Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1860-06-08

popular verdict, that slavery is national IN
st tuition, and is carried into all the Terrific
ries of the Coniederacy By force OF the Fed +
eral Constitution, why, then, collision Is TO /
continue between the two sections of the Con- I
6ederacy for / tell you, that whatever the |
Supreme Court may decide. whatever the |
people may ratify at the baIlot-box, the senti- |
meat that slavery is local. and freedom ma
tioual win be Insisted upon as determinedly as
it now is. and the people will be constantly
appealed to to maintain that doctrine at the |
ballot-box.
Mr.. SINGLETON. desire TO ask the gentle
man question aud | know, from his char
aeteristic candor, that he will answer me fair
ly. You say it is not tue purpose of the Re
publican party to interfere with slavery where
it now exists. What, then, is your object in
preventing the South from going into the Ter
ritories, if it be not to destroy the institution
by restricting it to its present limits? l beg
to know, in all seriousness, whether the great
leading object and purpose of the Republi-
can party in circumscribing US, and prevent
Ing MS going into Territories. is not the con-
.sciousncss that, if slavery be kept within its
present area. it must perish, in half eentu-
~, from Plethora Is uot that your purpose
- Mr.. STANTON. will answer that very fully
and trust satisfactorily if my time will per
init.
Mr.. SISe1x.roE. / want TO know, from the
gentleman from Ohio, whether he docs not
think it viii have that effect, and If that is not
tho belief of bis party?
Mr.. STANTON. MIR. Chairman, the Repub
hcan party is opposed to the extension of Sav-
cry into free Territories mainly-I think
might say solely-because free and Save labor
cannot go there together. The admission Of
slave labor is the exclusion of free labor. 1t is
because we will not permit free labor and the
dignity Of free men TO be degraded, from being
brought into contact and competition with
slave labor, that we do not want slavery 10 go
into the Territories That is the essential rea-
800.
Now, Mr. Chairman, have no desire, nor
b il my purpose, to emborras the siaveboldng
States by confning slavery within its present
limits, if there is any rode of escaping from it.
II, as the gentleman from Mississippi seems to
suppose. the combining of slavery to IFS present
limits necessarily brings about its extinction.
I pray you, sir. what sort of confession is that
Of the character of the institution?
Dir. SINGLETON. There is very simple rea-
son to be stated in proof Of my remark
The slave population at the South is inereas-
ing very rapidly, much more so, indeed, than
the white popa alton and it does not require
the gift Of prophecy to foresee the result, unless
we are allowed to expand in some direction. -
Expansion We must have, or slavery dies, and
with it the safety and prosperity of the South.
And the gentleman talks abont free and
aave labor not being compatible in the same
community, and the former being degraded by
the latter. The impression is attempted to he
made. by the gentleman's speech, that there is
no free labor in the South. Let me say, that
g there are free white laborers in the State of
Mississippi, and throughout the South, who
work side by side with the slave laborers upon
the cotton plantations. ard who do not feel
themselves thereby at all degraded.
saa Mr.. STANTON. I understand that there are
free laborers in the South; but also understand
that man who is dependent in the South up
on his daily toll for his daily bread-not the
owner of a cotton plantation, but q man who
h dependent upon his toll, compelled to sup
port his family by his labor--must, by contact,
and association with slave labor be degraded
man in slaveholding community.
Mr.. SINGLETON. The gentleman is utterly
mistaken. There are hundreds and thousands of
free white laborers in the South, who cultivate
the soil with their slaves, who would scorn to
associate with those who make the charge of
e degradation against them
- Mr.. STANTON. 1t is not worth while for MS
- 10 get in passion about it. We may as well
keep COOL l know that have seen enough OF
the institution of slavery with the little inter
course 1 have had with it, to know that
z amongst the slaves themselves they regard a
poor laboring white man as their equal or III
ferior. A slave will tell you, when he looks at
poor white laboring man, that he is white
trash-a sand-hiter.
Mr.. SINGLETON. You get your cue FROM the
negroes, theH?
Mr.. STANTON. The gentleman from Missis
s.ppi had better keep his temper, for he will not
make anything by sooding he cannot get me
In o passion
Mr.. SINGLETON. Then treat Che people oi
my section respectfully.
Mr. STANTON. 1 have endcavored to treat
gentlemen respectfully. If have violated the
rules of Parliamentary order OF of gentlcmany
decerum, would beg the gentleman to state
ii.
Mr.. SINGLETON. You have aspersed the
Iaboring men of my section. You have said
that the white laborer of the South was degra-
ded. regard the white laborers of my State
% gentlemen. / have associated with them all
my life. | do not know one man who is in the
habit of working side by side on cotton plan
tatfon with his slaves, who feels that in this
there is any degradation. They are gentlemen
sir, and are not in any way dcmoralized by this
association.
Mr.. STANTON. shond be glad to know
bow the position take can be conveniently re-
fdted. Take a mechanic from free State and
pat him into slavcho'ding State let him be
brought into competition with slave labor; let
the value of his labor be dependent upon that
competition and what will be the effect upon
him! submit the proposition. l go, if you
please, to Kansas or Nebraska, and settle down
at Leavenworth or Omaha City. There goes
also carpenter from free State, and settles
in the same place, and pursues bis trade.
want house built, and I ask him for how
much he viii do the job. e ciphcrs the mat
ter out, and he will tell me, perhaps, that the
cost will be $4,000 "Why, bless you my good
fellow" may reply,"I can go to Westport
and buy carpenter for 81 500 and | cannot
afford to pay any such price 81 500" Your
white laborcr is exposed to that sort of compe-
tition. So it is. whatever employment he may
follow. Working together in the same field a
white laborer and a slave laborer, there comes
along sheriff. and he levies upon the Save
takes him off. and sells him at auction, as you
would horse. 1t is this contact and asso
citation that it seems to me cannot fail to have
o degrading influence upon the social position
of the white man who is engaged in the same
Kind Of toll that the slave ia
Mr.. SINGLETON. Why, sir, one-half of our
cotton planters go upon their plantations and