Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1858-11-12
SENATOR HAMMoNp.s sprrcu


are in raptures over speech lately delivered
by Senator Hammond, of South Carolina.
He goes over, In Southern style, the circum-
stances of the enactment of the Kansas Ne
braska bill and the English Bill is glad the
people of Kansas rejected the latter; says
"Let her stay out; am opposed to her COM
ing in before she has the requisite population,
not because she will be free State. but be-
cause fully approve of the prohibitory clause
OF the Conference bill, and for that reason
voted against the admission of Oregon" lie
had no scruples. however, about voting for
the original Senate bill and for the english,
bill, both of which made Kans. IS State (but
Sdre State, mind you, and in opposition to
the will of the people,) with less than halt of
the population he now insists upon.
But Mr.. Hammond leaves the past and
proceeds to consider what i, to be done here.
after
eonfa, that 70, many year, Of ny lie, I5,litv.a
MH our only SAFETY pas the dissolution Of the Union
ana openly avowe1 IT, lshouid entertain and NTH
o hesitation cypress the same sentiments ro,p that
the victories 70. have achieved and those that think ,cs
are aoonf 10 aeheus, hIue inspired nth the hope-I
NAV say the behe-th1t tUe fiy sustain opselves
~ the Union. and control its action in all great affairs
IL may we'll be asked how I can entertain such
views and expectations, when within these few
years the South has lost her equality in the Sem
ate. and the free States have at length decided
majority in both Houses of Congress, while this
unfortunate Kansas contest has swept into their
political graves so many Of our ancient friends in
those states that it may be doubted whether they
nave at this moment after the recent elections
the finale of the disastrous Kansas abortion-a ma
1orlty IN any single one of them and there seems
to be no prospect of our extending the area Of
Slavery in any quarter.
Mr. Hammond considers that slavery, I'M
der the bred Scott decision, has full swing
over all the present Territorial possessions of
the Union. About the southern part of
North America, he sees difficulties in the
way of making slavery very profitable.
Even Cuba, he thinks cannot be got without
'0dr-and under all aspects, war on that
account would be ticklish piece of business;
beside, Cuba if obtained and cut up into
two or three slave states would not give the
South numerical preponderance in Con-
gress. He would be glad to see Slavery
ahead everywhere, for believes in it, he says;
but thinks the North and West are so far
ahead that they will keep SO, and the best
way !. ~ give the race up, and try to carry
out their wishes in another way. He has
great hopes from the change of opinion on
the subject of slavery, which the South has
undergone since the passage of the Missouri
Compromise Act, and the emancipation of
the Slaves in Jamaica by the British Gov
eminent in 1884,
"What then was the state Of opinion in the
South? Washington had emancipated his slaves
Jefferson had bitterly denounced the system and
had done all he could to destroy it. Our Clays,
Marshalls, Crawfords, and many other prominent
Southern men had led off in the colonization
scheme Tho inevitable effect in the South
that she believed slavery to be an evil a weak
ness, disgrace nay, u sin, She shrunk from
the discussion Of it, she covered under every
threat. She attempted to apologize, to excuse |
herself, under tho Plea (Which was true) that |
tIresnSMng she awaited a doom that she deemed \
ineVrNhoie, But a few bold spirits took tho nues
,on up t1ey compelled the South to investigate
~ anew and thoroughly, and what is the resGlt7 |
why, It would be difficult to find now a Soutbern |
man VINO reels the system to be the slightest bur
tnen on dis conscience-who does not in fact re- |
saiu ~ as an equal advantage to the master and
the slave, eevating both-as wealth streng,b ond
power-and as one of the main pillars md eon,roI
ing influences Of modern civilization-and who il |
So' no" prepared TO maintain it at every hazard |
.uen nave been for US the happy results of this
;SOoI.lIon discussion SO far our gain has been
Immense from this contest, savage and malignant
Is u mas been. Nay, we have solved already the
question Of emancipation by thi. REORGANIZATION
and explosion Of the false theoric. of religion
pnllantoIopy and political economy viii h en-.
IN tha,r a.
convictions and cur strength, emancipation here
- tmply an impossibility to man, whether bv
persuasion, purchase or coercion. The rock Of
'ioraltar does not stand firm on its basis as
our slave System. For quarter Of a century il
has borne the brunt of n hurricane as 6eroe and
pitiless as ever ragged. At the North and in
Europe they cried "Havoc," and let loose upon US
al the dogs Of war. And how stands it now ?
wny''n tns very quarter ot century our slaves have
more than doubled IN value, The very negro, as a
p'ime laoorer, uho pouid hare brouyh four hundred
dotldys IN 1928, would noV, pth tiirty more usay,
.pon INN, sell for eight hundred dollars. What does
al TINS mean Why, that for ourselves We have
settled this question Of emancipation against all
the world, in theory and practice, and the world
must accept our solution.
England, Mr.. II. says, has about become a
convert to pro-slavery views, and France goes
openly into the slave business Referring of
course to the lying SANDER assiduousy pro-
pagated against the government of Liberia
by the pro-savery journals of the land, and
so thoroughly refuted, he says France,
"buys from the President of Liberia, the far
famed settlement of our own Colonization So
ciety. Buys the colonists, our own emanci-
patcd slaves, who, sick of freedom, prefer
any form of slavery, and in their desperation
do not hesitate to make their pious patrons
in this country the laughing stock of the
whole world"
That the Emperor of France, a thorough
de,pot, who will hardly allow a group of
school children to be at play without 20.
vernment spy among them-who holds a
decree of Punishment up to every man who is
suspected of any aspirations for freedom,
should be ready enough to favor slavery, is
not to be wondered at-nor that his wav of
dealing with those who disagree with him
should find abundant advocates and copyists
among the upholders of slavery in this coun-
try. He and they think to crush out the
love of liberty and free institutions the same
way.
Proceeding to accuse all the public men of
the North who are hostile to the spread of
slavery, of insincerity, as having only politi-
al euds of their own to advance, he says
their career is about an end,
But If am all wrong-ifmy facts and reason
ing are false, and my hopes delusive-if in 1850,
they beat us-what them These are questions
that may we'll be asked. And the answer is obv-
Gus. Wemust be prepared; and the very efforts
we must make TO prevent such results will better
Pre- pare US than any course pursue that can
see. We must be prepared, say, to take care of
ourselves, whatever. may come. 1t is clear that
the slaveholdng States of this confederacy, what
ever hazard thew NAV choose To incur nv remaininp