The weekly Mississippian. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1859-1864, 1860-10-31
Speech Of Col. Giles II. HillEar.

the House of Representatives, on last Tuesd'
night. We shall not give a report Of h
speech, but we will notice two or three poin
made by him.
i lie argued for near an hour to prove tn
the doctrine of protection to slavery in Il
Territories was visionary and impracticabl
and denounced the Democratic party for II.
ing to dissolve the Union if it was not reco
nised. He was quite familiar with the reeon
/ Of other distinguished men. but he seemed
have forgotten that Giles NJ HiIlyer had ak
made record of his own. 1t is said that ol
documents are dangerous things, and in b
case it will most assuredly prove SO. WI
would believe, after hearing the speech of Co
Hillyer, that he was the author Of the follow
| ing article, which appeared in the Aberylee
(Miss.) Independent, of August 4, 1849, whic
paper Col Hillyer at that time edited:
We believe that United States Territor
belongs to the United States in common; tina
t.ss General Government is but a trustee 70
the States, and that it therefore cannot appro
pirate or legislate for the Territories, or an
part Of them, to the sole use of one portion O
the Union, and to the exclusion Ct another
that slaves are property; that the Shareholder
IS entitled to full protection by Congress in tn
enjoyment Of oil his rights of person and prop
erty an the Territories of the United Suites
that Congress can neither create nor abolish
slavery in the Territories, but that it is bound
to recognise and protect such property as il
finds existing there, in conformity with the
principles and provisi ms of the Constitution;
that all the citizens Of all the States have a
right to go upon the territory of the United
States with their families and their property;
that Congress is bound to guarantee to them
the security of such property az INST all inter-
ference while within the limits OF the Terrific
ries, and that far ttis pH5pose It (Congress)
should actively eIert tie authority and pass all
iatcs necessary to protect fieDl IN the t1distwbed
tenure Of their property.
We shall notice only one other point in his
speech.
He spoke beautifully of Edward Everett
and Mount Vernon, &C., but he was compelled
to admit that Mr.. Everett held opinions, in
1889, Objectionable to the South But, said
the eloquent gentleman, the Compromise Mea-
sures Of 1850 act as statute of limitation and
we have no right to go behind them. He could
trust any man who approved those measures.
lie then said Edward Everett had not soiled
the palm of his hand by any act since 1850,
to which Southern men could object. Let US
see. 1t was in 1856 that Charles Sumner, of
Massachusetts,, made that infamous speech for
which he was caned by the gallant and Ia
mented Brooks, of South Carolina. In few
days thereafter, Edward Everett spoke at
Taunton, Massachusetts,, and referring 10 that
fact, said:
The civil war, with its horrid train of pill
lage, fire, and slaughter, carried on, a0ittout
the slightest proUocation, against the infant
settlements Of our brethren on the frontier of
the Union; the worse than civil war which has
for months ragged unrebuked at the Capitol of
the Union, and has at length, BY an act OF law
less violence of which I know no parallel in
the history Of constitutional government,
stained the floor Of the Senate chamber with
the blood of an unarmed, detenceless man, and
be Senator of Massachusetts.
In letter written subsequently, in expla-
nation of these remarks, Mr.. Everett, after
stating that he had opposed certain measures
upon which the South had rallied, he said;
With these views Of the subject, though, as
trust, for reasons higher than any effect on
party politics, ! tiLILu c1acHEred in the 1,lGisa
'sae Of argument in Mr. Sanaer's speech. Alb
staining, however, habitually myself from all
in debate, and believing that they
always irritate, and never persuade nor con-
vince, | could not of course bestow my "un-
qualified appreciation" on the manner in which
ne treated the subject.
But that is not all. He subscribed money,
with other abolitionists, to buy token to ex-
press in appropriate form their sympathy for
md appreciation Of the course of Charles Sum-
ner. That sympathetic endorsement was in
hese words:
Being desirous of expressing to Hon. Charles
Sumner, in some permanent and appropriate
orm, our admiration of his spotless public and
private character-our lively gratitude for his
courage in defence OF freedom on
he floor Of Congress, and especially our un-
qualified appreciation Of his speech in behalf of
rec Kansas, delivered in the Senate on the
10Th day of May last-a speech characterized
by comprehensive knowledge of the subject,
ogical acutencss and Spartan intrepidity, for
which he we'll nigh lost life at the brutal and
,owardly hand of a creature for which, thanks
10 the rarity of their appearance, the English
tongue has as yet no appropriate name, we
ieem it alike privilege and honor to partici-
pate in offering him some suitable token of
,ur sentiments For this purpose we sub
scribe the several sums set opposite our
names.
And vet Edward Everett has not, in the
opinion of Col. HiIlyer, soiled his hand with
IN act since 1850 to which Southern men can
,bject.
But we have still more proof. In 1859 Ed
ward Everett issued new edition Of his Ora
tors and speakers. In speaking of Abdul Ra-
haman, an African chief or prince, who was
captured and sold into slavery, he says;
"If there was ever native born gentleman
m earth, he was one. He had the port and
the air of prince, and the literary culture Of
, scholar. The learned blacksmith of Ala
mama now in Liberia. has attained a celebrity
scarcely inferior to his white brother, who is
known by the same designation. When
lived in Cambridge, few years age, used to
attend as one of the board of visitors, the ex-
am;nat,ons of a classical school in which there
was a colored boy. the son off slave in Missis-
sin / I think. He appeared to me to be of
n,,re African blood. There were at the same
time two youths from Georgia, and one Of my
o,vn sons, attending the same school. | must
saw that this poor negro boy, Beverly Will
lia,ns. was one of the best scholars at the
school and in the Latin language he was the
hest scholar in his pages 1925.
aAbdul was no doubt person of superior
endowments, but it is clear that he belonged
tn a ueopie not essentially below Europeans
and Americans in their capacity for intellec-
final Improvement And how few Americans
or Europeans, after forty years Bondage would
have come out like Abdul, unbruken in body
and mind Let as all learn By this example
tn respect the african race, as one trhose best
specin,ens ,ciR not suffer in comparison With
or, oru. and remember that there are rac.s
IN Europe which fall far below the boasted
standard of Caucasian blood''-Vol. 8, PIP.
1928.
aAnother reflection, and that of the most
nainful character, is, that Africans belonging
to these superior races are just as likely to fall
into the hands of the slave trader as any others.
The traffic in human flesh makes no distinc-
tions."-Ib, p. 1913.
And yet, in the opinion Of Col. Hillyer, Mr..
Everett has not soiled his hand with any act
since 1850 to which Southern men can object
Oh! shame where is thy blush! Did he not
blacken his hand in writing the above? Give
Mr.. Everett the statute of limitation which
Mr.. Hillyer claims for him, and since that pc.
Rod we find him expressing sentiments which
stink in the nostrils Of all true Southern men
Can Southern men vote for such man, anc
by SO doing, endorse his sentiments?
TIE KING OF GREAT BRITAIN AT rm
u1o,., an w ASufNuToN --Was MT tho cV,h.