The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1860-04-04
EQUAL RIGHTS IN THE TERRITORIES.
SPEECH OF HON. J. L. II. CURRY.
OF ALABAMA,
in the House of Representatives., March
l4th lSe0. e-e-'

The Chairman Upon the Presidents mes
sage the gentleman from Alabama is entitled
| to the floor.
| Mr. Curry. Mr. Chairman, none of the
/ opinions shall utter will probably meet the
approbatoin of majority in this House, but [
shall seek TO challenge confidence, i not con-
! currence, Y the manner in which shall avow
and d scuss them. Much of " hat I shall say
| will nut be to those who have studied the
quest ons. but it has been said, with much
ruth. thatit is necessary fcreach generation to
discuss anew the great proble: of human
speculation. which continually come back, af-
:er certain intervals, for re examine ion.
Scarce speech has been made an essay
written for ten years against slavery in which
the opinions of the early fathers Of the Re-
public are not introduced. These, however,
were but mere specu!ations, and were not
grated upon the organic law; and actual re-
suits are safer standard by which to meas
| uIe abstract principles Besides, times have
changed since this Government WAS first in
auyurated as an experiment. net yet satsfac-
torily tested. hen II ere were | ut little over
half million slaves, and scarce pound of. raw
cotton exported In 1854 a vessel containing
| eight bags Of cotton was seized at the custom
house in Liverponl, ON the conviction that so
much cotton could not be the growth of Amer
lea. In 1897. in the debate on slave repre-
scntatiOn in the convention that framed the
| Constitution, Mr.. Pinckney said:
North Carolina. Seurh Carolina. and Georgia. in
their rice al indigo had peculiar interest which
might be sacrificed"
| Cotton was not mentioned. for in that year
there were but one hundred ard eight hale
! shipped from Tie United States. Now there
are near four million slaves, worth SO, $40 ,O0O,
f! 000 and of ihern products there
ported last year S2O0.U00.(O). and thuse ex
ror:s enter materially into the comforts, neces-
sites. and luxuries of the world. last year
| the cotton crop of the STuth was near four
million two hundred and fifty thtus;.nd bales;
Sl61 O0O.OG0 worth was exported. Buin, in
his history of cotton manufacture. says:
| 1T impossible estimate the advantage to the
bulk of The people from The wonderful cheapness OF
Gotten goods"
..The peasants cottage may. at this day. with
| coed management. have handsome fur lure fl
| beds windows and tables The hsuse of subsan-
| ,ial tradesman Sky years since
African slavery Is now great fact-a pollt-
:cal. social, Industrial, huniunitari; fact. Its
| chief ,rOuuct is ling, and freie hts northern
vessels, drives northern achincry, feeds nor
ih,rn laborers, and clothes the entire lopua-
! ton. NOrI hefn no less han SOU hern capital
and labor are deIendent in great degree up
ON IT, and these results were wholly unaniici-
pated by the go,d Zen who are 50 industrious
! " parIdcd clouds Of witnesses against the
| insttuIlun .--.s ..l-.
Slavery has altered, and Z ems opinions have
altered. 1t Is now IF tremendous Significance
an; cnnsequ Bcc. TL: interests associated
with and e;,endcnt upon it are too 'men-
Ous for it to be treated as all idle thinS-madc
the football OF paiiticians and fanatics. and its
existence and S, curity imported r'y rash coun.
sells and Usher action.S 1tnv.dv H.. and cun,l re-
hending much; being the sonrce of wealth
and power and 9reatn .ss; contributing So abuEd
antly to civil cation aud hnmanity, is it uprLa
sunab. that The South should demand its ex
tension aud protection. and exhibit sensitive
ness at The threat to surruund her with cor
don of free territory, and TT c',mpcl slavery,
| like IA serpent in rng of fire, to sing itself
| to death ="
The North fas dcma: ded expansion and is
now so urgent in getting lid of IL supcrabund-
ant OF ulat;On as to demand that the Govern
ment shall gratuitously provide tlee homes as
all imducencnt tn emigration. But for all out
let, subsistence would have pressed close IN The
! heels of production, an there would lave becn
'hit rrepr.ssible conflict between capital and
labor which cxcites so much apprehension
among rcfecting laen, and OF tie disistl Gus
harvest of which New England is now reaping
| the first fruits in the strikes at Lynn, Nat
| ick, Alarblehead, and other nci. hLor,mg towns.
To deny future expansion TO the South is eth
ei cold, ferocous. male Solent cruelty. or It is IL
| ST. nifcant concession that our systtm is not
subject to the same evils which afh ct or threat
en- the more rupulous North. he South
needs expansion Low or eleafier. he right,
the liberty must not be gainsaid rcstric ed.
| We legIslate for the future. A decade, u CELL
fury. may lie but II span in nation S history.
! He is poor states an, aud worse I bilantlru-
Tist, who will do nothing Tor p0sielity because
osterty has Gone nothing for him Keeping
the sla, es, increasing rapidly, within cilcuni-
scribed limits, While the whites diminish ly
emgrati,r, is tie IL exural lie fleet urrcs c
Of The meIcilcss policy VIII ch dtnies TO us x
r;nsio, lie numerical AZ cendtEcy Of the
blacks, or The vast disprcl ortnn of the racos,
with the exhaustion Cf the productive capa-
bilitics of the soil will render enIanciI att, N
certain. or slavery unproftable, or the destruc.
tiun of the white race prubabIe, or the estab.
ishment of another jamaica but Il question OF
time; where according tn a late Engltsh work,
| (1rullnpe's,) there are three hundred thousand
blacks, seventy thousa:.d cufored eo!le and
only, fifteen Thousand whites; and the African
breed through :he parliamentary system and
the electoral franchise, has the control of the
/ This normal lw of nat onal being, this nc
cessity of growth, mnst fud develol ment, if
POSSIBLE, in the limits of the Uni"n.- For
| wears, the actI al of the General Government
i denied or qualified this. essential right. and
prohibited to the Soufh hat equality of condi-
| tion, without which the Government could not
and ought not to have been established. Mr..
Webster, who was ostraczed for not keeping
PACE with the parcipitate tread of anti slavery
ism, said, in le41: - ~ -.-s =, ~ d. e. ~
We should take the first, last, and every occa:io
which offers. 10 oppose the extension OF slardy.'
And in 1S43: s ..f ...fs 5fs-
II shall or pose all such extension. nt all times
and under all circumstances even against all lmi-
n against all cOmDlna
against all compromises.
The Rel uhI;can party. so powerful and well
disciplined harmouzes 10 day solely in ifs ad-
vocucy of this one controlling, oveImastering
All territory" ;" outside the limits of sover-
eign.. State, "Lelor ging to the United States
is common property, and every citizen has
equal rights in and for it. 1t was acquired by