The weekly Mississippian. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1859-1864, 1860-06-13


the Senate rather longer than | intended. / |
shall be as brief as possible for the remainder |
of the time l shall occupy. The Senator |
from Illinois, the other day, went further
He has not only eyaded, avoided and circum- !
vented the South by the Nebraska bill, if in
deed it be susceptible Of the construction he
gives it, and coniers on the people of the Ter |
ritories the right he now alleges but, with all !
his promises the cloyen foot again sticks out. |
lie warns us-yes, Senators, ne warns us
that if the Tennessee resolution is adopted at |
Baltimore he will explain away that, too.-
Nothing can bind him, according to his pres
ent statements. Let me read this Tennessee
resolution; and will ask every man within
the sound Of my voice whether it does not
seem to be as plain and clear as the English
language can make it. Pass it, and, he tells
you, it will not bind him. He says it has
double construction and double meaning to
it. He asked the Senator from Ohio to read
it; and here it is:
Mr.. Pugh read as follows:
"Resol,ed, That all citizens of the United
States have an equal right to settle with their
property in the Territories, and that under
the decision of the Supreme Court which
we recognize as an exposition of the Constitu-
LIOh tHClI Vi pCIcOh VI PhOpSA
ty can be destroyed or impaired by Congress
sional or Territorial legislation
! confess that read it over and over, and
could not see a loop to hang doubt on. All
the citizens of the United States have an equal
right to settle with their property in the Ter
ritories, and no Territorial legislation can i'm
par it. That is the Tennessee resolution
What is the warning given us by the Senator
from Illinois? Here it is:
awe have had predictions that the party is
to be reunited by the adoption of that resolu-
ton. The only objection that have to it is,
that it is liable to two constructions"
The Cincinnati platform that he wants US
to stick to-that of course, is not Oh, no !.
But this will be liable to two constructions ;;
and have puzzled my brain for an our to
get at that other construction. | will read
what the Senator said, and perhaps other Sen
ators may be more fortunate than have BEEN
| think | nave got a glimpse. He says it is
liable to two constructions
And certainly and inevitably will receive
two, directly the opposite to each other, and
each will be maintained with equal pertinaci-
| ty."
| We know what the South will maintain
under that resolution; and who will main
tain any other construction Surely, the
Senator from Illinois means that he will not.
We can see but one meaning, and no man i'm
bued with constitutional principles can dis
cover but one; and that is, that all citizens
those who own slaves, as we'll as those who
own horses-have a right-to 60 with their
property into the Territories; have an equal
right to go there; and that their property
shall not be impaired. But the Senator from
Illinois says there is another construction that
will be maintained and persstently maintain
ed. And what is it He says:
1.-The resolution contains, in my opinion
two truisms; and fairly considered, no man
can question them"
What Is the fair consideration he gives it
They are, first, that every Citizen
Not "all the citizens" The resolution says
all the citizens. He says every citizen. But
will show you why he says so:
Every citizen of the United States has an
equal right in the Territories that whatever
right the citizen Of one State has, may be en-
| loyed by the citizens of all the States.'
See how he is changing it now
THAT whatsoever property the citizens OF
one State may carry there, the citizens Of all
the States may carry"
And then they will go on with the old Re-
publican objection, that we are all at perfect
liberty to go into the Territories without our
property; that we are all on an equal footing.
The old Republican argument that was
brought up here in the discussions on the
Kansas Nebraska bill in 1854, the Senator
| from Illinois tenders to us now for the can
vass of 1860. He will tell us, "You are not
! excluded from the Territory; a Northern
man goes with his horses, you may 20 with
horses; Northern man goes with COW, YOU
may go with a COW; a Northern man does
not go with slave, and you shall not 20 with
slave; and that is the equality that he says
it means. The Senator from Illinois is kind
in warning us in advance this time how this
proposition will be got rid of. The South
will be fools if they do not take advantage of
the warning, and see if something cannot be
devised which the astute and practical inge-
nuity of the Senator from Illinois cannot get
around, if the English language can held him.
Now he says:
And whatever terms the citizens of
one State can held it, aud have it protected
the citizens of all States iHeId IT, md haxo
1t protected, without deciding what the right
is which still remains for decision"
SO that the Tennessee platform will kave
us Just where we are now. What is his OBJ
lection to it
81 want no double dealing, or double con-
struction.''
That is his objection. He wants things
clear, plain, and straight; and when w ask
that they shall be put down clear, pIair and
straight, he abuses us for making new tests in
| the party; talks about assaults on him; kept
| the Senate and the country occupied eight
mortal hours in attacking every man IN the
entire Union that would not support his pre-
tensions for the Presidency.
Now, Mr.. President, the people have It last
come to this point; the Democratic delegates
of the South have come to this point. Ispeak
not of the delegates in either House o. Con-
gress. 1t is the fashion to speak of C,ngres-
Sional dictatlon, IN certain class of public
journals under the control of certain public
men, and yet one would suppose that it is at
least some prinaa facie probability of the De-
mocracy of the United States to find unan-
imous concurrence of opinion among is chos-
en- representatives, both of States and popular
constituencies in both branches of 0ngress
But all that is nothing. In modem slang,
this is Yancey and caucus platform, and we
are Congressional dictators. /, therefore
leaving out of view the opinions of members
of Congress in both branches of the General
Assembly of the United States, now ay that
it has been demonstrated by the deleates of
the South, sent by the State Conventions from
primary meetings, that the time his come
when there shall no longer be doubt br mo-
ment that all constitutional rights guaranteed
to us under the decision of the Supreme
Court, which was taken by the Senator from
Illinois and his coadjutors as the common ar
bitter Of our dispute, shall be acknoMed; that
all that we demand shall be put down in the
bond; that there shall no longer be doubt in
relation to it.
Mr.. President, when mere privaterights of
property are concerned; when the question
is, who owns farm, or who owns .horse or
who is entitled to 800, it is an oldaphorism
of the law, miserG est SerUttus, uR jus AIT
raguBt ant iRcertuUs eSt-wretched md deplo-
rable is the slavery where the law which GOV
ems a mans right is vague or uncertain. And
shall We, who represent Democratic States,
and Democratic constituencies, be &ked why
it is that we will not leave these nights, vital
to their existence, and on which tlRy rest for
their property, open to doubt and denial ?
Shall we be asked why it is that We demand
that the charter Of these rights be written
clearly, plainly, beyond the possibility ofdoubt
or DEMONSTRATION Oh no, saw the Sena-
tor from Illinois, in. 1856 we wergunanimous |
upon the Cincinnati platform hive given it
a construction, and ! am the Democratic par |
ty . and it Is his construction adopted by a |
minority at Charleston, that he presents 10 us |
here, and asks us by what right we call for
something palmer or clearer as tho charter of /
our of constitutional privileges Miserable and |
deplorabe is the slavery where tie law Of the
individual who has property isdoubtful or
uncertain. Degrading and dislDnoring to a
state is it when its sovereignty cannot ask
for an expression or acknowledgment Of its
sovereign rights in an assembly of equals.
The people OF the South do not man to be put
off this time with any doubtful o, vague con-
struction. Tho Senator from Illinois is OPP
posed to double meanings and double construc-
tons; he dislkes the Tennessee platform on
that ground. We share his dislike fas est
ab hoste dOceri-we will be taught by him.
We will ask that everything hat is in our
platform be put dpwn plainly andclearly.
Mr.. President, the honorable Senator from
Illinois, in the plentitude of his power, tells us
that the Democratic platform has been adopted,