Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1858-05-24
senator wilson. Speech on Oregon.

The people OF oregon MI. President, have
framed and adopted constitution excluding
slavery; and am sure no State reioIces more
over that act Of. the people of Oregon than the
people Of the State represent. They will ex
pect me 10 give my vote TO welcome the free State
of Oregon into this ssteThood of free Common
wealths. l know may be censured-censured
by personal and political fliends-but | cannot
give my vote for the admission of Oregon into the
Union under this constitution. The people of
Oregon have adopted constitution excluding
slavery but they have put a provision in this
constitution which l believe to be unconstitu-
tional, inhuman, and unchristian. They not only
exclude negroes and mulattoes from residing in
the State, but they have made provision that
they cannot hold any real estate thee; they can
not make any contracts, nor maintain any suit >
Now, Mr.. President, live in a Commonwealth
that recognizes the absolute and perfect equality
of all men Of all races. A mulatto or negro IN
the StateI represent is not only citizen of the
State; he not only has the right to vote, but, if
the people choase to do it, they may elect him to
any ofSce 10 their gift.
Mr. Clay-Will the senator permit me to ask
him question?
Mr.. Wilson-Certainly
Mr.. Clay-I know that the laws of Massachu-
se'ts recognize the entire equality Of the negro
with the white man. l would ask however,
whether the people OF that State recognize the
social equality of the negro, and treat him Social
ly as an equal
to give precise and exact answer. l know that
in Massachusetts. in other free States, and
think IN the free States quite as much as in the
slave States there is strong prejudice against
cnlOTed people. and it exists TO more or less ex
tent in Massachusetts. However the public sen.
ument OF that State is up to this point: it has
given them all the legal rights it gives to the rest
OF the people, and every man among them has
open to him I the avenues and pursuits OF life.
He make himself what he chooses to be.
There is prejudice, and unjust prejudice, in
regard to men of intelligence and of personal
character, men in every proper sense of the
word highly respectable | do not think in social
life they are fully recognized that colored men
with the same intellectual qualities, the same
moral qualities, not in Massachusetts, regard.
ed as they would be if. they were white men
hope the senator understands my
find, that in book written quarter off cen
tuIy ago by Sir William Gore Onsely, speaking
of this prejudice in this country, he said;
If an individual, concentrating the wisdom and
virtues of every age il his own person, and inner
iting the qualities of a Socrates, an Alfred,
Gustavus Basil, and a Washington combined,
were born with negro skin in the United States,
| do not think that he would ever be allowed
perfectly social equality with white scoundrel!
That same feeling fingers, to more or less
tent, in all the States Of the Union, my own
State included We have, in Massachusetts,
about eight thousand colored persons, and l may
say that, generally, tthey persons of intelli-
gence, Of morality. of personal character. Hun
preds Of those persons go out in our ships to
ny portion of the globe. Many OF them 60 on
board our whale ships to the Pacific Ocean Eve.
rywhere where the commerce of my State goes,
these men sail on board our ships
Mr., Mason-As cooks and stewards.
Mr.. Wllson-SOme of them as cooks, some of
them stewards, and some of them as sailors,
and drawer or better sailors do not exist in the
country than the colured sailors who may be
found in New Redford md NIL 10 pf Ma.
sachusetts. They good sailors their
fathers were good soldiers in the days Of the Rev.
olution. The Senator from Virginia will remem.
Der that at the celebration of Bunker Hill, in.
June last, which he attended, Governor Everett
spoke on that day of the services of a poor, hum
Bile colored man, who shot down Major Pitcairn,
on the 18th of June, l775, and that touching al
fusion by the graceful orator was gratefully re-
ceiged by the vast throng. and doubt not it
as gratefully recognized by the Senator asby any
other person. Bancroft, in the seventh volume
of the history of the United States, just publish
ed, says
"Nor should history forget to record that as in
the army at Cambridge, so also in this gallant
band, the free negroes of the colony had their
representatives. For he right of free negroes to
bear arms in the public defence was at that day
as little disputed in New England as their other
rights. They took their place, not in separate
corps, but in the ranks with the white man, and
their names may be read on the pension rolls of
the country, side by side with those of other SOL
disrs of the Revolution"
There are hundreds Of men in Massachusetts,,
the descendants of men who fought in the ranks
of our fathers in the Revolution who fought on
board your ships of wal in the last with
Great Britain--the descendants of men who gave
their lives and their blood to the independence
and liberties Of this country; and they, in Mas
sachusetts, have enjoyed the benefits for which
their ancestors fought. If the descendants of
those brave men should go on board whale ship
to the Pacific Osean, land in Oregon, in stress OF
weather, it may be, go on shore, be smitten down.
nearly murdered, by white villains without
cause, they cannot maintain suit in the courts
Of that State. They may be abused, they may
be murdered, any outrage may be inflicted, any
indignity may be put upon them, but they cannot
maintain suit in the courts of that State to pro
tect' them in their personal rights Is this not
inhuman, unehristian, deviishs l cannot vote
to sanction proposition which outlaws men for
crime.
Now, sir, is there slave State that has such
provision in her constitution or laws There
may be; do not know. l say, Mr. President
that it is inhuman, it is unchtistian il is unwcr
thy free State, and while free States, or States
calling themselves free, make such provisions,
maintain such inhuman enactments, l advise
them to close their mouths against the system of
slavery in the URited States. When / give my
voice or my vote to maintain any such Outrages
or any such wrongs, l will close my lips forever
against slavery in any portion of the country. If
we are opposed to slavery as a violation of human
rights (and if we opposed to it at all we are
opposed to it on that broad ground), il we are
opposed TO it because it violates the rights of
man, we had better put our own States and our
own public sentiment right, before we arraign
others.
Icannot vote for the admission Of Oregon into
the Union with this constitution, though l do
not wish tovote against the admission of a free
State. | would welcome free States, even if they
have not constitutions precisely as would like
them, and trust to the influences of time; but
cannot give my vote for a State that has adopted
provision. not only excluding these men, but
denying to them the right, if they land there but
for an hour, TO sue in the courts of that State,
for the protection Of their persons the protection
of their lives against lawiess violence | may
refrain from voting, for l do not wish to vote
against the admission Of a free State into this
Union: but l cannot vote for provision Of this
character. / should feel that if did it, gave
my own personal sanction to it. In refusing to
vote for the admission Of Oregon, l may meet
the censure Of political friends in my own State,
and in other portions Of the country: but, sir,
with me this Is a matter Of conscience, and cam
not do it,"
AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY, BosToN.--The
Boston correspondent Of the Springfield Repub
ican says
" One OF the papers says that an effort is to be
made to put the Boston Tract Society on the
pro slavery side. Perhaps it will succeed. !
suppose the Rev DR.. Adams would like to have
his kind Of Chrisusnty endorsed by his Boston
friends, as 1t has been by the pious brokers OIL
Wall street. 1t extremely pleasant to see
the zeal which was exhibited by the New Workers
in the good cause, at the meeting Of the Ameri.
can society. They could not 90 down town fol-
the imperative purpose Of eating their dinners OF
skinning their customers, until they had done
their duty 20 their chief idol and divinity, Ameri