The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1860-03-28

Delivered in the Senate OF the y Onlted
States, February 20, 1860.
Mr. PRESIDENT IL trust 1 shall be
pardoned for few remarks upon so much
of the Senator's speech as consists in an
assault on the Democratic party, and es-
pecialy with regard to the Kansas Ne
braska bill, of which Was the responsi,
bic author. 1t has become fashionable
now. a-days for each gentleman making q
speech against the Democratic party to
refer to the Kansas Nebraska act as the
cause of all the disturbance that have
since ensued. They talk about the re-
peal of 10 sacred compact that had been
undisturbed for more than quarter Of q
century, as if those who complained of
that violation of faith had been faithful to
The provisions to the Missouri comprom-
ise Sir, wherein, consisted the necessity
for the repeal or abrogation of that act,
except it was that the majority in the
northern States refused to carry out the
Missouri compromise in good faith? l
stood willing to extend it to the Pacific
Ocean, and abide with it forever, and the
entire South, without one exception in
this body was willing thus to abide by it;
but the free soil element Of the northern
States was so strong as to defeat that
measure, and thus open the slavery cues
tion anew The men who now complain
of the abrogation of that act were the
very men who denounced it and denounc-
ed all of US who were willing to abide by
it so long as it stood upon the statute
tbook and we were trying to carry it out.
Sir it was the defeat in the House of
Representatives of the enactment Of the
hill to extend the Missouri compromise
to the Pacific Ocean, after it had passed
the Senate en- my own motion, the con-
troversy of 1850, which was terminated
by The adoption Of ;hc measures of that year.
We carried those compromise meas
ures over the bend of the Senator from
New York and his present associates.
We, in those measures, established great
policy. rebuking his doctrine of inter"
vention By the Congress of the. Ucited
States to prohi,i, slavery in the Terrific
, ries. Both parties, in 1852, pledged
. themselves 20 abide by that principle, and
thus~stood pledged not to prohibit sla
very in the Territories by act of Con
gress. The Wing party affirmed thai
pledge, and so did the Democracy. La
n 1854 we only carried@out, in the Kansas
: Nebraska act, the same principle that haC
v been affirmed in the compromise measure
o of 1850. Irepeat that their resistance
o to carrying out in good faith the settle
It ment of 1920. their defeat Of the bill 70
/ extending it to the Pacific Ocean, wa
e the sole cause of the agitation of 1850
q and gave rise to the necessity of estab
y fishing the principle Of non>interventio
y by Congress with slavery in the Territories
Of Hence ] am not willing 20 sit here an
he allow the Senator from New York, wit
all the weight of authority he has with tn
powerful party of which he is the heat
to arraign me and the party to which
belong with the responsibility for thu
t. agitation which rests solely upon him an
a. bis associates. Sir, the Democratic part
of was willing to carry out the compromis
IL in good faith Having been defeated
that for the want of numbers, and havin
40 established the principle of non-intervel
i'll tion in the compromise measures of S5:
Of in lieu of it, the Democratic party fro
be that day to this has been faithful to II
v new principle of adjustment. Whatev'
r.. agitation has. grown out of the questio
ke since. bas been occasioned by the resiS
tn ance of the party of which that Senate
he is the head, to this great principle whic
of has been ratified by the American pc
.rs pie. at the two Presidential elections.
ne he was willing to acquiesce in the solen
er and repeated judgment of the America
Nv people to which he appeals, there won
to be no agitation in this country now.'
ne But, sir, the whole argument of tn
he Senator goes far beyond the question
slavery even in the Territories His e
YES tire argument rises on thesassumption th
ed the negro and the white man were equ
III. by divine law, and hence that all laws al
to. constitutions and governments in viol
nd tion of the principle of negro equali
m. are in violation Of the law of Cod. Th
in is the basis upon which his speech res
,ou He quotes the Declaration of Indepe
md deuce to show that the fathers of tho Re
rth olution understood that the negro "
OTIS placed on an equality with the white ms
the by quoting the clause, 1--WE hold the
red truths to be self evident, that all men {
ash created equal, and are endowed by tn
the Creator with certain inalienable rigl
ipg among which are life, liberty, and
hot pursuit of happiness" Sir, the doctr
ery of that Senator and of his party is-a
ON. / have had to meet it for four years-tl
all the Declaration of Independence inter
the ed to recognize the negro and white N
md as equals under the Divine law, and hel
row that all the provisions of the Constitut
ex. of the United States which recogn
uld slavery are in violation of the Div
the law. In other words, it is an argum
,or. against the Constitution of the Uni
States, upon the ground that it is C
trary to the law of God. The Sena
i, from New York has long held that d
tEe trine. The Senator from New York