Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1860-04-06
political.
SPEECH OF
HON. JACOB C0LLAMER,

SLAVERY IN THE TERRITORIES.
DElURp w rHs SENATE OF ruE uNIrED srATEs
MAHcH 5, 1860
The Senate having resumed the considera-
ton Of the following resolutions, submitted
By Mr.. Brown on the 18th Of January:
Re,oired Th,t the Territories arc the common prop
crty u all the States aud that is the privilege Of the
c<ens " s the sta'es 20 go into the Territories with
cy kiai or description q property recognized by he
laws u of the States, and that Il Is the constitution
al duty Of the aw-maSug power Wherever lodged, and
hy whomsocycr exercised whether by the Congress the
Territorial Lerslature to enact such laws as may be
found necessary or the adequate and sufficient protec
Rs,oirsd That t6e Committee on Territories be in
struccd 10 insert n any bin they may report 1r the
ganzaon Of new leHtores, clause declaring t 20 be
the duty of thc Territorial Legislature TO enact adequate
and suh lent laws '' the protection Of all kinds n prop
criy above deseHhci within the limits Of the Terri.
tory and that upon iti failure refusal % do 80, IL is
the admitted iy Of Congress interpose and pass such
laws.
The question is on the amendment of Mr..
Wilkinson. 20 strike out all after the word
resolved, where it first occurs, aud insert
the following:
That the Tenriore, are the common property of the
people of the United States that Congress has iui pow
cr and authority 10 pass Az laws necessary and proper for
thr government of such Territories and that, in the
rrcse Of such il is the duty Of Congress to leg
sae in relation TO slavery therein that the interests of
free labor may he encouraged and protected in such Ter
rtories
Rr,oloed That the Committee on Territories be in.
sruccd to iuscr ia any bill they may report for the
Ranizaton of new Territories clause declaring that
there shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude
iu such Territories. except punishment for crime
whereof the party has been duly convicted
Mr.. CoLLAMER. Mr. President, the rcso-
lutons under consideration relate to the con-
diton Of slavery in the Territories and pro-
pose to provide legislation in relation to that
subject, especially legislation to protect and
preserve it there. The discussion on this
subject, as it begun and has gone on in
the Senate during the progress Of this sess-
ion, has taken very wide range. have no
fault to find with that; but it seems to me.
after all, that we might bring ourselves a lit
tie nearer to some practical application of
principles. When we consider the condition
of our country-l mean Of our whole country
1.-The condition Of society which exists in it,
and the adaptation Of our measures to that
condition of society, we may bring ourselves
to the practical application Of some important
principles.
Now, what is the state Of society here
Take our nation, for which we logslate, the
whole Of which is proper subject Of our
consideration, the whole Of which is to be
considered in measuring out our different de-
grees Of policy, and the measures calculated
to advance its interests. No legislation can
be valuable, unless upon the whole it is an
advantage to the country for which it Is made,
and we must consider the actual condition of
that country at the time, in order to sec the
practical application OF the measure we are
about to pursue.
We have, it seems, Mr.. President, two
conditions Of society existing in the country
that existing in the slaveholding States aud
that existing in the non-slaveholding States,
which /, for breyity, shall call, as they are
usually called, the free States which include
in round numbers. about two-thrds of the
inhabitants of this country, is based on this
idea, that all men are to be educated that
there is TO be universal suffrage that men
are TO be educated with view to discharge
this duty aud privilege of suffrage. When
our fathers at the East entered upon this OK
pertinent at first in New England, all the no.
tIons which had existed for ages in other re-
glons Of the world, in relation to landlord and
tenant, lord and yassal, patrician and plebian,
master aud slave, were entirely to be ohlter-
ated, and all the notions which had prevailed
too, OF primogeniture and Of entail. and every-
thing was calculated to perpetuate those dis
tinctions in society, were to be done away
with In short, they proposed, and the idea
they entertained was, to enter upon an ex-
pertinent Of free and equal system Of repub-
lican government that every man should
own the land he cultvales, and every man
should cultivate the land he owns that there
should be none to rule and mono to serve :
that every man should serve himself and then
he of course would have faithful servant.
That system is not merely ideal 1t prac-
tcally prevails through the large body of the
free States-not 50 much in the cities, not so
entirely in the more densely populated re-
gions but such is the actual condition of the
laLdholding part OF the people of the free
States. | will not spend time to elaborate
this system any more. do not propose now.
or at any other time in the course of NV re.
marks, to say anything to commend it partic-
ularly to the acceptance Of any one. | sim.
ply wish to state it, and briefly to describe it.
and there rest in relation to that.
The other condition of society, existing in
the slaveholding States of this Union,
would rather cite as described by another,
than undertake to do it mysolf Mr. Calhoun,
in 1887, said
MANY in the South once believed that il (savery) wa.
moral aud political evil that folly and deuson are
bon' see Il now in its true light, and regard It as
most safe and staple basis for free Institutions In m,
word. The southern States are an agpregate
IN iact OF communities, nptof individuals Every 9an
tsl'on Is hlte community with the master at lis head
who concentrates in himself the united interests ~ cani
tal and labor, Of which he Is the common
Inc small communities aggregated make he state /,
All whose action labor and capital equally represent
cd and perfectly harmoniled"
J am not about to make any remarks in re
iason to the question of whether this is de
srable or undesirable condition. | simpl,