Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1860-05-26
POLITICAL
SPEECH or MAJ. B F. pERRY.

Il
gOf South Carolina, IN the National Democrat,
ic Convention at Charleston, s. G.
Mr.. President and Gentlemen of the Con
vcntion: | thank YOU for this opportunity,
unanimously awarded me by the Conventions
! of defining my position in remaining here
whilst my colleagues have seen proper to with
1raw from the convention. First, howcScr,
Il have word TO say to the distinguished gen
dtlcmHn from Iginoi>, Governor kichardson
who has Just taken his scat He told us the
truth, wcll-known truth, when lie said that
the Kansas Nebraska bill was Il compromise
between the Northern and Southern Dcmoc.
gracy on the subject of slavery in the Terrific
ries. That compromise rvopoScd to take the
question ct slavery from Congress and refer it
70 the people Of tke Territories under the Fed
lera Constitution. All questions of territorial
Legislation on the subject of slavery would 90
TO the Supreme Court, and the decision of that
9tribunal was to be final and conclusive. This
lwas the compromise, as has been also lust
stated by the honorable member from Georgia,
Mr.. Seward. At the time this compromise
lsyAs made, the Southern Democracy had am
abiding confidence Of their right to carry their
slaves into the Territories, which were the
common property OF all the States, and more
3ovcr, they had conviction that the Supreme
Court of the United States would so decide
Whenever the question was properly made
With this confidence Snd conviction on their
imindS, they were willing to, and did ASSEM- to,
the non-intcry cntiei Of Congress as a compro-
imiSc BY that compromise am willing to
stand, and now ask the gentleman from IIli-
nois to carry it out in good faith by endorsing
the decision of the Supreme Court, in the
bred Scott case. If he and the Northern
Democracy will rn-aflirm the Cincinnati Plat.
form, which embodied the principles of this
lcompromisc and endorse the principles cnun-
catcd in the opinion of Chief Justice Taucv
in the Drcd Scott dccsion twill be acccpta-
bic to the Southcrn Democracy gencrally-
l1hc refusal OF Judge Douglas to 40 this, as
leader of the Northern DemecyaGy, and his
perseverance in contcnding fora different con
lStruction of the Nebraska Kansas act and Gin
cnnati Platform, has produced all the confu-
lsion and dscord which now unhappily divide
and distract the great Democratic party of the
United States.
| am not one of those who ask for Congress
sional interroSition on the subject of slavery
IN the Territories. The South has contcnded
fer years past against Congressional legislation
on this subject. They have denied the right
of Congress either to prohibit or lcgislatc
slavery into the Territories. The right to
carry our property into the common domain
of the Union, Is a constitutional right guaran-
tccd to us by the Federal Constitution, and
which neither Congress nor the territorial GOV
crnmcnt can deprive us of in any way what
ever. Why. then, do Southern Democrats
ask slave code or Congressional interposition ?
IL is suicidal, and we all thought so ten years
ago. Then we were apprehcnsivc that Con
grcss would, in the formation of territorial
government attempt to exclude slavery as they
had done on previous occasions. We felt this
to be an outrage on the rights of the South
We contcndcd that a Southern planter had
the same right to carry his property into the
Territories that a Northern manufacturer had
to carry his. Whether the one consisted of
slaves and the other Of machinery made no
difference Slaves are recognized as property,
not cnly by the laws and constitutions of the
Southern States, butby the Federal Constitu-
tion ITSELF Ia various ways and in different
sections of that just and wise system of gov
ernmcnt. With great Difference to the iudg-
ment and opinions of distinguished Southern
Democrats, L think it is unwise and dangerous
to 90 back and ask for Congressional intervcn-
ton, which we have been warning against for
SO many years, and have now established by
compromises, platforms, the action of Congress
and the decision of the Supreme Court. For
one, will abide by what has been done, and
what has been agreed to be done, by the Dem
ocratic party, and here call on my Northern
Democratic friends to do the same. 1t will