The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-04-01

oenator snouio not complain OF them. They
are the chief cornerstone of your political
strength In the North. Find me the vicious
ward OF any city that does not uphold your sys-
tenn OF Slavery, vote for its candidates, support
its measures, and labor for its men. No. air
you should not complain of this vicious popu.
lation. In truth and in fact, they are about
the only stay and support you have there now,
and you ought not to traduce them From their
very natures, they attach themselves to you.
and do not think by any treatment you will
be able to drive them off. They are naturally
with you they were slaves in their own coun.
tries they do not know anything else than to
be the .understrappers of somebody; and when
they hear that here are shareholders contending
with freemen, you find them with the former oil
the time.
UNION AND DIsUNIoN.
Mr.. President, think this shows the antap-
onisim between the institutions of the North
and the South. We have not made them So
Nobody here is particularly to blame for the
state of things that exists. 1t has grown i'm
perceptibly with our growth. Our lot has been
cast either on one side of the line or the other.
Our habits aud our education have conformed
| to that state of things existing where our lot
has been cast. l can appreciate and make al
lowances for that, but l cannot be biased as to
the right of the matter. l know where that is
Now, what is the remedy for this If you
| bring US into collision, your system of despot-
ism encountering our system of freedom here
on this floor, do.you suppose there will be no
excitement? Is any one 80 superficial as TO
believe that it will depend on the temper and
disposition of q man how this great controversy
shall be settled Not at all, sir. You may
preach harmony, you may preach forbearsnce
till doomsday but violent conflict will take
place every time these principles meet on this
floor or elsewhere, because they are naturally
antagoRistic. God Almighty has made them
so, and man cannot reconcile them. What
then, is our safety? 1t is to stand upon the
principles you once professed rigid State rights,
yielding to the General Government Just as lit.
tie power as is possible to cement il together
so far as to provide for the common defence :
for the moment you drag these things into the
General Government, / assure you that you
may preach Cancellation till doomsday, and con.
citation will not come.
l do not know, sir, what is to be the result of
this controversy. know some of You threaten
to leave the Union unless you are gratifed
every time collision takes place between us !;
and that Texas of ours, with which opened
this debate, stands in q singular attitude to-
wards US to-day. l have in my drawer three
resolutions of her Legislature, presented TO us
1
ton, and for sums of money to indemnify her
for expenses incurred, as she claims, in pro-
tecting herself, and urging upon the General
Government to make further provision for that
State, which has already cost as 30 much. Her
Legislature has sent to us q fourth resolution
| have not got it here, but heard it read at
the table; and, if / understood it Alright, she
has given US fair notice that she is about to 90
out of this Union. At all events, / do not
think that was in good taste. / do not think
it was polite; because we may say to her, "if
you are really going to leave us, perhaps it is
best for US to make no further appropriation
for you" Why beg of US protection and turn
right around snd tell us we are going to put
you at defiance; we are going to hold Hart.
ford Convention of the South, to deliberate
whether we shall leave the Union?" Before /
vote for the supplies she asks, l think l shall
want to hear an explanation of this. l NAV
want to know whether they are to inure to the
benefit of the Union, or to furnish powder to
blow out our own brains.
Let me say here, Mr.. President, that have
no approximations about the Union. The PEG.
pie / represent have got brsvely over any
quslms about your dissolving the Union
You may preach about it, and howl about it.
until your lungs are sore; it will not move a
muscle OF my Constituents or of myself. know
that our destinies are cast together; and wheth-
er it is beneficial or not-and do net know
whether it is or not-you can obtain no d.
vorce. We are welded for better or for worse,
and forever and We had better make the be st
Of our lot. You cannot 60 out. The Senator
from Alabama Mr.. CLAY asked the Senator
from Wisconsin, Mr.. DooLIrrLE, in the course
of his remarks, whether, if they undertook to
60 out OF the Union, we were going to fogcibly
| tnfar 10 - Il Il
exactly what the answer was, but wanted to
ask another question, for it has taxed nv 10 DE-
nuity to know how It 10 you can get State out
of this Union. II the most violent resolution.
if the most flaming declaration, could have
done it, your Union would have been blown to
atoms long ago. 1t wants something more
than Conventions; it wants something strosger
than resolutions. do not know how you pro-
pose to effect it. How can State 20 Quit? A
man may coramit treason under the Constitu.
ton of the United States, il he leves war
against them; he may be hauled up and pun.
ished; but how, in Heavens name, is a State
to go out of the Union? 1 should like to have
some one who talks about II show me the mo-
dus Operandi.
THE SUPREME COURT.
There was one thing failed to mention in
its proper place. allude to the late nefarious
decision of your Supreme Court. They made
new discovery discovery that, by vigoy of
the Constitution of the United States, Won can
carry Slavery all over the continent wherever
your flag may 6oat. approach that. subject
vita no pleasure. / wish / could entertain
good opinion of the judges of that court /
wish could believe they were patriotic. / wish
l could believe they held the scales of Justice
equal between the rich and the posr, the great
and he small, unswervsd by political consid.
eratit.ns, ppinAuenced by anything but their
duty, which is the most Godlike that man can
ever administer; that ia justice unnixed, un.
biase; justice. ! wish ] could believe that
that Solrt we're actuated by no other than
these great Godlike principles in the decision
they have made, II was most extraordinary
decision. The mode of coming at it, the de-
eisios Itself, the time when it was made, are all
calculated to inspire the mind with suspicion
that sll is not right. affirm that the supreme
Court, in making this decisioa, has done what
before, but do not hold this court, and never
did hold it, In that reverence which some ger.
tlemen pretend to entertain. l remember that
it seems to be the mere instruueat Of political
power. 1t follows it as the incident follows the
principal. In the old Federal times, when your
alien and sedition law was passed, and it came
before that court, they found no difficulty In
maintaining that most asQrant violation Of the
Constitution. Your sedition Law was upheld
by the Judges of that court, and men were i'm.
priaoned by It's process; and yet today there is
not man to be found in these United States
but what considers that Law most disgraceful
law TO remain on the statute book. 1t does aot
remain there as law, but it stansss there as a
memorial OF the madness Of party, and the
easy method II which men will violate the Con.
utsf ~f - H~.x
held All men nov eonstder 1t ss infamous.
Notwithstanding Il had the sanetion az All