The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-03-24

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ses to cede it to us voluntarily by honorable
negotiation, it would be grossly wrong for us
to undertake to wrest it from her by force.
Then, she being in the right, and we being in
the wrong, if Spain shall be allied with Eng
land md with France in the struggle which
must fyHow, hold that it is no part of weak
ness, o. of cowardice either, for us to calculate
the monlentous consequences.
Let us cherish sacredly the maxim, "to ask
nothing which is not clearly right, and submit
to nothing wreng." If however, we are to en-
ter upon system of aggression ourselves, and
undertake, by force of arms, to wrest from
Spxn her rightful possessions, it is not only
the pad of manliness and true courage for us
to consider that, in that struggle, England and
France may be allied with her against US, but
there Will be this higher consideration, that, in
such struggle, there viii be no attribute OF
the Almighty to take part with US. Give us
the night, give us the cession by peaceful pur-
chas-e, end then if either England or France
inte>ser. to prevent our accepting or enjoying
it, asfl aave already said, would resist them,
ones or. both together. The world in arms
should not deter US from the assertion OF the
right. But it is very different question when
we are 20 be placed in the wrong, when we are
to depaEt from the whole policy of the old Re-
pablcan party, when We ourselves are to be-
come the aggressors, when we are to enter
upon Sae career Of rapine, blood, and conquest,
which:f admit, has marked the progress of all
the otter great nations of the world.
Mr. president, it is said upon this floor, it is
said elsewhere, that there is resistless logic in
events current in the fortunes of the world !;
a manifest destiny; "a tide in the affairs of
men that "there is divinity that shapes
our efSs." All these expressions we hear.
kuo~I Cd
dresse~s to me in the language and in the faith
of chi ihood, that there is God in heaven,
withor; whose notice not a sparrow falls and
that Fls Providence is watching over the des-
TIMES sf this country, and has been from its
earlies. colonization down to the present hour.
i can ecede to all this; but with me the i'm
porta6 question still remains which way does
the cuz ent flow; which way does this gravita-
ton, U. the political world, tend; which way
does Ese Providence of God direct? That is
the az stion.
Fors Sne, / desire to look back upon the his
tory G. the past, to Judge of what is to come
in tbs future. For more than two thousand
years. may say, there have been great cur
rents emigration in the human race; onward
and ward, from the Asatic east through
Europss covering the whole of the temperate
zone a Europe, until, in the fullness of time,
tUat St<Alc UOW Vi culyTdllOu HAS cTOSScQ the
Atlantic, and is taking possession of the tenn
perat zone Of this continent. Its flow is on
ward, : id right onward, increasing in volume
and Sr trength. They are coming from all the
county of Europe, mingling with those who
are ali sdy here becoming Americanized, and
by tht knowledge and perseverance and in
domitas lie courage, they are taking possession,
and are yet to take possession, of every foot on
this continent where the white man can live
and lie 'or. Before that resistless flow, the other
races son this continent are receding and
they continue to recede. 1t is but ques-
ton o. arithmetic and of time. By no reyolu-
ton, t. no invasion Of the rights of any indi-
vidual by no usurpation of any Federal au-
thority over the rights of the several States, by
the siIpple laws of emigration, or what may be
denoninated "by political gravitation," this
emigration is going on, swelling in volume and
increasing in power.
The honorable Senator from Ohio Mr.
PUGHl was pleased to say yesterday that the
propos' ion which | had introduced, and the
doctrir which had avowed on this floor, were
as folfE rs read from his reported speech:
CT Senator from Wisconsin Mr.. DooLIT.
TIE announced to US yesterday, as the pro-
graz. ne of the modern and selfstyled Repub-
licsi party, that the tropical zone of this con-
TIM Z should be for the negro, and only its
ten rate zone for the white man. am really
Obliged to the Senator for so honest a procla-
matfan, having always been convinced that
the party of his attachment, upon which he
has lseished as many affectionate caresses and
epitl It's as Sancho Panza could have sug-
gestet, intends that Cuba, and Mexico, and
CentSsl America, and, if possible, our own
Sout ern States, shall be reduced to the mis-
crab condition of Hayti and Jamaica"
Neixier the proposition which introduced
nor tn, language which l used on this floor au-
thoriz q the honorable Senator from Ohio to
make AAy such statement. l have never said
upon us floor that no one but the negro is to
inhab ,sAhe tropical regions of this continent
ha1ss said no such thing. / have not said that
the wi e man may not find home in the trop-
les, fee pleases to do So l have never said,
hav never intimated, / have never desired,
that e time would come when our own South
ern Safes, or any one of them, ought to be, or
wouloe,5e reduced 10 the condition of Jamaica
or st. poningc. The proposition which l had
the honor TO submit is no new one. | claim for
it no Originality whatever. 1t is as old as the
Republican party in this country. 1t was a
leading idea With Jefferson, with Madison, with
Monroe, with Washington, with all the great
statesmen of tis countr, in the earlier days of the
Republic. claim Tor it no originality. claim,
however, that this proposition tends to prevent,
and it is the OILY measure which will in the end
prevent, the disastrous consequences to which
the honorable Senator refers.
My proposii ou is simply to provide for the
peaceful en- ie.aticp, !rOm all the States of this
Union, OF all l, ose rec colored persons, of Afr-
can descent, wlip may desire SO to emigrate, to
some rlace id Central or South America in
some Of The States of the tropical regions, in
which rights may be acquired by treaty, by the
United States, for that purpose, and for their
benefit. 1t is simply that these persons may go
and mingle with the population already exist
ing in those States land fve-sixths of them al
ready are of the colored race where color is no
degradation, where they may mingle together
freely without repugnance.
! baye said that this was no idea of mine
To show this, desire to read two or three ex-
tracts from some of our most distinguished
statesmen. l do not refer to the statesmen of
the North, but to the statesmen of the South.
Mr., Jefferson said, in speaking upon this den-
teal measure;
" 1t was, however, found that the public mind
would not yet bear the proposition, nor will it
even at this day yet the day is not far dis
tant when it must bear it and adopt it, or worse
will follow. Nothing is more certainly written
in the book of fate, than that these people 1.-THE
negroes) are to be free; nor is it less certain
that the two races, equally free, cannot live in
the same Government. Nature, habit, opin-
ion, have drawn indelible lines of distinction
between them 1t is still in our power to di.
{ rect the process of EMANCIPATION AND DEpoRT-
ArioN, and in such slow degree as that the
evil win wear OFF insensibly, and their place
be pari passu filed up by free white laborers.
If, on the contrary, it is left to force itself on,
human nature must shudder at the prospect
| { LII Il n
ample in the Spanish deportation or deletion
Of tha Maore ,,