The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1858-09-15
0en. Bonham's Speech.

vac opceSh ue''Ncieu ON Gen. BoNham AT
the complimeItal dinner given him at
Elgefeld G. Ii. on The 2nd inst, and from
Wh'ch We mike he extract below. Ger.
Bonham, cur readers are aware, voted
against the Eng sh Conference 3 DrI%, which,
it was thought, would settle the Kansas
difficulty. After giving in detail the Tea
lures of that bill, he gees onto sag:
by accepting the Conference Bill. we
give up the only territory North of Sc
80, which can ever be slave territory. II
is supposed that Kansas would not have
continued slave Stale-even admitted
under The Senate Bill. II does no, fol
low that the people would have amended
The Constitution and have abolished sIu-
very once gstah,I,lIcl. She stands on the
same base line SO 80, with MlsSouri-and
according 10 General Atchison, one Of the
best Informed men OF that country. WA,
well adapted to slavery. The ratio ofin
crease among the slaves Of Miss )uri dur
ing the first decade o! years after ndmis
sion was 40 per cent, more llan among
the whites; whilst Tor the ten years rr.
ceeding, the difference WAS but II Der
cent. Capital invested in slaves IS timiJ
% easily is it lost and so uncertain is is
fate III Territory. Admitted with the
Lecompton Constitution. owners wi,n
their slaves would probably have soon be.
gun the occupation Of the fertile land Of
Kansas. With the example of Missouri
""l"re Us, II may well be questioned wheh
or krHsas would not nayo rour;uu"J ,
Save State.
But even should she have become
free State the day after her admission.
there WAS invq!ved "a principle Of vital
Importance and we have righ, to have
had 1t maintained by admission. It's no
answer 10 cay that the States would no,
have acted Each should have. been lett
[" speak for itself. The p,orl, in som.
"t the southern States mirht possib,y
h'-~O @~vr' found tu 'uIIC., Ur Iuer Ip,,t
CrS.
The view, that under :he Senate bin,
N anSas might have insisted upon the um
reasonable Ordinance, never occurred To
any mind before the defeat at that bill
hat bill was supposed 10 he all we could
WISH ; It was never questioned ,ha, Kan
''' 80 ''N .N1''''l'li, uIli. GT SDineNll hat
sihiIar circumstances, would abandon her
rrePoSterous claim. Il WAS no, Question
ed h7 any one, that if admitted under
the Senate Bill, the Legislature would at
once assemble, aud send their Senators to
lake their seats-and DO not doubt it
And can it be controver,el tina, they
would then have been in. un Ter the terms
OF The Senate Bill, their Ordinance u
dead letter? And who believed than or
does now that they would have had the
ehr'n'ery to set up claim to more land
than we We're willing TO give them?
The Senate Bill admitted the State at
once. Both the Critien len Montgomery
Amendment and Conference BI.l purpor
tel to admit but did not in reality. The
wv" latter also provide for the admission
"' Slave State. This is claimed ae
,E'unph or our part. 1t is most barren
V'ct0ty in Tie case Of the Conference Bill,
and would maze been no better in ,h.
case OF the Crittenden Montgomery A,
mendment, The Black Republicans sup
ported that feature rs concession TO the
Southern Know Nothing and Dou,las
democrats. TO detach them from the sun
port OF the Senate Bill, knowing that if
'hey conid get the Lecompton Constitu.
non again before the Black Republicans
In hSHSas, IL would meet the doom i, has
received under the Conference B:N.
Ii the Conference Bill be better Bill
t'"n the Sepste Bill ought to have sup
ported 1t, but not so regarded, could
nos. a distinguished mcnber from Ten.
nessee, Col. Savage, has said before his
constituents, that "he had voted for the
English Bill as lie bad for the Compro
mise measures Of 1850. not that it was
tbe thing he wanted, but il was the best
ina, cGuid be done under The circnmstan
ces." And 50 s,iI many others at The
time, who reluctantly voted for il. Tie
fresIgleFi, aiihorgb anAous for its pas
sage when the Senate Bill was dsfelled,
certainly did not regard it q, a Lpuer
measure.
i'me does not allow me to 90 further
ihto the ohjeciions 10 the Conference B II.
nave the satisfaction Of having been su4-
,"'hSq VI ny views by one whom YOU
nave long h1aorci, ard whose me nory
you will ever reverence, and WHO vim
the Palmetto Flag was planted on line
N"rlta OF BeIin, stood sheuIdert to shoulder
IN It's defence with your Morsne, your
bioeker, yoqr Goode, your Crooker and
your Ly.ss. --Eames Which have a place
IN one OF the'tdghtgsr pictures on the
rolls Of fame.
Inc Lecomplon Consultation has been
defeated. The question nav preshnis il.
SELL viii the os 900 population restriction
oe respected did not support the
me'sufs brt will Join heartily with those
"ho Cid, IA exactiag y comp,ian with
iI' provisions. Presses At the Nor,h. ana
che ezBhick Repai.licana evevywhers are
taking the ground that the Act must I've
repealed snd thar Ksnsas must be, admit
ted next wiatcr9 under SOME properly pre-, |,
pared Constitution, even witinul the 93.