The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-04-15
VOL. XII.

of that continent. You do not need protac,iou
tor such labor, and seifiuterest alone leads vor
to the formation of tariff that will. with H.
least possible addition essential to the carrvi,,.
on OF our Government, place in your hands tLo
product of ther industry at the lowest poss;bi.
price. But sir, the free labor of the North Nil
never consent to take rank either with the nsn.
pers of Europe or the slaves of the South. 7,
seeks at the hands of psternal Governnen,
protection from both. Just go fast az this slave
system expands itself, in the ratio with which
1t nils your Congressional Halls, it diminisbeo
the chances for that protection which American
industry and capital demand. | do not wonder
SIR, that Connecticut Democracy, cheek by iovj
Win TIE South IN her slave propsgandisu, and
In striking down the dignity and rights of freo
labor, stands up in this Hall, and begs of i,s
Southern coadjUtors to stihe the utterance NJ
their mud-sil sentiments, because sucb Mt
tersnces ring the death knell of the party.
But there is another and higher reason tber
all, which will control my vote upon this ones,
ton, because 1t has been, is now, and I trus,
always will be, cardinal principle of nv polit.
zeal life. L do not, cannot, will not, acknowl.
edge mans right of property in man. Born
and educated amid the free institutions of the
old Commonwealth OF Connecticut, / was tauobt
their justice and sanctitY. Tie sudy of NV
later years has but strengthened and establish
ed my early convictions. No doctrine ia 81
sbhorrent to me, sir, as that 80 often proclaim.
ed IN this Hall, that one man has a social
political, moral nay, sir, q Divine right. 10 hold
as property the living body of his fellow.man
Ii saps the foundation of all rights invested in
man by high Creator. 1t stands between an
eternal Ruler and the accountable subject II
claims the power, and exercises It, of MAKING
nugatory Divine commands. This it does by
holding the marriage covenant subject TO the
caprices OF fortune and the dictum of another's
will, when the Divine Authority has declared
1t permanent. 1t claims the power, and exer.
cises it, of shutting up the immortal mind in
the prison house of ignorance, and forbids the
application of it's God-given powers in 6t,ino
itself for the study of that Book by whose laws
it must finally be judged, and through whose
pages alone 1t can discover the moral beauties
of the worlds great Redeemer. 1t claims and
exercises the right of ceiling in the public
shanbes the child of arothers loins, scatter
ing families, without their consent, to the ex.
tremes of its spreading dominions. 1t abrogstes
natures first law of self defence. In word,
it lays its iron hand upon {" the image of God"
in man, and by one fell legal blow makes him
q chattel, thing, a beast of burden, an article
of merchandise in the markets of the coun.
try.
Sir, | cannot acknowledge the existence Of
that right thus to transform fellow man, any.
where on this vast globe of ours, much less in
my own native country, the boasted Gland of
the free, and the home of the brave" For that
reason, also, l shall vote against this Lecomp-
ton Constitution. l do not hold any party, in
my own State or elsewhere, responsible for the
doctrine set forth in this last reason for my
vote against Lecompton. 1t will be my high
est pleasure to cooperate with any man differ
ing with me on this fundamental question in
any effort to strangle this fraudulent attempt
to impose Constitution upon an unwilling
people in Kansas. Whatever may be the re.
suit of this local struggle, for myself and my
constituents, pledge you, that there will be no
cessation of effort until this Government is
brought back to its early practice, and prac.
teal infdelity shall give place to the broad
principles of a genuine Christianity, which was
the glory of its noble founders.