ocratic party paid some little regard to the
principles OF popular government.
Sir, the Senator from Connecticut denounced
this act of the people as spurious conyen-
ton" In 1886, the treemen of Michigan,
disregOrding the action of their Legislature,
came together in their primary capacity, franz
ed constitution, sent that constitution to
Congress, and that constitution was carried
through the Senate by the votes of Benton,
buchanan, Wright, and the chiefs of the Dem.
ocratic party; but that was in the days of An
drew Jackson, when it was supposed the peo-
pie Of this country had retained the rights
guaranteed to them by the fundamental laws
Of the country. Sir, Andrew Jackson did not
denounce the movement as an insurrectionary
one, although they refused TO receive the Off
Ger whom he sent to them. The Congress of
that day did not denounce those men as trait
ors to the country, as the men of Kanzas are
denounced in the documents before us, ten
thousand copies of which we are asked to
| publish. No, sir, no! This is the first time
in the history of this country when the people
have assembled in their primary capacity, and
exercised their right, their Unborn natural
right, to change their government at their
pleasure, and then been held up as traitors by
the Government Of the country.
Sir, the Democracy IN both branches Of Con-
gress sustain the doctrines maintained by the
suffrage party in Rhode Island; and il so hap
pens that when Gov. Dorr took refuge in the
old Granite State, among the first who recog
nized the doctrines which he maintained. was