Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1860-05-25

IL THE House OF REPRESENTATIVES, MAY H. ls6O
LConcuded.l
Now, sir, | have faith in the people of every
section OF the country. | do not beIiye thai
the problem which belongs exclusively to the
people of Texas, or exclusively to the people
OF LOUISIANA, can, by any possibility, be
worked out to satisfactory and correct result
by the people of Massachusetts or the people
OF Maine. And as to the question of slavery
in these states, | believe that the northern peo-
pie have no more business with it than we have
with the laws of the primogeniture in England,
nor than we have with the institutions of
China, Hungary, or Turkey. Not one whit
more. We are congress Of nations to all in
tents and purposes we have no business each
with the sovereignty Of another, nor the SOW.
ereignty of the whole with the individual
rights of any one. There can be no quarrel
between the north and the south concerning
slavery in the states. We can only have the
apple OF discOrd in our territorial governments
l have therefore, said not one word about it in
the land district system which | have present
ed to the House and to the country. | have
observed my promise in them not to bring the
agitation OF the slavery question into the
House. That was my promise, and | will OBJ.
serve it.
But my colleague says we must send out
suppose they have no suitable men there? |
suppose no man in one OF these unOrganzed
territories ever heard of such place as the
state OF Massachusetts, or that my colleague
was representative of that state and what
do they know if they do not know that
Laughter. Suitable menl Men who can
not get living at home, men who have not
popularity enough to be reelected in their
districts. Suitable men! Who are the men
-hA . ,,,.g
Travelled across the mountains; who have
hunted wild beasts who have fought the In.
dians; who understand human nature better
than any man can possibly do who is a mem
Der of this House, from the experience of a
quiet life These are the men whom some
puckered UP lawyer in Maine or Massachu-
sets, with his feet upon the windowsi, calls.
'inants, while he pirates about ou, parental
care. Great laughter.
Now, sir. | have no kind of patience with
this kind Of argument, which goes before the
country assailng the character Of the men of
the territories. But if this were all, | might
submit to it; but adding insult to injury, it as
sails their manho6d -cnls-ilem "interiopers
runaways, and Outlaws, and in every way
wholly unfit for civilization and selfgOvern.
medt. What on earth did God make such
men tors Now, sir l will yield to my col
league, if he wishes. Laughter
Mr. GooCH-My colleague has been indulg
ing in his usual style OF fighting windmis.
Mr.. THAYER-I was fighting my colleague,
Mr.. Speaker.
Mr. GooCH-My colleague has not stated
any argument or remark of mine. What |
said was, not that these men were interiors |
said they were men just as capable of govern
ing themselves as the people Of any other
portion of the country. But | said that, at the
outset ofa territorial organization, they had lit
tie or no knowledge of each other that they
were too few and scattered to enable them to
select proper officers from among themselves;
and that, for the purpose Of starting a govern
ment, they should haze the aid of the general
government, and that their first executives
should be selected by the general government,
instead OF being selected by those men, whom
l admitted might be the equals OF my colleague
and myself. wish my colleague would reply
to what did say, instead of replying to his
own fancies, TO his own windmills, which he
sets up for himself
Mr.. THAYER-The House shall Judge
whether | am dealing fairly with my colleague.
There shall be no mistake this time | under.
stand him this time TO make two statements
one is that the people are too few and scatter
ed in the territories for them to establish a
government for themselves. Is that correct
Mr.. Gooch nodded assent. The other is,
tiat Iney are strangers. Is mat right MI.
Gooch again nodded assent Now, sir, with
the leave of the House, snail answer both
these propositions. The first that the people
are too few in numbers let me ask my col
league if there is more danger OF the over
throw of good government i'll Paxton, which is
one OF the smallest III my county, or i'll the
town of Hull, one OF the towns on Cape Cod,
which | believe has about sevenly-fve people,
than there is in the city of New York, or in the
city of Baltimure! Did my colleague ever
hear of riot or rebellion in the patriotic
town of Hull z Has he not often heard of riots
in New York and Baltimore? / put it to this
House, whether the tewness in number of the
people of territory is strong reason why the
government of the United States should inter.
tere and see that they should not blot them
selves out? Why, every man knows that our
republican institutions are i'll the most danger
where the population is the most dense Has
my colleague anything to say to that?
Mr.. GooCH-My idea is, that there is more
danger OF institutions formed in the oreaniZa-
ton of a government where there are few
men who participate in that organization than
where 1t is participated in by many. And
again, every one knows, that the people who
go to an unOrganized territory go from differ.
ent countries, and many Of them come from
foreign countries and | say that there is more
danger that Institutions will be established
there not in accordance with the theory of our
government than where there is a larger col
lection of people.
Mr.. THAYER-I feel the whole force of that
argument. My colleague has shown that if
there was only one man in a territory there
would be very great danger of mob there and
an overthrow Of republican institutions
(Laughter.) Has the gentleman ever read the
history of France? Has he ever heard of
L. in, tl,. sOfD nris l.
ever read Roman history and does he not
ssw thai all dangers to government occur
where the people are the most dense where
they are packed where they exist in crowds?
My colleague certainly knows all that; ! will
not take the position OF denying that he knows
all that How, then, can he, with a knowl.
edge of the history OF this country and of all
countries, claim that there is the greatest dan
ger to republican institutions or to good gov
ernment where there are the tewest people
The tacts-and every man knows them-are
these that where there are few people there
never was, and never can be, any great dan.
ger.
My colleagues other proposition is that the
people are strangers TO each other Does my
colleagues suppose these Yankees are like the
Frenchman who would not save a drowning
man because he had not been introduced to
him (Laughter) Does my colleague sup
pose the Yankees have not the power of get
ting acquainted 1t they had no social quail
tiles whatever they would see if something
could not be made out Of an acquaintance
(Great laughter) Does my colleague deny
that} (Coutinued laughter.)
Mr.. GoocH-I do not deny that, if they
will only let my colleague get up an organized
scheme of emigration, and put the Yankees
there, for he would select the right kind.
Mr.. THAYER. | will do my whole duty in