The weekly Mississippian. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1859-1864, 1860-09-19


Y rests on the equality Of the rights and priv
n eyes among its members; and it is tie ekpec
). duty Of the Senate, which represents Il
States, in their sovereign capacity, to resist
IS attempts to discriminate in relation to perso
i or property in the Territories, which are 4
i common property Of the United States, SO
Il to give advantages TO the citizens Of one Stat
q which are not assured to citizens Of the 9th
States.
!. Mr.. Crittenden voted for that resolution.
i On the same dav the following resolutio
# was passed by the Senate
: Resolred, That neither Congress nor I'll
= Territorial Legislature, whether by direct les
a islation, or by legislation OF an indirect or VI
| friendly character, possess the power to ami
G or impair the Constitutional right OF any cat
g zen Of the United States to take his prppert
J. into the common Territory, and there hol
l his property while the territorial eonditio
= there remains.
Mr.. Crittenden's vote is recorded III favor {
that resolution. On the same day resolutio
, was passed declaring it to be the duty CT Con
gress to supply such protection as may be de
manded by the necessities of the citizens
f Mr.. Crittenden's name is recorded in the atfir
, native on that resolution.
Then, gentlemen, have the votes Of my
distinguished friend, Mr. Crittenden, upol
the resolutions in the Senate, declaring tha
these questions are not minute and unimpor
tant F.; declaring that the union of the State:
rests upon the equality of rights and privile
ges of the citizens, and that it is the duty o
the Senate especially to guard against any dis
elimination in these rights Of person and pro-
perty, declaring that if those rights be assailed
by the Territorial Legislature it will be ne
cessary for Congress and every department o.
the government to interfere and protect those
rights. Precisely the principles upon which
we stand to-day.
My distinguished friend, Mr.. Crittenden, a
few days afterwards followed these resolutions
by a speech in the Senate. which find repor-
ted in the Daily Globe, which is the official
organ of the Senate. 1t is true that Mr..
Crittenden expressed hope and the opinion
that the time might never come when it would
be necessary for Congress to intervene to pre-
tect a Constitutional right in Territory. l
trust so too l trust the time viii never come
when the territorial authorities, so regardless
of their Constitutional obligations, will under
take to violate an adjudicated right so as to
make it necessary for their proceedings to be
annulled.
| Mr.. Crittenden goes on to say, that as the
Territorial Government has no sovereign or
| independent right to act on this subject, the
| Supreme Court of the United States having
| determined that every citizen of the United
States may 60 into the Territory carrying
his slaves with him and hold them there, nv
opinion is that the Constitution is to protect
that property which it had authorized to 20
there; therefore when the proper or extreme
case occurs when property going there under
the Supreme Court of the United States shall
require such interposition, that it is the duty
of Congress to interpose and grant protection
Nobiy and well said, in language worthy of
his exalted character and reputation-h lam
guage, repeat, that would compare favorably
with arguments and utterances of the Su-
preme Court of the Unite States. "a voice
Good, for you Maj.'') Mr. Douglas saws.
and says to-day-stands upon it, and claims
your votes upon it-that the Territorial Leg
islature, no matter what the decision of the
Supreme Court may be, has a right to ex-
clude slavery that you may take it there,
but you must leave it subject to such local
law as the Territorial Legislature NAV make.
The Supreme Court says you can't. Mr..
Crittenden says nothing can strike him as more
contradictory, nothing more illogical than to
assert the proposition which Mr.. Douglas has
announced, and which, lie says, we must re-
cognize, or if not recognized, he will rend and |
destroy as he does. take some satisfaction !
