The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1860-02-09

character f8s7esi eea .ssss iestf 3 sfisfHis
ssant caa want ran,aufpas, Pososi and
scn~er ne planning asd Spreading u slavery And footing
in Central America viii powerfully and us In acquiring those
iapey would spread the blessings O slavery kts aers
gien q oar Dsu,ss Master 70 the uttermos, ENDS q me
beer, n ssssdd ssss esr,.d & 70 sAesH .ls'a'S - s.
These dreams Of empires in which to plant
slavery gil the minds of the leaders of the slave
propaganda; and the President, in asking author
ity to march the army into Mexico, and the Sen
ator from Louisiana, Mr.. SLrDELL,] in pressing
his Cuba scheme, are acting in response TO these
ideas of conquest and acquisition, Up 70 this
requisi,ion upon the Northern Democrats which
has not been complied with, although many of
them have sealed their ready serviity with po-
litical martyrdom- --~--
Sir, to arrest the aggressive policy Of the slave
propaganda, which Is perverting the Consttu-
ton, subveFting the insiitntions, disturbing the
repose of the, country, endangering the stability
of the Union, and bringing reproach upon the
American name and to restore the Government
to the policy of its Ilustrious founders, organ
ization has been formed, which calls itself the
Republican party. This party, which embraces
in its organization a million and half of intelli-
gent and patriotic freemen, procaims no new
doctrine it proposes no new experiments. Upon
the great and overshadowing question of slavery
in Americs, the Republican party accepts the
doctrines Of the Revolutionary fathers of the
North and of the South The Republican party
sees, as Washington saw, " the drefal effects Of
slavery - il believes, with Henry, that /" slavery
is lamenta5le epI :" with Luther Martin, that
slavery nconsistent scith the genius of Repu6
ism :" with Madison, that ssIauery is dreadful
calamity that e nnbeciity is dttendeat upon
a country filled eitb slaves" with Monroe, that
slavery has preyed upon the Uery vals of Unio
IN all an n
has eristed." Concurring in these opinions of
these illustrious patriots and statesmen of the
South, the Republican party proposes to preserve
the vast territorial possessions Of the Republic
from the direful effects of this (" dreadful
1amity I" which has preyed upon the vitals of
the Union" by applying to, and engraving upon,
those Territorial possessions these words, " sla-
pe'y shah be AND IS FOREVER prohibited; p" words
which came from the pen of Jefferson, were en-
bodied in the ordinance Of 1887, and stamped on
every foot of the virgin sods Of the Northwest.
Believing freedom to be national, and slavery
to be local and sectional, q mere municipal
regulation" in the words of the Supreme Court,
I" founded upon and limited to the verge of the
State law" for which the people of each State
that tolerates it are alone responsible the Repub-
Iican party joins issue with the sectionalized
Democracy, which, under the lead of men whose
vital and animating principle is the propagation
OF slavery, accepts the monstrous dogma that
slavery, by virtue of the Constitution, exists in
all the Territories. Accepting this doctrine, the
Democracy repealed the prohibition of slavery in
Kansas and Nebraska, and resists all Congress
sional action. Accepting this doctrine, the De-
mocraey in those Territories resist Territorial acts
to prohibit slavery and Government officials veto
their enactments. Accepting this doctrine, the
Democratic Legislature of New Mexico, under
the lead Of Democratic Government officials,
prompted by Mr.. OTERo, the Democratic Dele
gate Dat the solicitation of General r. DAVIS, of
Mississippi" have enacted brutal and bloody
slave code. Already the Democratic chiefs of
the slave power demanding the enactment of
q slave code by Congress-, and the leaders of the
Democracy are Fastening to give them assurances
that if" in the words of the Vice President,
"ths constitutional right to hold slaves prop
erty in the Territories cannot be enforced for
want of proper legislation to enforce it, sufficient
legislation must be passed, or our Government
failure"
Rejecting the dogmas accepted by the Democ-
racy, and holding, with the Republican fathers,
that slavery cannot exist in the Territories ex-
cept by positive law, and that Congress and the
people of the Territories may exclude it, the Re-
publican party takes Issue with the national
Democracy, and appeals to the intelligent patriot
ism Of the country. 1t appeals, not to the local
and temporary interests of sections, but to the
lasting interests of the whole country not to the
Judgment, the sense of justice, the love of liber
ty, and the humane and Christian sentiments of
all classes.
Sir in the progress of the contests of the past
six years between the interests of slave labor and
the rights of free labor in the infant empires we
are creating in the West, the power of the North
srn Democracy has been broken, and its leaders
have iugloriousy fallen. Falling in the great
hattie of JUSTICE IN CONFLICT" in the words of
- &C
the once powerful chiefs of the Northern Democ-
racy are forced to submit to the bitter mortifca-
tion Of realizing not only their lost power, but
their loss of influence in the councils of the par
ty they have so faithfully followed. The organ
ization of the committees in this Chamber can
not but remind the Northern Democratic SEN
ators, who yet linger here, of their waning power
over the legislation of the country, over their
political associates and their duty to follow
rather than to lead to receive orders rather than
ito give them. Now, the leaders of the Demo-
cratic party, the men who dictate its principles
and shape its policy, in the South. Well
might Mr. KEITT boastingly say, as he did on q
recent occasion to the people of South Carolina,
X issues have been made which have tried the
Democratic party; 7" its Northern hosts have
melted away I" as the Northern wing declined,
the Southern wing strengthened - " the slavery
agitation has weakened the party at the North
and strengthened it at the South 4" !" the whole
machinery of the party has fallen into the hands
of the South" and I" the South has the general
control of the Democratic party"
Having, Mr.. President, forced the Northern
Democrats by threats of political prescription, to
repudiate the principle Of slavery restriction in
the Territories having forced Mr.. Calhouns dog
ma upon the Democratic organization; having won
the q general control" and secured the "whole
machinery" of the Democratic party, these South
erp leaders of the slave Democracy, now masters
of the Government, are pleased to assume that
the policy of the Republican party, sanctioned,
"a il has been by the great statesmen of the past
of the North and South, is policy of aggression
and thus, through the cowardly fears and self
ishness Of the optimists and quietists retain their
grasp on power. Sir, we shall see whether this
disloyal conspiracy will alarm the eighteen mil
lion Northern freemen whether the actors in
this disunion farce will play winning game; or
whether the insulted patriotism of the country,
North and South, will not rebuke this exhibition
of madness and folly, and dismiss these actors
from the service Of that Union they threaten to
subvert and destroy.
But this is not, sir, the first time this farce of
dsunion has been played. When the Republic
can party sprung into being in 1856, to arrest the
sppressions of slavery, TO redress the wrongs OF
the people of Kansas, the leading presses and
politicians of the Democracy in the South then
predicted, argued, and threatened, the dissolu-
ton of the Union, If Fremont should be elected.
The success of this disunion play in 1856, as
well as their own "yawning need" in 1860,
NAV have prompted the Democratic managers
to put the old farce upon the stage, in the impo-
sing form now witnessed. 3
Now, Mr.. President, / intend to place before
the Senate, and, as far as cam before the patri-
otic liberty loving, and Union loving men of the
free States the predictions of dsunion, the argu-