Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1858-03-30
SPEECH OF
H ON. Ell III AYER R,
OF MASSACHUSETTS,
ON THE KANzAs QUESTION.
Delivered in the House Of Representation of the
United States, March Is, 1858.

1t may be expected, Mr.. Chairman, that at
this time should say something in defense of
the Pilgrims, and of the State of Massachu-
setts for they have been repeatedly assaled
on this floor within the last two weeks But
shall make defence. There are some
things which l never attempt TO defend.
Among these are the Falls Of Niagara, the
White Mountains of New Hampshire, the
Atlantic Ocean. Plymouth Rock, Bunk er
| Hill, and the history of Massachusetts,. ANY
man may assail either or all of them with per
\ feet impunity, SO far as am concerned. Any
| words of disparagement vituperation d.
reeted against either of these objects by any
assailsnt, excite in me feelings very different
| from those of indignation whether the as.
sailant comes with bow as long as that of
the bold Robin Hood or with a bow OF short
er range, like that of the gentleman from AL
ALBANIA, (Mr. Shorter. Laughter.
But deprecate the disposition that impels
| these shafts against the sister States of this
| confederacy. l deprecate this sectional ami
mostly whenever and wherever l see it
evinced. l have heard too much of the ag-
| gressions of the North, and of the aggressions
| of the South in the past, to be very much in
| love with either OF these ideas. have never
been accustomed to speak of the aggressions
I
Of doing so now or hereafter II the one hum
dredth pant of the people of this country can
make dangerous aggressions on the rights and
interests of the other ninety-nine hundredth
parts of the people, either by the force of
strength, or by the arts of diplomacy, assure
you that will be the last man;tO complain of
it.
For myself, was always In favor of popu-
lar sovereignty, rightly so called. l am rea-
dy, for one, to agree today that the Terrific
ries belonging to this government shall be
open to settlement at any time when Con-
gress thinks lit so to open them and that
The people OF all parts OF the country shall
go into them with the assurance of absolute
and complete non Intervention. with the assur-
ance that whenever any Chief Executive, Of
fetal. or non resident, shall interfere by
fraud or violence in their affairs, he shall Ell
ther be impeached or hanged with the as
surance that when the people shall have the
ratio of representation required by law, and
shall come to Congress with a constitution
republican in form, they shall be admitted
into the Union as a State. Ills sir, is pop
ular sovereignty, and it is what was practsed
in this country TWO centuries ago.
The people of the Plymouth colony had the
privilege of choosing their own Governor,
and of making their own laws. The same
was true Of the New Haven colony, and Of
the colony of the Providence Plantations.
They always did it. 1 believe the crown of
England never appoined Governor for these
colonies; certainly not for the last two. But
were those people, without ever having exer-
cised the right of self government, better pre-.
pared to govern themselves than are our peo-
pie, educated under our State governments,
who go into our Territories Why, then,
Oh OrlA l a
trouble Israel, while he lays the blame of
his own misconduct upon the emigrant aid
societies Why not cut off these Territories
from all connection with the General Govern
ment legislative or executive Then we
shall have no more agitation in Congress,
and no more contention in the Territories
But so long as we have President trying to
bias, by his appointments, and perhape by
the United States troops, the will of the PEG.
| pie, so long shall be have agitation, and we
shall have enough of it.
Well, sir, | have nothing to lind fault
about. l am very we'll pleased with the pres
ent tendency of events. But, sir, there are
those who are dissatisfied. and who are in
clined to invoke certain deity--I think a
| false deity which presides over a portion of
this Union; deity which has been invoked
BY great men on great occasions, and by little
men on little occasions, for long time past
deity in whose expected presence both the
people and the politicians have sometimes
''4rotn MS horrId hair shook pestlence and
war" This sulphurous god is Disunion,
This Capital Hill has been veritable Mount
Carmel for the last quarter of century,. uDon
which experiments have been tried with this
bogus deity One day upon Mount Carmel
was suthclent to determine the destiny of
bsal and his prophets. But here we, the
most patient people in the world, witness
these lnvocatlons year after year with exem.
plaly endurance, expecting that the great Is
to-oe VIII some time come. And YOU and l.
Mr. Chairman, eveEtduring the present ses-
sloe OF Congress, have witnessed ATTEMPTS tn
klndle here the fires upon the altar Of South
ern rights. But the sacrifice, the altar. and
the spectators, were as cold as alabaster. The
prophets only were warm but they were
warm not from the presence of the god, but
from his absence. He does not make his ap-
peaIance. The great Is. to- be does not come.
ne mas either gone on very long journey, or
else he is in very deep sleep
Well, sir, shall we have this dsitv of dis.
union invoked forever? Who is to blame )
II the North has given cause, what have we
dones What cause of disunlon has ever
proceeded froW US Have you not had ey.
erything your own ways Have we not let
you have the Democratic party to use as YOU
| pleased CLaughter.) Have you not had the
Government Tor long time And have we
not let you use 1t just as you had a mind to ,
/ we, Sir, were busy about our commerce, ex-
tenolng 1t around the world about our col
leges, our railroads, our internal improye-
ments, and all those things which interest our
people. We knew that you had taste for
governing and that by the indulgence YOU
might be grati6ed without serious injury to
u.s. For many years you have had your own
way, and now you come here and CRY ont
"disunion." Why, what more can we do
well, 1t may be that we have encouraged a
mistake on your part. 1t may be that wa
nave gwen you some reason to suppose that
this temporary courtesy of governing which
we have extended, was a permanent right
however, II you have fallen into that error
we VIII, perhaps, at some future time disabuse
and correct you. But whatever blame thers
Is anywhere, whatever cause there ia for dis
union, must attach to the action of the slavs
power, controlling and commanding the Dem.
ocratio party, and to no one else in the conn.
try. And therefore, at this time. I coma
with exultation-not, to be sure, with maliO-
nant exultstion-to speak for few moments
upon the decline aud fall of slavery In tbis
country nay, sir. further, upon tho ,,ncid.
OF slavery in this land. l will tell Won how
by striking out from beneath the institution
the two most important pillars of its supnort
the institution itself must fall. And these
two events have been accomplished, if not hv
Its direct agency, at least, by the conniyancs
OF this same party, impelled by this same
| cOntrOllinO auancv