The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-04-29


fol which is not true. II the absence of truth
is the absence of beauty, this must indeed be
the most hideous production of our times, for
there is hardly sentence in it that presents a
truthful idea of the points at issue. Sir, it was
my purpose to have examined this report in
the light of the truths of history; but 1 shall
forego that labor, now rendered needless by the
full and mastery presentation of facts by other
Senators, especially BY the distinguished Sena-
tors from Kentucky Mr.. CRITTENDEN and
Tennessee, Mr.. BELL, whose lofty scorn of
fraud and trickery will be applauded by hun
dreds Of thousands Of fair minded men all over
the Union.
Mr.. President, the Senator from South Caro-
lima Mr.. HAMMOND came to this Chamber
one of the acknowledged champions of the ex.
panson, perpetuity, and dominion of Slavery
IN America. His election to this body was
heralded as the advent of a champion and
leader into the national councils, by the per.
petualists and propagandists. The Senator,
thus heralded, FASTENED to miDgle in the de-
bate. He spoke, not to enlighten the Senate
or instruct the country, for he confessed he
had not read the details of the transactions In
Kansas, the knowledge of which is essential to
an intelligent understanding of the questions
at issue. The Senator spoke TO display before
the country the beauties of that system of hu-
man bondage, to which his State has cluug
with relentless tenaeity, system he has ever
defended, and to magnify the power of his sec
ton to ruled se world, under her legitimate
monarch, "hang Cotton" Sir, the Senator
from South Carolina frankly tells us that off
this were minority Constitution, that it would
: be no objection that Constitutions are made
for minorities; and that, perhaps, minorities
: ought to have the right to make constitutional"
IA hon xxror ,hn-t h,k al G.
a State which bases her representation upon
inequalities of population, requires property
qualification for her Legislators, and denies to
her people the right to vote for Governor or
President, and that the Senator has endorsed,
without reserve, the sentiment of Governor
McDufie, that "Slavery is the cornerstone of
the republican edifce," and "repudiates "a
rdlculously absurd that much lauded but no
where accredited motto of Mr.. Jefferson, that
all men are created equal" we shall not be sur.
prised at this distrust of the people, this avowal
of this aristocratic, autocratic, and oligarchic
sentiment.
But the Senator from South Carolina, after
confessing his ignorance of the events which
have produced this Lecompton Constitution.
does not allow his admitted want of KNOWLEDGE
to restrain him from the expression of the
opinion, that " if there we're frauds, they were
equally great on all Sides" We should be
charitable to confessed ignorance, but we ara
not required to be charitable to the presump.
tuous expression of opinion based upon confess.
ed ignorance. The Senator talks about regi.
ments of emigrants recruited in the purlieus of
the great cities of the North, and sent out.
armed with Sharpe's rifles and bowie knives
and revolvers, to conquer Freedom for Kansas"
Sir, had the Senator deigned to study or rather
had the Senator studied as q Senator should
have done, the details of the history of Kansas.
he never would have given utterance to such
language. The Senator goes on to charge the
people of Kansas with " RETAINING from pnira
to the polls, and making it free State, when
; they had the power, in order to defeat and De.
stroy the Democratic party" This absurd
declaration has no foundation in fact, and every
intelligent man in America, who understands the
affairs Of Kansas, and whose opinions are OF
any value, knows this to be so. Equally alb
surd is the declaration, that Senators on this
eide of the Chamber do not wish to defeat
this bill, that we have " brought this imheo,,-
lio for the very purpose" of "crushing out the
Democratic party in the North" These char.
ges and insinuations will have but little weight
among men who have any knowledge of the
facts; perhaps they may serve further to mis-
lead those who have already been misled.
But the Senator tells US, Mr.. President, that
" the object OF the discussion on this side Of
the Chamber " IS to agitste the question of Sla-
very" and he authoritstively announces to US
that the time has gone by to discuss this uues-
ton of Slavery in the abstract; and he declares
that 1T should be, and must be, discussed a. a
practical thing-as a thing that is, and is To
be = an " ineradicabe thing" Assuming
that Slavery lis to be inersdcable," he is ready
for a " final aud conclusive settlement now #"
and he brings the North and the South face
70 face, to see what resources each have in
the contingency of separate orgsnzationi"
After referring, Mr.. President to the eight
hundred and fifty thousand square miles of
territory in the South to its fine soil and de
lightful climate; to the control of the great
valley of the Mississippi, the seat of future
empire which she will maintain forever the
Senator boasts that I" they have on their muster
rolls million Of men" " men brought up ON
horseback, with guns in their hands," aud that
g IN an emergency every one of them would he
available" Sir, this idle boast is simply ride.
ulous. 1t will excite a smile everywhere among
people who have any adequate conception OF
what is necessary to embody and support, even
for few months, large military force. This
lubilant boast reminds me of the brilliant CON
cephon OF frightening their bayouets one
loot ascribed to Governor McDufiie, at the
time when South Carolina was big with MULTI.
cation when we New England Yankees were
casting cannon, making swords, aud even mil
itary buttons to gid the uniform of the ehival-
ry who were strutting after the banners of dis
union.
Having, Mr.. President, Wanted their provess
and military resources, the Senator turns To the
exports of the South, and no asserts that the
wealth of nation depends entirely upon its
surplus export productions. If the theory that
the foreign exports Of nation are the measure
of the productive wealth Of nation be true.
the South ought to be very rich eountry-fsr
more wealthy than the North. If il be true.
the nation now in possession of SO, zoe, OOO. 900
ought TO be poor indeed, for, since the adop.
ton of the Constitution, we have imported
more than we have exported by $500, 600. 600.
II we credit the Senator's proud yauntings of
surplus exports of the South, we must believe
she is the seat of commercial power, of sccu.
mulated capital, of railroads, of ships the Sec
ton to which you can look for surplus capital.
70 which the Government now looks for the pur.
chase OF its twenty millions of Treasury notes.
Sir, the South may export her millions of dol
lars OF cotton, rice, and tobacco year after year,
and she may do 30 at a loss Of millions annually.
She may import from the East and from the
W est, as she often has done, millions more than
'uC receives iOr her exports. Every merchant
and business man in America knows this to
be SO.
Sir, the Senator from South Carolina assures
us that the South is perfectly competent to go
on one, two, or three years, without planting a
seed of cotton The South, with millions
invested in lands and in slaves, able to stop
planting cotton for three years Sir, they can
only stop by ceasing to fulfil their obligations.
and by sacrificing in one year, in the value, Of
lands and slaves, more than the value of three
cotton crops. How many Of the cotton-grovers
could cease even for one year. and keen the
Al a-; a. frnru THAR dnnra IT. l. O.. u -