The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1858-04-16
Extract from Fessenden's Speech.

ENtTuCU 1TOIil rcSScuuCllS y SpCCCus
Sir, let me tell the President Of the
United States, and all others, that the op-
position to slavery in this country is now q
sentiment, an idea--not TO slavery as 1t ex-
lists in the States, not desire 10 interfere
with your institutions anywhere; but de-
termination, If possible, to arrest its progress
over the free territories Of this country, be-
cause it is believed to be curse. Although
that sentiment was covered up in the ashes,
of the compromise of 1850, buried SO deep
that 1t seemed as il it would never again
spring into life, you yourself exhumed il;
you added fue! TO the sparks that were
buried you kindled the sentiment into q
flame you have been heaping combustible
material ON il from that day to the present
until at last you nre in fair way to make
it conhagration. Upon you be the conse-
queEce, II II be so. II is not for the Presi-
dent to cry "Peace!" ut the consummation
OF an outrage, when the very beginning OF
ii excited the dctestation Of the community
in which he was born and bred.
But, sir, We 60 further than that. That
is to be the consequence on the one side.
What is to be on the other? We are told
that we arc to have crisis, and the Union
is to be dissolved. expressed my opinion
on that topic four years ago. We have had
resolutions in the newspapers from the State
of Alabama, that il Kansas shall not be pd-
United under this Lecompton Constitution,
it would be time to look about and see how
this Union could hold together. We have
had il stated in one or two other ofthe States
of the South. We have had 1t from the
honorable Senator from Mississippi, Mr..
Brown and from other Senators. They
tell us that there will be crisis; the mo-
ment the people of this country get divided
into parties, North and South, on question
that is important to them, and the people of
the North triumph at the polls under the
crisis has come, when The Union is TO be
dissolved. Sir, il did not think 1t was to
be a very serious matter in some respects, !
could laugh at the idea. AT any rate, II re-
minds me of storyfamilnr to you oil, prob
ably, though never saw it until yesterday.
This disposition, which gentlemen have
on all occasions, to get up crisis when
ever anything looks against their peculiar
views pf subject, and to inform us that the
time has arrived, with the idea that the peo-
pie can be frightened from their propriety,
Is illustrated by story which saw in the
newspapers, something like this: A cele-
brated general in the last war is said, IN
one Of the battles on the advance TO The city
OF Mexico, to have rode up TO Captain Dun
can, who was in charge Of battery and,
with very grave and sober face, told him :
"Captain Duncan, fire TIE crisis has arriv-
ed" Duncan turned to his men, with
matches oil lighted and ready, and gave the
order to fire. An old arilleryman walked
up to him, and said; "Captain, | do not see
an enemy within range OF our guns what
shall we fire att" "Fire at the crisis" was
the response; "did you not hear the general
say the crisis had come? Fire at that"
[Laughter.] So it is with gentlemen, !
think, in reference 10 this matter. They
are always charged and ready to fire at
crises. believe 1t has arrived half a
dozen times within my recollection. :.
What ! wish TO say on that point Is, that ]
look on with great seriousness, but without
particle of apprehension. We in the free
States have rights under the Constitution OF
the United States, and we have deiermina-
tion enough to enforce and sustain them
We are not to be driven from the position
we have assumed by any threats OF dis
ruption of the Union. We have no partlcu'
lar pre,entious exclamations to utter with
regard to our attachment to 1t. Let that
attachment, be proved by our works. We
will stand by the Union Of this country so
long as II is worth standing by; and let me
say to gentlemen, the moment the time ar
Iives when it is to be used as an argument
to us, 'you must yield on question winch
you consider vital TO your interest md your
rights, or we shall take MEASURES to dissolve
the Union," my answer is, that 1t we do
yield, the Union has ceased to have any
value to me. So long as ] stand upon
American soil, freeman, with equal rights
with others, and power TO enforce them ac-
cording to my ability, unrestricted, unrc-
strained, and untcrriied, too, this Union Is
valuable to me but when that hour comes
when that privilege no longer exists, when
hold my rights BY the tenure Of yielding
TO weak fears, | am willing to see any con-
sequences follow, so far as am concerned,
or SO far as my people are concerned. Let
no gentlemen indulge themselves with the
hope that all these resolutions passed by
Southern Legislatures about dissolvlng the
Union, and all these mass meetings held Tor
the same purpose, and all in'imations thrown
out here to the same effect, are to produce
any possible result, SO far as the deternina-
ton Of Free State men is concerned on this
question.
The Senator from Mississippi spoke Of
compromises that had been made, and said
he wanted no more compromises. Sir, l
want no more compromises on this matter.
agree with him that there have been COM
promises enough. As addressed toa North
ern man, (if the Senate will allow me TO
quote poet again, and ! shall not trouble
them much sgain in that way,) il means
this only:
UNorthward IL hath this sense alone,
That you, your conscience binding,
Should bow your fools nose TO the stone,
When slavery feels like grinding"
Sir, | wish to be ground no moro un-
der such compromises. The question that
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