The Oxford intelligencer. (Oxford, Miss.) 1860-18??, 1860-08-22
The speech of Hon. L0.CLamar

crowded auditory listened to the speaker
with an almost breathless stiffness, which was
interrupted only by the numerous bursts Of
applause, which indicated their approval of
what he said, as some shallow sophism was
exposed, some great principle vindicated, or
some lofty appeal addressed to the patriot
ism of his hearers. He spoke for upwards OF
two hours, but was compelled, by physical
exhaustion, to desist long before he had con-
cluded the discussion of all the questions
upon which he had proposed to speak. He
intimated that he would, at an early day,
again appear before the people of Lafayette,
and continue the discussion from the point
at which he now left off 1t is needless for
us to say that his speech Of Saturday was
marked by great ability. We doubt, indeed,
whether Mr. Lamar ever made an effort more
entirely worthy of his acknowledged powers
as debater, and his established reputation
as rising statesman. Many man, who
listened to his stirring eloquence on that oc-
casion, expressed his regret that the speaker,
by accepting Professorship in the univer-
sity, had rendered it impossible for his con-
stituents to retain him as their Representa-
tive in future Congresses.
1t is, of course, impossible for us, in a
mere sketch, to do anything like justice to a
speech which was so logically compacted as
that of Mr.. Lamar 1t should be presented
TO the reader as to those who heard it--as a
whole; and We trust that it may yet be so
given to the public.
We did not hear the exordium Of Mr.. La
mar. When we entered the Courtroom, he
was relating a conversation which he held
with an able Opposition member of Congress,
who was a delegate to the Convention that
nominated Bell and Everett and who was
Boosting of the platform" adopted by his
party-"The Union, the Constitution, and
the enforcement Of the Laws" Mr.. Lamar
asked him whether he considered 81 the
Union" so weak as to be in need of the as
sistance of the Bell men for its preservation
"No" was the prompt reply :-"the Union
is not weak, but, by Cd, the Bell men are,
and they need its assistance" Mr.. L. be-
leved that this was true, and that the real
danger was, that the Union would prove to
be too strong for our rights and our liberties.
The charge is made by the Black Rcpub-
licans of the North that the South is to blame
for all the present agitation and excitement,
and that charge is echoed from the stump by
Southern gentlemen of uncxccptionablc
morals, high character, and established rcpu-
tation. Mr.. L. did not doubt that all who
heard him were true men, who would act
upon the maxim-"Our country, right or
wrong'-in any contest with a hostile see
ton; and he bcsought them to bear with
him while he attempted to prove that this
grave charge was not well founded, and that
it should no longer be urged against the
South, or the Democratic party, by Southern
men, at least lie then went forward to de-
monstratc, in the clearest manner, that the
attitude and policy of the North, from the
formation of the governmentup to the present
day, has been hostile to and aggressive upon
the South, while the attitude and policy of
the South, on the other hand, has uniformly
been conciliatory, sclfsacrifcing, and dis
posed to compromise.
A distinguished Opposition clector asked
here, the other day, with an apparently tri
umphant air-"What has the North done,
since 1850, of which we have right to
complaint Mr. Lamar was willing, he said,
to look no further back than 1850 for causes
of complaint. One of the points of the cad
justment" of 1850 was, the Fugitive Slave
Law. That law conferred upon the South no
new right it was a simple recognition of a
right previously conferred by the Constitu
tion-thc enforcement of constitutional
guarantee, in favor Of the South. which led
to the adoption Of the Corstitution-the con-
sideration, without which that instrument
would never have beea agreed to by the
South. Upon the statute-books Of every one
of the non-slayeholding States, with a few
rare exceptions, where similar wrongs had
been prevented by Democratic House or
Senate, or the veto Of Democratic Cover
nor, there were laws which were expressly
designed to defeat the execution of the Mgi-
tive Slave Law, and render its practical ope-
ration nullity. The nature of these laws,
with their peculiar provisions in different
States, were here stated by the speaker with
great minutencss of detail Besides, there
were, in all the free States, bands of men
openly associated together for the avowed
purpose of stealing slaves from the South,
and transporting them beyond the reach of
their owners, upon the underground rail
road" these men raise large sums of money
by the voluntary contributions ofthe Northern
people, and annually deprive the South of
property whose value may be computed at
hundreds of thousands of dollars; and yet,
there is not single Northern State whose
Legislature has enacted any provision of law
that looks tn tho supr,,.nss;np of those ont