True American. [volume] (Steubenville [Ohio]) 1855-1861, 1857-02-04
9Olitifal
THEPREsIDENTs MESSAGE.
SPEECH OF HON. J. A. BINGHAM,
OF OHIO,
In the House Of Representatives, January Is '67.

SPEECH OF HON. J. A. BINGHAM,
OF OHIO,
In the House Of Roprssentativ January Is '57.
The Presidents Annual Message being un.
der consideration, OH motion 10 refer aud
print
MR.. BINGHAM said:
Mr.. SPEAKER The Presidents mes.
sage, now under consideration, abodnds
in sentiments subversve of the Conslltu-
ton, and sanctions and defends policy
destructive Of the public peace, and in
furious to the public interests. And yet
The. President complains of agitation, His
friend and advocate, the gentleman from
Georgia, Mr.. Stephens, repeats this
complaint, and cries, "Aglation " !"
"Agita,ion T. There has been agitation.
general and universal amongst The people,
It still continues, and no. without cause.
The President, in my judgment has abus.
ed the hightrusls committed To him; hence
the agitation, and that "cry Of ALARM"
among The people Of which he complains.
is right, sir, that the people raise the
"cry Of alarm;" it is right tina! they agi.
tate for the correction Of abuses commit
ted by their agents and representatives
believe, with Burke, " where there is
abuse, there ought to be clamor because
it is better to have our Slumbers broken
by the fire bell, Than To perish amid the
flames"
The President in this message, under
cover Of u cunning device Of words, adj
vances the monslrous proposition that the
several States OF this onion, as Staies
have constitutional aud imprescrptible
right 10 traffic in slaves, not only wltuin
their respective limits, but throughout the
national Territories. Having Inaugural
ted this policy in Kansas, by which that
ill-fated Territory has been, subjected TO
an absolute tyranny by which It's soil
has been cursed with the manacled foot
OF the boudman, and stained with the
blood Of murder and assassination the
President, with an audacl;y unparalleled.
deprecates agitation and demands acqui
eseDce in this policy as the test Of fidelity
tv the Constitution and the Union. 10
enforce This acquescence as duty, the
President undertakes defense Of the re-
peal of what he terms " the. statute res
friction upon the institution ofnew States,
and All exposition Of the principles 0f the
Constitution and of tie rights Of the
States under it. Uf the repeal Of the
..s.a,u,e restriction by the Kansas Ne
braska &C, of 1854, he says:
. Congress legislated upon the suhjec!
in such terms as were most conSonant with
. the principle of popular sovereignty which
underlies our Government. 1t could not
have legislaled otherwise without doing
violence to another gre principle Of our
Institutions, the imprescriplibie right
Of equality Of the seUeral &ates.'
This +" statute restriction upon the in
stitu.ion of new SIales," which was re.
pealed, the President tells us was viola
tive Of the impreseriptible right Of equal
i,y of the SeUsral STATES. IL is not the
right Of The new State that this statute
restriction invaded. for they were not in
being, but the imprescriptiJle right Of
equality Of the several States.
What was this statute restriction, the
repeal Of which the President thus at.
Temps to defend, aud why was il origi-
nally enactedi 1t was the restriction
imposed upon the extension Of slavery
by the eighth seclIon Of the act of 1920,
commonly called the Missouri compro-
mise and which forever excluded sla-
very otherwise than in punishment Of
crime) from all,lhat part OF the Louisiana
Territory lying west Of the western boun-
dairy Of The State Of Missouri, and norIll
Of 369 30' norlh latitude, This prohibi-
ton was in It's terms perpetual. The
motives which. prompted its enactment are
apparent. The Congress which enacted
it, doubtless felt, and knew, that slavery
was subversiye Of the ends Of all Tree
government, violation ofjusice and OF
the rights Of The enslaved. and contrary
10 the spirit Of our free Constitution ;
they also knew, that in the wrong in
which This institution has its inception.
there was no law to restrain the. enslave.
Inent Of all classes and races of men |;
that the brute force, by which the inher-
ent rights Of the black race had for cen.
tnries been cloven down, was no. likely
to be restrained from iDficlng like cruel
lies and expressions upon the white race
--that the violence 10 which this system
lives and has its being,is deaf alike. to
the voice Of justice and the cry Of the OPP
pressed, whether that cry bursts from the
crushed heart Of an African. or an Ameri.
can. Hence the origin Of thai enact
lnent. Ii was humane, politics, and
just
But, eli, il was repeated. we arc told,
in order TO maintain inyiolals "the i'm.
prescrplible right Cfequaliiy Of the sew
eral Staies.n An imprescriptible right
ofeqdality in what in the bones and
sinews and souls Of men And this