The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-04-28
Correspondence OF Inc Fhlladelphla Press
SPEECH OF HON. JOHN HICKMAN.
HARRISBURG. Anra l3. 1859.

tnlS morning, In Jne dal OF the house OF rep
resentatives, at ten minutes past ten o'clock
From an early hour it was evident that there
would be full delegations from all portions of
the State. The responsibility, influence, and
Democracy, of those who were present, were un-
doubted, and called even for an approving re-
mark from the representatives of those they
were met to condemn. 1t was by far the finest
representation of the Democracy gathered in
the State Capitol for many years.
Mr.. L. P. Campbell, of Huntingdon, called
the Convention to order, and moved that DR..
George McCook, of Allegheny, act as chairman
for about half an hour; had moved to the door
which motion was agreed to. Mr.. McCook pre-
sided.
The following are the most interesting por-
tons of the speech of Mr.. Hickman:
"By the action of the Thirty fourth Congress,
the complaints made by the residents of Kansas
were ascertained to be true. Although the
South, by the legislation of 1854, was pledged
to maintain the domestic sovereignty of the
Territories, portion of their people from Mis-
souri, entered upon the soil of Kansas, and by
force and fraud seized the law-making power,
stllled the voice of the majority, and enacted
statutes disgraceful to the age and nation. This
fact when legally revealed, made deep i'm
preston upon the public mind, and Mr.. Blu
chanan found it necessary, in order to carry
the election in his own State, to pledge him
self distinctly to the maintenance of the doc
trine OF popular sovereignty, and to defend the
rights of those who had been thus ruthlessly.
despoiled. | will not pretend to indicate the
particular weakness in his nature that induced
him to turn the hand of the suicide against his
own fame, as it matters little whether it arose
from timidity, a fear of his enemies outweigh
ing love of his friends, careless disregard
of fair dealing, or weak and puerile vanity.
1t is enough to know that he deceived all our
hopes, turned with blacklist ingratitude upon
that selfsacrihcing friendship by which he
reached the goal of his feverish ambition, and
sought, by all the means within the reach of
drunken and staggering authority, to disgrace
every man whom he could not debauch. Sud
denly, and as by the touch of the wand of the
magician, he became transformed from the sym
pathizer with down-trodden Freedom, to the open
and shameless defender of aggressive and law
defying Slavery. The halls of the National
Legislature were turned into marts for con-
science. He published his interpretations of
party principles and platforms with the AFRO
gance of dictator, and commanded his subor-
dinates in Office, and his coward slaves, to re-
iterate and proclaim his bulls of party excom-
munication against all who were rash enough
to follow an independent judgment. These
acts of themselves are enough to sever allegi.
ance. 1t would be an ill-shapen manhood
which could tolerate them in silence. But be-
cause we denounce them, we are anathema-
tized as rebelious. Sir, we will see where the
rebellion will end. 1t will end in the suprem-
acy of the laws in the integrity of the Con-
stitution; in the publication of parties :; in the
sworn loyalty of Executives; and the vigorous
growth, material greatness, and eternal domi.
nance of the North. That is where it will end
Popular sovereignty invoked by the South, will
be defended by as, and it shall unfold the yelled
yet dimly discovered destiny of this great Re-
public. We are battling for the right, for the
spirit of the institutions our fathers establish
ed. Let US feel that we are doing this, and we
will accomplish the victory of our century; not
mere NAKED triumph at the polls, but the
great success atterwards-the untrammelled
selfgovernment of man the dedication of
continent to a consistent liberty.
Those who stop to talk of Cancellation and
compromises between US and the selfconstitu-
ted oracles of the Democratic party can have
but feeble appreciation of the real condition
of things. When you can harmonic light and
darkness, integrity and corruption, the patriotic
devotion of the private citizen to the principles
of our Government, with tyranny worse than
that of the middle ages, it will be time enough
to cry peace Let this truth be made prom-
nent-that there is an eternal antagonism be-
tween Freedom and Slavery. The constitution
of the human mind and the human heart
makes it inevitable; and the one or the other
must eventually gain the ascendency. The
struggle between them, but Just begun, is now
going on in our midst, and he is but superb
cial observer who does not discover it. We
have acted ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS For long
long years, we have defended the chartered
rights of our Southern brethren we have even
conceded their exactions; we have given them
all the advantages springing from unequal leg
lslation; We have changed policy to suit their
notions of interest; until, having grown fat
they demand as prerogative what we granted
as favor, and having found President with
out affections, a sworn officer not afraid of per-
jury, willing to back their pretensions, they
would now treat us as common enemy and
brand our names with indelible infamy. They
have done more-they have gone further; they
have come amongst us, and brbed cupidity
with gold ambition with promotion, and vanity
with temporary consequence, to do violence to
Justice. Longer forbearance not only ceases
to be virtuous, but it becomes cowardly and
base The North has rights, long in allegiance
truly, yet not lost; we will save them; by walls
and FIRE and blood, if need be, we will save
them.
/" In what have just said, would not be
misunderstood. ! know | cannot escape mis-.
representation. l would resist aggression on
the part of the South, not her constitutional
guarantees and l would force plain, distinct,
unequivocal recognition of the rightful claims
of the North nothing more, nothing less. Who
can safely complain Of this ?
g wish could stop here. If this were all
Of the accusation, we might forget the past in
the exercise of profuse charity but unfortu-
nately we are not allowed to do so. A usurpa-
ton has been accomplished. which saps the
very foundation of our political structure. Mr..
Buchanan has demanded an absorption of the
powers of Congress In those of the Executive
To carry out his treachery to us, he has assail-
ed the Representatives of the people. He has
bribed the venal, rewarded the aspiring, alarm
ed the timid, and deceived the honest. By such
means was the Lecompton Constitution carried
into provisional law, in contemptuous disre-
gard of the known will of the people upon
whom it was imposed, and in direnct contra
yentlon OF the letter and spirit of the organic
act itself. The reason which prompted the
commission of the outrage is too manifest to be
doubted. 1t was to purchase hattery of the
| South to force Slavery upon the soil of the
North and to strengthen and aggrandize one
section OF the Union, at the expense and hazard
OF the other. Then, compliance with Executive
behests was the test of Democracy. and to dis.
regard them was apostacy.
More recently, however, when the recon.
mendations of the President were thonpbt to
favor the manufacturing and agricultural
States-when the propriety of a new tariff law
was suggested-and when the so-called Demo
cratic members ofthe Senate and House of Rem
resentatives, and even Cabinet officers. raised
the voice of denunciatory opposition. it was all
right, and rebellion became loyalty. And vet.
| Pennsylvanians see nothing wrong IN A.; :