The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1860-01-26

substantially took the ground that the laboring
white men of the North were slaves in fact,
though not in name, as much so as the negroes
of the South who are actually held in the con
dition of slavery. That is one authority.
Here Mr.. CHEsNUT made some more extended
remarks. Mr.. ID. resumed.
do not deny that men at the South differ in
their opinions, some, perhaps the majority, as
yet maintaining that the doctrine that the nat
ural and normal condition of the laboring man
is that Of slave, applies to the negro race, and
to the negro race alone; but, at the same time,
/ maintain that leading men and presses at the
South undertake TO justify slavery, not upon the
ground Of negro slavery as exceptional institu-
ton, but upon the broader and higher ground
that slavery, in the abstract, is right and nat
ural and "the most safe and stable basis for
free institutions in the world"
Mr.. PUGH. / hope the Senator will permit
me to interrupt him. want to make a sagges-
ton.
Mr.. D00LITTLE. II the gentleman is from
the South, at this stage of the discussion will
give way.
Mr.. PUGH. No, sir; wish to say something
to you as Northern man. if the Senator will
permit me.
Mr.. DO0LITTLE desired to address myself
to the Senate and when was speaking upon a
subject which concerned particularly Southern
States and was addressing myself to Southern
men, consented to be interrupted by them. II
however, my friend from Ohio desires 10 say
anything special, | have no objection TO hear
him.
Mr. PUGH. l was about TO suggest to the
Senator, that the shortest way to settle the fact
was to name some man or some newspaper. be-
cause have heard just such suggest ions as that
made thousand times to the people of the non
slayeholding States, and believe il has done
n prodUca this I'll ~
course of assertion. Now the Senator il contra
dicted; let him give the authority, and it can
he easily settled one way or the other
Mr.. DOOLlTrLE. Well, name the Richmond
Examiner, which said;
Our object in these preliminary reroarl-s is N sh b
unwise it Is for the South attempt to Justify negro az
as an exceptional institution. Ii the only form Vi s.yory
wheh mas excited tho preiidces Of mankind ana given r,
" abolition tho ouiy knd of slavery which has NOT bse,
until recently, universal The experience the praetes ami
the history u mankind amply vndcste slavery in The All
IS a'uIAi uhiVei SUI and conservative institution
In Jsiying slavery In tho general Or shsr,ct NJ, ba,
70 coh.e WIN me preindic's growing Of the African
save uade, Out oil the cruel treatment sayo wherever
that trade exists and the sin greater prondces Of raa st
Color SN - shown by history both sacred and prot,ne
that domestic slavery NATURAL normal and iii lately
universal institution" ~
The Richmond Enquirer will name for nm.
Mr.. CLAY. Will the Senator pardon me- for
momentf | did not hear the words. q white
slavery, IN the extract which he has read and
L want 10 know now, after reading That extract
merely, severed from the context. nv what an
thorlty he maintains that the Richmond Ero,,-
mer hoids to the doctrine that slavery is thsvsr
mai condition OF the ls6oring classes of all1cesY
say that the very extract nc has read fails To
sustain his allegation, and venture to assert
that, If he will produce the whole article II will
disprove it clearly. VIM
NJ. CLAY here tnade sora f,-.ho- ..-i
mainly personal to himself1
MT DOoLlFTLE. AS To the meaning of tI,e
paragraph have read, that is a question of CON-
structlon between the honorable Senator md
myself. anu
Ms CLAY. ask for the word "white u there
Mr. DooLiTThE. 1t seems to me perfectly
oieat tnst ths construction give is correcr--~it-
chains thst slavery cannot be defended as an in
stltntion based on negro slavery alone. The
hlchrnond Enquirer took the same ground. when
it said: 'N
Until recently the defence OF savsrv h,. ,o,o, -,
great difficulties, because apologystsor thew were ~
y sists-took hslw way Crowd They confined the de-
" slavery 10 mere negro slavery thereby giving uu
e slavery PRINCIPLE admitting other forms OF slsvorv 10 ~
Ws and yielding up the Authority OF tho Bible and OF the
,cy PlonGes, anu extsrinee OF mankiHd. Human ex-
moving e universal SUCCESS of slave society and
'o universal failure OF free society was upayaing ~ te,
lncy were precuded from employing by admit
s srr! ~ ,oe abstract 10 DO wrOng. The defence OF
mere negro slavery involved thom In st greater dic
e ne tS inc Oh uetouee, however, is changed The
The editor undertakes to sneak for the South.
