Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1856-02-09

our fathers, ana the action OF every branch o
the Government for over sixty years If an,
one thing more than another secured my re
turn to this House for the third time, by tn
unanimous vote of my district, it was no doub
because / had stood upon this floor, and resis
ted the repeal of the Missouri compromise
But, let me say to the gentleman from Mis-
sissippi, that political Abolitionism in tn,
North-paradoxieal as it may seems tn.
child of the South. You nurtured it in infan
cy, when too feeble to stand alone and yoV
have made it strong in manhood by the inju
dicious aud unjust legislation of this Hail.
When the North petitioned this Government
to take steps in reference to the institution o
where it is conceded to be solely under the ju
risdiction of Congress, You passed the twenty.
first rule, denying great constitutional right
to freemen under this Government That in.
augurated political Abolitionism in the North;
and from that day to this the warfare has been
one of constitutional rights, not for the South
alone, but for the North In resisting the re-
opening of this agitation in the last Congress,
by q repeal of the Missouri compromise I took
occasion to say that
Previous to that time H. e. the passage Of the twenty
first rgel AbolitionSm WAS but sentiment. and mere
sentiment is not Il sufficient basis for a formidable pot
cal organization but great principles Of constitutional
right violated in the legislation the country egisl
tive combining with strong and universal sentiment
may form enduring organizations. And the sentiment o
the North in reference to slavery being deep and ener
al when you force up Legislative issues to combine with
it, then becomes q formidable element"
You then placed a censorship over the mails
Of this country like that placed by Louis Ma
poleon to-day over the press of France and
in this country, where We claim that intelligence
should circulate as free as the air We breathe,
you empowered your poStmasters to declare
what is incendiary. and to withhold such mat
ter from the white freemen of the South You
placed upon the records of your country, thro'
your Secretary of State, JOHN G. CALHOUN
a man whose memory | revere for his purity
of character and integrity of purpose-one OF
the brightest and purest intellects that the
country ever produced-you put, | saw, upon
the records of the country, through him, JUS
tifcation of the annexation Of Texas, on the
ground that it woald uphold and support the
institution of slavery and you asked northern
men to indorSe that issue, made in our State
papers. Aud in the last Congress, YOU struck
down-as | stated in the opening of my re-
marks-a fair bargain, made by your fathers
with our fathers and which had been religious
" observed by them for more than q third OF
a century.
Mr. QUITMAN, lin his seat. You robbed
US of California
Mr.. GROW. The gentleman SAYS that we
have robbed YOU of California. How is that?
California came TO Congress and asked 10 be
admitted as a State of this Union. Your Go
vernment had neglected to give her 2 Govern
ment, and she was forced 10 fall back upoa
the inherent rights of men to take care Of them
selves
Mr.. QUITMAN Why not extend to Cali
fornia the compromise line +?
Mr.. GROW. / am coming to that present
~. The people of California-in the exercise
Of what is called popular sovereignty, and
which was in this case really so, because the
people were forced by the neglect of the Go
yernment to rely entirely on their inherent
rights-fOrmed Government, and excluded
slavery. And what did you do ? The appli-
cation Of California for admission into the I'm
ion w.ss resisted from the first : and on the
Journal of the Senate of the United States is,
to-day, protest of ten southern Senators
against the admission of California into the
Union after the act Of admission had passed.
And woat is the reason these Senators gave
for their opposition Because her constitution
excluded slavery will read the language of
their protest
Mr., HUMPHREY MARSHALL. VIII
the gentleman from Pennsylvania allow me to
make suggestion here?
Mr.. GROW declined to yield the hocr, and
continued The reason alleged i'm this protest
Is, " that the bill gives the sanction of law and
thus imparts validity to the unauthorized ac-
ton Of portion Of the inhabitants Of Ca!ifor-
MA by which GH o4ioMs discyiHuiMati0E IS H4ade
osaiHsl tie property Of tie filters dareAolAiRg
.Stafes of tAe J-Hioa' That was the protest
of ten southern Senators, that the admission
of California, under her constitution, was a
violation Of the rights of fifteen slaTeholding
States.
Mr.. QCITMAN. Let me tell the gentle
man from Pennsylvania that DO southern man
has ever taken the ground Of opposition to
the admission of California on the ground Of
her having adopted a constitution excluding
slavery.
Mr.. GROW. / refer the gentleman to the
language of the protest which have just quo
ted. Here the hammer fell.
Mr.. HARRIS said: should not, sir. hare
attempted at this time to occupy the tine of
the Hoase for a moment, had it not been for
the declaration made by the gentleman from
Pennsylvania, Mr., GRow,] who. dared any
oDe to deny what he had asserted In the full
confidence that in the denial of that assertion
would be the truth. ventured denial at the
time The statement made by the gentleman
from Pennsylvania was, that Mr. CLAY vas
the supporter of the Missouri line Of 1870.
and he dared any one 20 deny that such was
the fact
Mr. GROW do not think that / dared
any one to deny it. bat appealed TO tue re-
cord for the truth of my assertion.
Mr. HARRIS Well, whether the gentle
man did or not, his words are taken by the re-
pOrterS, and their record viii show how the
tact IS
Mr., GROW. Very well let that deter
mine it.