from the fact that the Hon. John J. Critten- |
den, whose name and authority will 60 far in |
this State has declared and recorded on his |
oath as a Senator in the Senate, that the prn- |
ciples upon which we stand are true princi- |
pies of the Constitution. Much applause. |
Fellow-citizens, | cannot enlarge. What do |
you think have done? appeal to yourselves |
whether / have not, with reasonable certainty, |
conclusvely, viii say, repealed the personal |
accusations against me Have not shown |
that neither | nor the Constitutional Demo
crazy indorse this dogma of the Territorial au-
thority to exclude slavery while in Terri
torial condition, and. that we have not broken
faith Have not shown that by the agree
ment at that time of the Passage Of the Kan
sas- Nebraska Bill, the Constitutional point was
to be left to the Supreme Court Have not
shown that the Supreme Court sustained our
construction of the Constitution Have / |
not shown that the agreement thus made has
been violated by the declaration that a subor-
Innate authority may have the Constitutional
right and exclude slave property, when the
Court saysit has not the power Who has
the ground or violated the agreee
nent Who has violated the agreement
have shown that pr nciples upon which
We stand, have been sanctioned by the practice
If the government; affirmed by the highest ,
Judicial tribunal in the world voted to be
rue by both political parties in Kentucky in {
1859 unanimously asserted by both branch I
IS of the legislature, and by an overwhelming i
majority of the whole Democratic party in
and declared by Mr.. Crittenden /
o be sound and true (Checrs.) think |
lave piled up pyramid of fact and argument ~
n support of these principles, which ought to
Commend itself to the grave consideration of i
very intelligent man; l have tried to do it
y legitimate facts and arguments. am not c
onscious Of having appealed to any prejudice I
II passion of any section. s
These principles, thus asserted, will give i
is harmony and peace. They will make each !
State in the Union feel that it is sister to /
very other, and every man will feel that he I
lands upon common footing with his brother
These principles have their root in the Con-
titution, and no party can be sectional which
maintains constitutional principles none I
lone I
Are we to be driven from their maintenance? !
S this State to be twisted around the finger I
t politicians as they would twist gum-elas 9
Is band upon their finger? Are the people |
f Kentucky to turn their back upon the prin- t
iples which last year they felt to be true p
Driven by loud and false clamor Are they {
o be bewildered and staggered by a cry from /
their right, and when Kentucky
5 asked to express her own opinion as to her I
lights, is the chivalry of the Commonwealth !
unk so low that she dare not assert it P
such were not the men who laid the founda-
ion of the State Such were not your faith S
k<,nIr h. 1a,l I 4
ion of the truth. The New England States
tigmatized them as disunionists but unde- !
erred they stood by their rights, and inaug-
rated political revolution that preserved the |
rue principle of our system. These were |
our fathers, the men of '98. Now in 1860. S
he issue is distinctly presented to you. VIII I
'ou express your own opinions of the equality I
t your own State in7 the Union Will you '
" your vote, assert your own rights in the t
The Supreme Court of the /
United States says you have them. You a
ourselves have said you have them. In t
very form in which you can express your G
opinion to the world you have claimed these I
lights. Here they are embodied in this plat $
orm of principles. Upon them are standing
men who you cannot deny to he true to them, /
nd whose loyalty TO the Constitution and I
he Union Of the country no man can success
ally attack Then will you fly from your
Iwn principles, as asserted by yourselves, at G
he elangor of bells and the clangor of un c
orators That is the issue presented 8
0 people Of Kentucky. sas c
TVoices-"Good,'' and much applause.
Fellow citizens, can you bearwith inc lit {
le longer -" - s.a-
"a yoice-"Yes, a week, go on III
You must allow me, therefore, to make a
ew remarks in q tone more subdued, and l {
must apologize toyou for the loose way in l
which am going on, snlitten as am by
sickness. e.sf
know of but one political organization be- I
ore the United States which asserts the prin-
,iples / have undertaken to vindiedte and de
end The Republican organization has taken
precisely opposite principles. They say we
ave no right in the Territories with our pro-
,erty. They say Congress has right to ex-
Jude it, and it is its duty to do so, and they !
ire willing to see the Territorial Legislature
10 it if Congress does not.
In regard to the Platform adopted by the
Convention which nominated Mr.. Bell, of