Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1860-03-17
"THE CALHOUN REVOL U7ION. ITS OASIS
AND ITS PROGRESS"

AND ITS PROGRESS"
The Hon. ]. r. Doolittle of Wisconsin de-
livered speech in the United States Senate on
the Sd of January last, upon the subject which
forms the heading to this article. He was Of
ten interrupted during its delivery, so that the
entire speech seems to be made up of the inter-
rogatories and replies of some half dozen
different persons; just as some public lectures
of the present day are delivered by the actors
of theatrical stock company. Among those
who took part in this speech was the Hon.
Mr.. Mason of Virginia, who made the follow
ing remark, uttered with all the solemn gravity
due to such a new political creed -
81 believe" said the honorable Senator
'that because of the aggressons committed by
the servile States, commonly called the free
States, upon the condition of African bondage
in the South, the mind of the South has been
more turned towards it, and by reason of that
further consideration, moro delberation, pom
dering more deeply upon, the relations subsist-
ing between the African race in this country
and the white race, the opinion once entertain
ed, certainly in my own State, by able and dis
tinguished men and patriots, that the condition
uf hfrioetr sia'sIy was uvplvreu
than to be fostered, has undergone a change,
and that the uniform-I might almost say uni
versal-sentiment in my own State upon the
the subject of African bondage is, that it is a
blessing to both races, one to be encouraged.
cherished and fostered; and to that extent the
opinion of Virginia is different from the opin-
ion entertained by those distinguished men who
have now gone, but who, we believe best knew
ing their sentiments, if they lived in this dav.
would concur with us That is the present
opinion"
1t will be perceived that these sentiments are
very carefully and deliberately expressed; as if
the speaker was venturing step upon new and
untried ground, and had to be cautious to see
that he planted his foot firmly, so that he might
stand at last in becoming attitude upon the
lofty platform to which he aspired in the con-
sequences that might follow such tremendous
announcement it behooved the Senator to see
that the dignity of Virginia should not suffer
by the new position in which he was about to
place her, and that the lions skin which he has
so often displayed to the terror of Liberty.
should not be found patched up with the foxs
tail
Mr. Mason, however, is not very well ca]cu-
lated to excite the luticrous; he is too dull and
heavy to be ridiculous; his genius is of that
character which begets rather weight and on
preston of spirits than laughter or entertain
ment His simple order of tactics in irving to
wrest the weapons of his adversary to his own
uses and the throwing of the mantle of Virgin
las former glory over her short comings and
growing frailties of the present day, seem to he
the full extent of his capacity. Whet for in
stance, could be more puerie or less becoming
the dignity of Senator than to term the free
States of this Union "seryiie Sta:es?" Such
tactics, it is well known, is the last resource Of
weakness, echoing back upon Others the asscr.
tons that are only true of itself
The honorable Senator is certainly very hold
that is, If personal character is of any value
His deliberate averment that the almost uniyer-
sal sentiment of his own State is that African
slavery is blessing to be encouraged cherished
and fostered, would not, in our opinion, be sus-
tanned by facts. AS represented by him, such
doubtless, is the sentiment of Virginia; but in
other respects, we believe that there are a great
many persons in that State who are opposed to
slavery, but who from the despotism of the
opinion around them are kept down, and are
anxiously longing for some such decisive action
on the part of the free States as would enable
them to throw of the yoke Of their oppressors.
To suppose that the miserable, short-sighted
policy by which the politicians of the slave
States sought some thirty years ago to put q
check to the advancement of free institutions
and human progress, has had such an effect as
to reduce the whole high-minded State of Vir-
ginia within that period to so low level Of
servility as to entirely change her sentiments
from freedom to slavery, is an admission of the
evil consequences of that course Of policy of
the most humilating kind which even its op-
posers would hardly even venture to aver. No
rapid as undoubtedly is the degeneracy of a
people when it once commences, we, for our
own part, are not prepared to believe that a
whole community of the Ango-Saxon race,
whose instincts are all for freedom, and whose
sentiments Of honor were drawn from the noble