Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1858-10-29

H. buU' uhaDle 10 eStlngulSh 1t at once, thC'
, made concessions to Slavery as to an unfor
tunately existing fact, without recognizing il
1t any principle from which it might deriv,
, any national right. To til m, Freedom wa,
the ruling the fundamental, the national
principle, and Slavery Il local institution
which existed only by sufforance. and tc
which concessions were made for the sake o
temporary expedency. This spirit governed
the councils of the nation in all acts relating
to Slavery, and Congress, therefore, did not
hesitate to exclude from the national terrific
rics what it considered nuisance. The man
liost tendency was to remove the contradiction
between the fundamental principles of our
,vernment and slcial institution, by sac
rifcing the latter. [Chcers.]
Even the Missouri Compromise, 50 far as it
excluded Slavery from certain Territories,
was dictated by this spirit.
The Nebraska bill in opening the national
territories To slavery, elevated slavery from
the rank of II mere obnoxious fact to the rank
OF II national principle. According to that
measure, slavery shall have the right to exist
every where hy virtue OF the matt mai Law,
whore 1t is not abolished and prohibit ID by
| local legislature. Before Mr.. Djuglts, pppu-
! ltr Sovereignty, slavery and freed IN >ttnl
apparently as a tai cllimtur>. 4 = j. Z. E,
slavery it!s drquif d t.l- rjgut ut pl...i
over feed IN. ihs j, the principle wuIcl
! Dnu,slt has introduced int The policy uf
this country in place OF tine leading ideas Of
v"c i'oto'u''o'' lic may r'"'li VIC hi'IIl u
oel'S III i'rsC man WHO s"cce'dol IN 1iSpI"c-
~ ."o pp''''c'il uGNe!olc.it't ~ t,''S h0l'"'
Iio W 'ioii ,"c soIid plSls Hi tne OJcl"r"tl'" Oi
lhderehdcnce' The NebraSk" bili, very Jar
| from neing progressive movement, was the
boId'st step IN the reaction against the prli'-
cilles OF the Revolution.
DO not say that am lndulglnS in more
play with abstract ideas and theoretical dis
examinations ana tat things mlSht look
better in reality for, | tell you, what is
nonsense IN theory you VIII never make sense
in practice.
Know, Mr., Douglas principal position
ttu't ~" people ui t'' i.'.i. iI'5 .@ .I he
ic1t iree 10 settle the r'c~.''u ul slavery ior
themselves, carries some pljusihlity vita it.
Bat why could it not be fairly and quietly
executed? Because every one tried tp X
| ecute it as he pretended to uud Istauj it,
Yes, sir, no sooner was the word spoken,
than the contradiction, which lay hidden in
the new measure, broke out in practical
conflict, This was not astonishing to me, for
it cannot be otherwise, when the construc-
ton of ambiguous measures is put into the
hands of antagonistic interests. Gcheers.l
Look at the Constitution Of the United
States. Its words are the same for Mr.. Ger
rit Smith of New York and for Mr. liam
mond of South Carolina. But how does it
happen that these gentlemen understand its
meaning 50 differently? How does it hap
pen that the same words which signify Lib
erty to Gerrit Smith signify slavery to Ham
mond? IL is because their stand-pvint to
from which they judge it. are different. The
one looks at it from the free hills OF New
York, and the other from the miry soil OF
South Carolina cotton field. The anita
gonism between Liberty and Slavery has
drawn in its whirl the current of human
thought and the reasoning faculties Of the
human mind. But if such is the case even
with the federal Constitution, of which
Madison said that it should contain nothing
which might remind coming generations at
such an hbolnlnation as slavery ever existed
IN tins Republic, what Will be the Late OF
such measures, winch are nothing but IL new
en@odim nj OF the old contradiction and an
tiSonlsm between Democracy and Slavery
As soon us such II measure Is enacted, botn
principles and both sections OF the country
representing them, VIII seize upon it and
Try u ihoh9poilz9 lis c4nstructioh' ana what
ID CONSTRUED 10 mean Llp-rty mere VIII be
construed 10 mean slavery ther1 ana TINS
Is n"Iuf'', LOT To tne siV1hoider inc pilnci-
al meaning Oh Linerty Is t'stT eI, man s''aiI
nave the risnt I" noiu MS ie'lo"-h'un us
ProoP'ry' lOneols:! A.. r... >-.,...-,.,
was ~ !" 81 WIN 'lio h''l9 y -"
il' No sooner was l'ltt measure p"ssC" .!
Con ITe:S thah lhe Si"Nc."lu'ng l"'viesV sue
c1eueu III ihoh'i9o''"'hs i's r""sII"c!!'"' anu
N"lic "u' pHoi Dei'' III '"c ''i.''S4"
Stdlcs were ucSc"''''',, WI '''c ''"utU" ~ ~
fitofial sHii-S Nerhiheht. inc 0o"th put I'"m
Squatt'r oNercishty Win sneer' anu al
nat remained ol the great iilhciPlo was
tnat the stiVenoiders acquire" the "osoIuIG
right to holu theIr slaves as properly IN an
the territ'rl's ot the Chiteu states ny VII,
tue tue Oh the feuera' oVhsl,tu'ion' on lShce,s J
" nat means the NEBRASKA pil! no" An
LOOK at hr' Douo,as lihs'i'' no" no Is u"t-
terlhS between the Northern ana :, o,oIuerh
constructionoi the great prlncIple, now
that happy iather Is hardly apie 70 teil ms
own child, which Is white to-day ana black
to-morrow-lgreatl laughter ana applause,
how he bows To the Dred Scott decision with
his face towards Charleston ana then TO Ter
ritorial Squatter Sovereignty win MS lace
| towards Springfield lCheers'I LOOK III that
disgusting, p'tlable exhibition OF man who
| boasts OF hls greatness asa statesman with
the laundering voice oi Il brass cannon ana
who is shortsighted enough not to see that he
like boy has iallen INTO the meshes OF tha'
eternal contradiction from which ms petu-
logging sophlstries Will never eXtricate him.
| [Ihundering applause.)
Such has been the tate OF Sqnatter oover,
eighty and OF the man who invented It, Ana
such will be the fate oil all measures which at
the same time concede to Slavery the right
to spread, q 10 Liberty the right to restrict IT,
So long as our national laws countenance
siat.fy III an; H"y oa th tn"i i,dnT Ioli,,o
Iisne SIicH ~ ueiOes nih ttohi - ."o
.,o,i y, .no i; ,r ;ns,;,n,ior Vii he Tho samn
the antagonism will he the same. the orita.
t,on and the war will be the same. and no
comnromises and no mock nonular SOVEREIGN
tv viii allav the STRUGGLE II will he renent-
ed over and over again as often and wherever