The Kansas herald of freedom., 1858-04-03
s.n.,,r Hzu,uoDa,s Speech.

Il LIE kl0-tJAA 49, -<-c~--r
his maiden speech in the q. S. Senate,
whishis claimed By the southern press as
a most elective and unanswerabIs mgu-
ment against every phase AboiitioDism-
Now we admit that as an ingenious rhe-
torieal production it deserves much credit,
while its substance is tissue of bragado
clos and absurdities.
The great mass of northern people are
welded to honest labor, and so much sc4
thatit is second life to them. It is a
sine qua non for substantial happiness and
enjoyment, and there is not free laborer
in the country who does not justly feel
himself insulted when his condition is
compared to the most abject slave who
tolls on q southern plantation.
Honest labor is not disgraceful as Mr.
HAMMOND represents. It is an element
which debars disgrace, for disgrace arises
from criminal action alone. and we all
know that temptations to commit crime
are greater and more numerous among
class of eestleDaenly drones, who compose
a large portion Of the white population in
the South, than among the toiling farmers
and artizans. who compose the greatest
share of the white population in the North.
Mr.. Hammond reasons upon false prem
:ses for had it not been for the support of
the very class which he has villi6ed it is
quite probable that there would be no
American Senate at this day before which
he would have tho honor of delivering
such an effort. King Cotton never pos
sessed that influence for preserving Amer
ican institutions, that Indian Corn, or even
even Hay possesses, while Wheat pos
sesses the same influence that King Cot
ton himself does. 1t is well known fact
that the cotton cropof which he boasts so
vaiEly is worth only S1o0,000O00 per
annum, while the Indian corn crop is
worth S300o0oooo, the hay crop $780,
600, 600, and the wheat crop $780, 100000.
And yet this southern achilles launches
out in a general denunciation against all
who are opposed to slavery, and not only
attempts to fix upon them the stigma of
disgrace, but predicts their annihilation,
because as he says, Cotton is King
He claims that cotton was Bank of Eng
land's'' next younger brother. that Bank
of England was King while alive, but
being now defunct the crown should de-
scend to cotton. But, Notwithstanding
this precious reasoning, Indian corn pos
sesses three times more influence than cot
ton; the northern people which he has
DETAINED, possess three times more power
than the southern people, and he will
yet learn that his speech is not going to
produce that great effect which he so ar
IDENTIFY desires. The Washington cores
pondent of the New York Post, in speak
ing of it, says
"That Senator's whole speech was
based upon the idea that the Union is to
be broken up. 1t was cool calculation
of the value and comparative strength,
power and resources of the northern and
southern confederaeies, into which he is
ready to divide it. He laughs at census
tables, and presents an array of figures,
ciphered up from his own feeble imagina-
ton, which developes the startling fact, ~
never before discovered, that the South
possesses all the respectability, education,
talent, productive industry, craftsmanship,
philanthropy and bravery in the world;
that all the rest of mankind are mere serls
compared with the South; that the South's
great engine of power is cotton, and that
!" cotton is king He says, "until lately
the Bank of England was king, but the
cotton crop, fall before last, yanquished
it." But do not propose to enter into
an analysis of Senator Hammond's cotton
arguments. butsend you the speech entire,
that you may publish as much of it as
possible for the benefit of the :" slaves - of
the north, especially those in Connecticut
and Rhode Island, who are soon to be
called npon to vote. Senator Hammond
stands in his place in the United States.
Senate and tells Senator Allen, of Rhode
Island. and Messrs. Arnold and Bishop of
Connecticut, his. fellow-democrats, "Your
solole class of manual laborers and opera
tires, as yo,t cal them, are slares ~ They
utter not a word of rebuke, but bow sub
missively to insults thus heaped upon
their constituents by South Carolina dis
unionist / only wish some of the "man-
ual laborers and operatives " from the dis
tricts of the recreant Representatives
from Connecticut, or from Little Rho
dy," SO badly misrepresented by Allen,
could have been permitted to reply to
Hammond on the spot That function,
however, is left 70 the great representa-
tive of free labor in the Senate-Henry
Wilson, the Natick Cobbler" No man
In the Senate of the United States is SO
thoroughly posted with statistical informa-
ton concerning the rise and progress of
this country in all its departments-espe
cially politics and It's relations to the slave
power-as Senator Wilson. IF he does
not show the proud and arrogant South
Carolinan that the figures of his maiden
| speech are fancy, and his theories are bub-
bles, then he will fail to meet the expec-
tations of his friends"
Senator HAMMOND claims that the
southern States possess all the cotton
growing country, and can there monopo-
lize the cotton trade entirely, and thinks
it would save the south large amount of
trouble to raise only half as much cotton
and charge double price. Now the truth
is that the South only possesses one-fifth
part of the cotton-growing country in the
world. Asia and Africa possess FIVE times
as much, and equally as arable. Let the
South attempt to exercise her boasted
power through the influence of her cotton
staple if she wishes-let her put the
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