Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1860-08-18

thls consiueraton lhere IS yet another,
third class, who ask none of these questions
and are moved by none of these cousidera.
tons political Gallios, perhaps, the gentle.
man from Ohio (Mr. Corwin) would call them,
who care for none Of these things To that
class, Mr. Clerk, | am glad to belong Out
de OF my own State and of her constitution,
| am neither pro-slavery nor anti-slavery; but
maintain, as was said upon a memorable occa.
sion, IA serene indifference on this subject
between these two sections And here stand
upon the ancient, safe, constitutional, peace
able ground Of our fathers. For many wears
after the foundations of this Republic were
laid by wiser and better men-partlon me.
gentlemen-than ] see around me, no man
ever thought Of testing any measure here by
its effects upon the institution of slavery
Never till the fell missouri question" reared
its horrid 'front.' begotten in New England and
brought forth in New York was slavery made
the subject Of partisan and sectional contro-
versy within this Capitol And we had peace
IN the land in those days, and patriotism and
humanity and religion and benevolence, faith
and good works We neither had nor deman-
ded then an anti-savery Constitution, an anti.
slavery Bible nor an anti-slavery God but
the Constitution of the land, the Bible of our
fathers, and that great and tremendous Being.
who, from eternity, has ruled in the armies of
heaven aud among the children of men,
Then, sir, ! am not northern man nor
yet a southern man but am a WESTERN MAN
by birth in habit, by education and although
still a United States man with United States
principles, yet within and subordinate TO the
Constitution, am wholly devoted to western
interests, Sir this is no enuciation of mine
here ! proclaimed it upon this floor one
year ago. and now congratulate myself and
the West in having found so able and elo-
quent coadjutor in the person of the dis
tnguished gentleman from the seventh dis
trict of Ohio, (Mr. Corwin.) Sir, | am of and
from the West; the great valley of the Mis-
sssippi; Of the free States of that valley seated
in queenly majesty at the head of the basin
of that mighty river yet one in interest and
one by the bonds of nature, stronger than
hooks of steel, with every other State in that
valley, full as it is, Of population and riches,
and eXultant now in the hour of her approach.
ing dominion. Seat yourself, denizen Of Il |
sterile and narrow but beautiful hills and va |
leys of New England, and you, too, of the |
great cities of the North, whose geography |
and travel are oircumsoribed by the limits of
a street railroad seat yourselves upon the |
summit of the Alleghanies, and behold spread |
out before you a country stretching from the |
to the Rocky Mountains-from the |
Gulf of Mexico TO the Canada frontier-with |
imitless plains, boundless forests, fifteen |
States, a hundred rivers ten thousand cities, |
owns, and villages, and twelve millions of
people. Such vision no man ever saw: no,
iot even Adam, when, In the newness and
grandeur of God-made manhood, he stood |
lpon the topmost hill Of Paradise and looked
iowD upon whole hemisphere of the yet un-
,eopled world, That sir, is my country; if
may speak it without profanity, Gods own
country yet, in this war of sections, | am of
hat valley
Mr. Clerk, when I came to this city two
ears ago, / brought with me an intense ma
ionality; but | had been here only little
While till | learned that a man without q sec
ION to cling to was reckoned but as a mere
ipher in the account; and from that hour,
ubordinate always to the Constitution, | be-
anne, and am WESTERN sECTIoNALIsT, and so
hall continue to the day of my death !,
co. propose, with the Leather Stocking of the
Prairie" to fight fire with FIRE. l learned
ere, Mr., Clcrk, that while there was North
nd a South, there was no West l found
Ter individuality sunk In the North saw
hat you Of New York and New England en-
ertained a profound respect for the citizen of
'outh Carolina or Georgia, STAKEHOLDER though
e might be, because he was east of the Alleg-
anes; and that you of Georgia and South
|arolina reciprocated the good opinion, aboli-
ion aside because the New Yorker and the
yankee lived very near 10 the rising
{ the sun while the western man was
ED to be n sort Of outside barbarian, very
sciulto count in trial Of numerical strength,
Of nI,., |
{ the great valley Of the Mississippi are per
etually ignored. Sir, if all this were done
{ studied purpose Il would at least be toler-
Bile but not so there is no design In It, 1t !
cool, silent, persistent, unobtrusive, but h
lost offensive dsparagement Gentlemen, q
ou do not know us. 1t is but few months .
go that great paper in the city of New
'ork spoke of Judge Douglas as attempting
and it was in the very capital of the State e
Ito impose his absurd theories upon the /
onest t5resters of Ohio" And about the 1
lme time another great paper in the North I
sferred TO Governor Chase as a public man :
mere provincial reputation.
But, gentlemen of the West, the day-spring
our deliyerance begins to dawn. Let us q
,joioe. The long period of minority is about Z
, terminate, Within the Union, after the
ext census, we of the Mississippi valley will
old in our own hands the political power and !
he destinies Of this country, and we will ad-
linister them for the benefit of the whole
Duntry The day of our political indepepd- 4
nee is right now, while | speak. If you of :
le North and Southeast will conspire, as for
he last seventy years, TO control the power
nd patronage Of this Government for your |
wn benefit, we Of the Mississippi valley will
)mbine TO rescue them from your hands. IflV
Du Of the whole North will continue your sec
onal warfare upon the whole South, know ye i
lat we Of the Northwest hold the political bal
noe Of power between you, and that We win
Sc il to crush out and annihilate forever the (
naticism and treason which are threatening y
ow to oyerspread the whole North, and very
,eedily to destroy this Republic We will DO :
'nored no longer Aud here let me warn the Il
epublican Representatives from the West,
lat they have loaned themselves too long al :
'ady to this proud and domineering North
on permit yourselves TO be identified with
e North, aud to make common cause with
er against slavery. Chi bono? Not yours
! mol You help TO win the fight you make
lod soldiers--excellent food for powder-but 4
lur northern officers and northern masters =
III divide the spoils When WILLIAM II. SEW
lD threatens the South with the power and
Of the North, he means you; but
hen he would distribute office and patronage b
will know no West Some Of you dream
at your Governor Chase win be the cand-
lte Of the Republican party for the next Pres N
ency Miserable infatuationl Cease, then, y
beseeeh you, this unmanly yassalage to the
orth. II you will not hearken to the voice
patriotism, listen at least 10 the demands of G
denendence and aelcr If vot will ha