Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1860-09-19
A SCENE IN CONGRESS IN 1926.


. Thirty-thre years ago, a New England Rep
resentative made his first essay In the halls
Congress. And what think you, was the frs
subject of his eulogy Was it Liberty?
Most surely son of the Pilgrims who
within stones throw of Bunker Hill, hao
seen, for years, the morning and the evening
| sunshine resting upon its green summit-a
| representative of 'the old Bay State before
whose free and glorious charter Slavery was
| cast down, like Dagon before the Ark of Is
rael-must have offered his earliest gift upon
the altar of Human Freedom. He LAID 1T ON
THE ALTAR OF SLAVERY!
| s'Sir," said he, addressing the speaker, 81
am no soldier. NY habits and education are
| very unmilitary but there is no cause in which
| would sooner buckle knapsack on my back
and put musket on my shoulder, than that of
| putting down seryile insurrection at the
South ssThe great relation of sERvITUDE,
in one form or other, with greater or less de-
parture from Heoretic equality Of men, is insep-
ard6le from our nature ssDomestic slavery
is not, in my judgment, to be set down as an
Immoral or irreligious relation" ssThe slaves
of this country are better clothed and fed than
the peasantry of some of the most prosperous
states of Europe.''
He was followed by the Hon. Mr.. Mitchell,
OF Tennessee-the representative of a slave
holding State, who said ssSir, do not go
the length of the gentleman from Massachu-
,
In this country, is almost A BLESSING. On the
contrary, l am firmly settled in the opinion
that it is great curse-one OF the greatest
evils that could have been interviewer into our
system. l, Mr.. Chairman, am one of those
whom these poor wretches call master feed
and clothe them well; but, yet, alas they
are s[ares, and slavery is curse in any shape.
1t is no doubt true that there are persons in
Europe far more degraded than our slaves,
worse fed, worse clothed, &c.-but sir, this is
far from proving that negroes ought to be
slaves"
John Randolph, Virginian and slave
holder, fastened his keen eye upon the recre-
ant New Eng lander, and exclaimed in tones of
bitter scorn and contempt "Sr, / envy
neither the head nor the heart of that man
from the North who rises here to defend sla-
very upon principle
The guilty apologist for slavery, rebuked
thus by the very men whose favors he had
courted, endured all this in silence, without a
word in explanation or defence.
Stung to the quick by the ignominy and
disgrace thus brought upon the representatives
of the North by one of their own members,
Churchill G. Cambreling, of New 7 ork, now
arose:
1.-The gentleman from Massachusetts, he
said, "has gone too far. He has expressed
opinions which ought not to escape without
animadversion. 1 heard them with surprise
and regret. 1 was astonished to hear him de-
clare that slayery-sdomestic slavery, say what
men will, is condition of life well any
other, to be justified by morality, religion, and
international law and when, at the close of
his opinions, he solemnly declared that this
was his confession of faith, l lamented, sim
cerely lamented, that
''Star eyed science should have wandered there,
To bring us back the message of despair
elf, sir, amid the wild visions of German
philosophy, L had ever reached conclusions
like this- if in the Aue of Gottingen had
ever persuaded myself to adopt political
maxim so hostile to liberal institutions and
the rights of all mankind, would have locked
it up in the darkest chambers of my mind.
Or, if my zeal had been too ardent for my
discretion, this place, at least, should never
have been the theatre of my eoquence. No,
sir; if such had been my doctrines, would
turn my back forever on my native land. Fol-
lowing the course of the dark rolling Danube,
and cutting my way across the Euxine, / would
have visited a we'll known slave market of
Constantinople, and there preach my doctrines
amidst the rattling chains of the wretched
captiyes. Nay, sir, would have gone from
thence, and laid my forehead upon the foot
stool of the Sultan, and besought him to set
his foot upon my neck, as the lecreant citizen
of a recreant repubic!''
The scorching words of Cam breling fell like
a rain of fire upon the northern advocate of
slavery but he covered under the rebuke,
and remained silent.
Who was that degenerate son Of the Pill
grims Who was it that thus heaped imfamy
upon his birthplace Who was it that thus
bowed himself to the ssstrange gods" of the
south-the Baal and the Moloch of slavery 2
That man was EDWARD EVERETT.