The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1857-01-22

1
utter the sentiments which were upon the lips of
all the great men of Virginia when CORVALLIS
surrendered? Could the Senators from New
Hampshire stand on that spot once baptized by
the blood of Alexander Scammell, and there ut
ter the sentiments Of Henry, or of Jefferson, or OF
Mason? Gould one of us go down to Mount
Vernon, which Slavery has converted into sort
of jungle, and there repeat the words OF Wash
ington, that
| " No man desires more earnestly than L do TO
{ see Slavery abolished; there is only one proper
'way to do it, and that is by legislative action,
6 and for that my vote shall never be wanting"
| Could we go to Montcello-could we stand by
the graves of Jefferson, of Madison, of Henry,
of the great men of Virginia, and utter the sub
lime thoughts which they uttered for the liberty
of the bondmen? Could we stand by the grave
of Henry Clay, and declare, rs he declared, Sla-
very to be "a curse" ga wrong" "grievous
wrong to the slave, that contingency could
make right?"
! In the slaveholding States free speech and q
| free press are known only in theory. A slave
| holding, Slavery-extending Democracy has estab-
lshcd relentless despotism. We invited you of
| the South to meet US in national convention, to
| restore the Government to the policy of the
| fathers. Mr.. Underwood of Virginia, did go to
| Philadelphia. He united with us in our declara-
ton of principles he united with us in the NOM
ination of John e, Fremont and for this offence
he was banished from Virginia. He returned
| few days SINCE and was notified that If he re-
NAMED, he must run the risk of being dealt with
| by an indignant community. He has left there,
| and believe is now here in the city of Washing
ton. When the Fremont flag was raised in Nor
folk, the civil authorities took it down. Mr..
Stannard, q merchant of Norfolk, a native of
Connecticut, went up to the ballot-box, and
quietly handed in his vote for Fremont 1t was
handed back to him. They Would not receive it.
He was driven from the polls and compelled to
hide himself for days, until he could find an OPP
portnnty to escape from the State to preserve
his life.
During the canvass Professor Hedrick, OF
North Carolina was denounced by the Southern
press for intending to vote for Fremont. He
came ont in moderate, carefully-wrtten letter,
declaring his belief that it would be for the in
terests Of North Carolina to keep her slaves at
home, to develop her own resources, and that
Kansas should be free State. For that offence,
the professors of the North Carolina University
came together, and disavOwed any sympathy with
him. The trustees assembled and removed him
The mob assembled and insulted him. He left,
or rather was driven from, his native State. He
held little appointment as a scientific man con-
necteA with the publication of your Nautical AL
manac, worth $500 year-an appointment given
him by Mr. Secretary Graham. He went to CAM
bridge, where the Nautical Almanac is made up;
but he has been removed from his position in the
Government service as n COuiputcI, VIC
of having declared in his own native State, that
he believed the interests of North Carolina re-
uuired that Kansas should be free. Let it go
abroad over the world, that native of North
Carolina, a scholar, a man of scientific attain
ments, has been removed from his prOfessorship-
banished from his State, for such an offence; and
that this Administration has removed him from
the little office, worth $500, as computer the
Nautical Almanac for the same reason. Let it
90 abroad over the world Let the scientific
men and the literary men of the Old World un-
derstand that we have party in power, in repub-
lican America, which lays its iron hand on a
man, even from the slavehoding States, who
breathes the word elderly" That act is a
black and damning disgrace to this country and
there is not an American, at home or abroad,
who carries n manly heart in his bosom, that
does not look upon it as degradation to his
country Sir, the tyrants of the Old World will
scof at it; and the friends of Liberty who turn
their eyes hopefully to us will hang their heads
in very shame, for the infamy your Administra-
ton has brought upon the Republic.
Sir, have said that you have no freedom of
speech at the South Senators have denounced
us sectional, because we have no votes in the
South. That reminds me of the Dutch judge in
old Democratic Berks, who kicked the defendant
out of DOORS locked the door, and then entered
judgment for default. Laughter. Your native
sons stand on electoral tickets, vote our prin-
ciples, at the peril of life. Then, when you are
able with your iron despotism to crush out oil
there who would go with us, you turn round and
tell us we are getting up sectional party. | as
sure you, there are tens of thousands of men in
the South whose sympathies arc with u.s. but they
have no opportunity so to vote. In the city of
St. Louis, nearly three thousand Germans, to
show their devotion to Liberty went to the ballot
boxes, when they could get up no State ticket for
Fremont, and voted for Willard Fillmore the
1atA d.
test !" printed on their ballOts-an actwhch illus
trates your despotism, and shows that these men,
who were true to Liberty in the Old World will
not be false to their cherished convictions in tho
New. Mr. Moses G. Church, son of your State
Mr. President, Mr.. STUART in the chair was
driven from Georgia for writing home to his
father these words:
The working men, nom laveholding mechan-
les, and others, who are dependent upon their
daily labor for their support, feel sorely the
competition of non paid labor; and they do not
hesitate to say they would vote for Fremont if
they had chance AS voters, they three
to one of the shareholders, and they are fast
finding out their strength"
Even here, in the National Capitol, that vacant
seat Ipointng to Mr. SUMMERS charl is an evil
dence that freedom of speech is not always toll
eraed--nOt always safe.
The Senator from Pennsylvania, Mr.. Bio
fR,l
fence of being opposed to Slavery per sc. Well,
sir, we opposed to Slavery per But is it to
he charged upon us that we mean to usurp power
which we have not, and do not claim, because
we are opposed to Slavery per Sc? Mr.. Buchan-
an declared, more than thirty years ago, that
he " believed Slavery TO he great political, a
great moral evil and he thanked God that his
lot was cast in a State where it did not exist"
Does the Senator from Pennsylvania call that
warning against Slavery per Sc? The Senator
voted in the Senate of Pennsylvania, in l847, in
favor of the Wilmot PrOviso. The Senator from
Virginia Mr.. MASON regards the assertion of
that doctrine war upon the slave States
upon Slavery per Sc. Does the Senator from
Pennsylvania now concur in that opinion?
The Senator from Michigan Mr.. CAss the
other day gave US another disquisition upon his
doctrine of squater sovereignty. While he oc-
cupied the floor of the Senate in giving US addi-
tional notes and comments upon his Nicholson
letter, and in illustrating the beauties of his theO
ry-whe he was upon the floor, claiming that the
people of the Territories, in their Territorial ca
pacity, have the right to exclude Slavery, a dis
tinguished Representative from Kentucky mr.
HUMPHREY MARSHALL was bringing up the
Democratic party to the confessional in regard to
this doctrine The Senator from Virginia Mr.
Mason was summoned to the House, to explain
| to his Colleagues a casual remark which he had
made during the speech of the Senator from
Maine, Mr.. FEssENDEN. The delegation from
Virginia proclaimed on the floor of the House
| their unanimous disagreement with the doctrines
| the Senator from Michigan was then avowing,
and announced, by authority, that the Senator
from Virginia had been misunderstood. After
the close of that speech the Senator from Virginia
came in here, ana asked two minutes for expla-
nation, and then avOwed his doctrine to be- that
Congress had no right, under the Constitution.
to legisae in regard to Slavery in the Territories