lle south now maintains that slavery Is right n.t,r,
ava necessary 1t shows that an Divine and almost an h,
nan authority jusies The south further charses tat
tho lite Experiment Of free society IN Western I,r -
been iTcm the beginning cruel fairo and Tia, sv,,
~ nidre are abundant in North. While n s Tar more
Oh t10us that negroes be slaves than ,rbitas En- r.
only III To labor, not 70 directyc the principle of slavery
N Sel right, and does depend on difference Of com
plexon" - WIN
Mr.. johnson a distinguished gentleman from
Georgia, in speech delivered in the city OF
Philadelphia in 1856, said, substantially, that
the ground on which the South now stands Is
that capital should own and not hire its Iahpr
But, Mr.. President, it is not material Tn my
present purpose To inquire how many or how
few of the men of the South now ma ntau tbess
views Most certainly, shall rot stand here N
question for one moment the sir,cerity of those
gentlemen who oisclaim such t.xtreme on;,iors
ana MAINTAIN, as they now do, that SLAVERY
should be confined to the negro race alone 4
take them at their word and accent nrec;s.rv-
what they now say. Their position is. that sls-
very is a blessing, an institution approved of
cod, ana to DO maintained by man. That nm
lerstand 10 be the ground upon which the gen.
tlemen now stand. Well, sir that il suhstan
TALLY all that intended to saw ia the BEGINNING
when was Interrupted, in order to show thai
the South have changed their ground on this
question: OF slavery-nsgro slavery, if you please.
HOW long is 1T since the leading men of the Soutb
ana In all the states of the South, their Judges
upon the benches of their Supreme Courts, III cir
statesmen In Congress and out of Congress cool
Ne ground which she Richmond Enquirer stated
was TAKEN ny TIE south, that slavery was an
Evil 10 e* aPoiogized for, to be borne as a neces
ivy, sa.het than bear something worse? How
sag is ii since they have taken the ground tbst
slavery is positive good Z divine insttpt;on
On which you may ask the. blessing of the church
ana the Dressing OF HeAven2 1t has all come up
witnln the iast few gears, under the lead of Mr.
calhoun; there u no disputing this fact.
: Or, out the osaer day, in this very Senate the
senator froaa Virginia, [Iir. HUNTER, in speak
ng OF the course which had been pursued by Mr.
Leseher, the istely-elected Governor of Virginia
u relation TO some speech or doctrines that had
been promulgated in Western Virginia, stood mn
aere ana stated the fact frankly, in substance
speak from memory--that we in Virginia have
changed our ground we do not stand where Wa
tood anciently; we do not stand where our ia
hers stood upon this slavery question: as much
rs to say, we do not believe in what Wasb;nytor
ss,.sred, and Jefferson believed, and Msdisou
'elieved, and Monroe believed and ell the lead.
ng men OF virginia, for the first fifty years of our
Existence under the Constitution, believed: wr
lave changed our opinion in Virginia, and in
tead OF now admitting that slavery is an evil,
Go restricted and discouraged, and which we.
nay hope and pray may be some day entirely re-
moved from the RsPablic, we now take the
round that it is a blessing to be fostered en-
outraged, ana extended, as benefit to the black
nan and benefit TO the white Mr. Presiden,
do not find fault with gentlemen when they
bange their opinions
Mr.. MASON. VIII the Senator allow me tc, in
,rrupt him? h-
Mr.. D00LITTLE. Certainly.
Mr.. MASON. The Senator, presor,e :, ,s
rring to Senator from Virginia, yeI.rred TO NV