Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1860-01-20
DANIEL WEBSTER ON THE TERRI
TORIAL QUESTION.


The wide distinction between property il
men and all other kinds of property. md tn,
falacy Of the Southern argument for the RICH
to take slave property into the territories werr
never more impressively stated than by Dan
iel Webster in his speech in the Senate on tn,
10Th Of August. 1913 We advise old.fash
Toned Wings. who are now so strongly soli
cited TO throw themselves into the arms of tn.
slavery-extonding Democracy, to hunt mp and
read the entire speech. II may give them
backbone. Mr.. Webster said in the cousc Of
his speech:
"what do they Cthe savehodcrs) mean by 'propcrty
We certainly do deprive them Of tho privilege II 20
ing into these newly acquired territories with all that il
the general estimate Of human society m tho general
and common, and universal understanding u mn ind
Is esteemed properly. NotstaL Tho truth Is just this
They have in their States peculiar laws which ere
ate property in persons. They have system Of loca
legislation on which slavery rests while eycr,bod,
agrees that 1t Is against natural law or at least ugan
the common understanding which prevails among mcr
hs 70 what is natural law.
The real meanng. then, Of Southern gentlemen IN
making this complaint is, that they go into tho
territories ~ the United States carrying with them thcir
own peculiar local law. law which creates propertv In
persons This according TO their own statement, ali
the ground ~ complaint they have Now here think
gentlemen are unjust towards How unjust they are
ot9cfs wil judge generation that will after Ms
VIZ J"use. VIII not be commended that this sort Of per
hona slavery exists by general law II exists ont by
local law do not mean to deny the validity NJ that 10.
sAi iaW "hcte II rs established bat say. II i afcr al
local law u Is nothing more And wherever that local
law docs mt extend, property in persons does not exist
Wei, sir, what Is the demand the part Of our
Southern friends? They saw I'VE will carry our loeal
laws with MS wherever go We insist that Congress
docs as injustice unless II establishes in the territory in
which We wish 70 90, own local law This demand
for enc. resist and shall resist II goes upon the idea
that there Is inequality unless persons under this To-
cal law aud holding property hy authority Of that law
can 90 into territory and there establish that local
law N the exclusion Of the general law Mr. President
i was maxim fhe civil law, that between slavery and
Freedom freedom should always be presMmcd aud slave
~ must always be proved II nny question arose as 10
the status n individual in Rome he was presumed to
be free until he proved be slave because slavery
IS an 'Nccpinn to the general rule Such suppose is
the general law Of mankind An individual is to be pre-
sumed to be free until law be produced which ere
ates ownership in his do dispute the force
ana validity Of The local law as have already said; but
say II Is matter 10 BE- proved and therefore il ind
Nduas go INTO any part Of the Garth it is be proved
mat ey are not ireemen ~ else the presumption is that
thew arc
Isthere nothing to be said the other side in relation
20 inequaity Sir from the date of this constitution
aud IN the cuunses that formed and esab this con.
stunn, and suppose In all mems judgments since /,
y received rs settled truth that slave labor and free
labor % not exist well together. have before me a de-
esrEiion NJ Mr. Mason in the convention that formed
the constitution, TO that effect Mr. Mason as Is well
known, was distinguished member from Virginia He
says that The objection 20 slave labor is that puts free
white labor in dsrepute that 1t causes labor 20 be re-
Saded as deogaory 70 The character NJ the free white
man, and that the free white man despises 10 work Ia
matter Of great interest to the free States iii be true
a. 70 great extent il certainly is that wherever slave
labor pre ais free he labor is excluded dscourag
cd az &c that slave labor docs necessarily exclude
free labor totally There is free white labor in Virginia
Tennessee and other States, where Of the labor Is
done by slaves But IL necessarily loses something 81 ts
respeetahity by the side Of and when associaed with
slave labor. Wherever labor is mainly performed b,
slaves IS regarded degrading freemen The free
men OF the North therefore have deep interest in keen
ing labor free, exclusively free in the new territories
But sir, let us look further into this alleged nequa.
~ There i no pretcncc that southern people may not
90 into territory which shall be subject the ordinance
Of l7s1 The only restraint is that they shall carr
slaves hithcT and continue that relation They say thi,
shuts them altogether out Why SIR there can be moth
ing inaccurate in point of fact than this statement
understand that ouealf the people who settled lino
are people or descendants Of people, who came from IN,
hero States and suppose that onc-thrd Of the peo
pie OF Ohio are those descendants Of those who em
grated from the South and venture to saw that IN re-
spect 20 those two States they at this DAY settled b,
people Of southern origin in proportion as the,
are by people OF Northern origin, according 10 The gene
Ia NUMBERS and proportion Of people South and North
There are as many people from the South In proportion
% the whole people q the South in those States as Their,
are from the North. in proportion the whole people
me North There Is then exclusion Of Southern peo
ple there is only the exclusion Of peculiar local law
Neither IN principle nor in fact is there any inequality