The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1861-02-26

man soul II is the hight Of self defense; n
1 right TO resist oppression sud redress wrong
It AS expressive Of the right and duty Of ,evo
luton, our fathers borrowed from one of Eng
lands hero martyrs the watchword, "Rcsl,t
9 ance TO tyrans is obedience to God The,
n graved those thrilling words upon their guns
n and read them by the urid light Of hatle.--
e God forbid that | should deny the people
= right of revolution.
q "sk gentlemen, when they talk about rcv
f oluton without cause, to remember that thcr,
is II grievance in this land which might, tl
D possibility, justify rcyolu lion. That grievauc
e is not Inflicted by lie General Government
. but by State governments anl State organiza
tions, refer, sir, to that great wrong VIII 'cl
dooms four million men and their Ae>ccudant,
forever to aljcct servilude. Consider thi,
? giant wrong, how i, blasts the hopes and
cuNhcs ont the life Of it, victim. The letter
ed page Of material, the ilumined page of in
tolI"ctual and immortal life are not for him
The gIeat Iaw OF human progress is not iol
him. knowledge, that knowledge which i,
power and which teaches men and nations
how TO live, is not for him; the sarcitcs Of
home, IT. caIc and culture, which nttune the
heart To he 9onleSt ard Sweetest oha,itivs uf
life, are not for him. Beneath the crushing
weight Of this non dcspotism, 1t is only left for
him to sink down to level with the creeping
things Of the dust, to become that sad and
shattered wreck of humanity which, for wa' t
Of a better word, we call slave; n thing Of
trade, with no Acknowledged rights in the
present, with no hope Of heritage in the
great hereafter, TO whose dmkencd soul the
universe il voiceless, and even God himself
seems silent
II that day comes-which pray may not
comc-when the hight Of revolution shall be
asserted in the redress Of thi, great wropg, |
could only say with your own jefferson, pow
speaking t. us from his quie. gave upon the
hcrghrs Of Monticello, IL remble for my couU-
try when | rClccl that God is just and that
he has not an aluibutcN hich will sllow Him
to take sides with the aggressor in the con-
tiwt."
pray gentlemen who favor revolution for
the overthrow of the Union and the Consti
''.".. e. 'ho Iu''t',.s- .-.' e - ..-..' ' ..
of civil and religious liberty which onr fathers
klndled uporour altars, not to + rget tha, in
the Union is our strength and our safety
Let us not in our madness throw away the
shield Of our defense, and Xclangc its peace.
ful remedies for the dread arbirament of the
sword. lest G. in his anger ''shCuld laugh at
our calamity, and mock when our fear comcth.
But, sir, because scccSsib is threatened and
attempted without ju>tifabe cause, we are
told on all sides Of the House we must com.
promise, we must coLcede. Compromise what
Coucodc what? Compromise the Constitu.
ton ana concede the right of rebellion! -
In u &,
promises proposed will stay the revolution or
save tie Unionl
The compromises proposed and reported ny
the committee Of irty-thrcc, aud now under
consideration, are as follows:
/. An amcrdmen, to the Constitution, to
the effect that n amendment having for lis
object any interference with slavery IN the
States shall ever be made, unless the same
shall originate wiki slave State AID be as.
sculcl 10 Iy all the States.
g An act for the admission Of \. Mexico
rs a Slave State, without furtl er action Of
Congress
3. An amendment Of the fugitive slave
law, so that it shall be II ore efficient for the
arrest Of fugitive slaves.
4. An amendment or The act for the rem
ditiou of fugitives from Justice, so as to give
the Federal courts exclusive jurisdiction, aud
make the indictment prina f1cie evidence
against the accu'cd.
In my Judgment, under the Cous,ration Of
he United States, this Government has pow
cr to interfere with slavery in ,he States to
thl, extent:
l. BY dir:ct capitaton tax apportore1
among the several Stat upon the basis of
theiIIcprcscut,tive population which includes
three titths OF their sIavos as persons.
2. BY emaucip. ting tie slaves in time Of
war, anl in the exercise of tie war power
vested without limitation in this Government.
Th' first of these propositions rests upon
the express terms Of the Constitution. Ia
support Of the second, adopt tie words Of
Mr.. John QHiucy Adams. in his speech on lho
war with Great Britain and Mexico Mr.
Adams says:
4 would leave that institution l,laveryl 10 the
exclusive consideration and management OF the
states peculiarly interested IN il ust D. long
rs they can keep with their owns bounds =
Il believe that, 80 long thu slave states able
10 sustain their institutions without going ahrond or
calling upon OjtCr parts of the Union To ard them
ac' On The suiirr 50 long viii curst nj heNrr t. in
ttrirr-.' But II tley come to .
She free states. aud ,ay 90 them, You must help
rpcliun and clyll war then, say, viii, that call
comes il anl rlcuary power to this lous" AMI the
senate over tn" ~ ,lr suhlo,t. Il Is Il war power -
u lay tn, down q, ih" hw uf uG-
tIuu-. 80 r rooIi's beiuc
ttgr 'Uti the Stnlrs wlrrr .,a,cry exists have the
exclusive manau' 'uout of the subject not only the
Ircsdrut ul th, uited states, hui tho commander
oi tle Army has iul power ~ order tho universal
emauC patton OF the s.lI,s.'
will not consent to put into tho Con>li'u
ton an amendment which. 10y CONSTRUCTION,
forced though 1t may lie, may lie held cthcr
to exempt the slave States from tie payment
Of their fair proportion Of taxes, OF 10 limit the
war powers Of this Government.
But, sir, aside from these considerations, !
oppose tbs amendu,cut On higher g,ouuds.-
1t is proposition to bind the twenty million
frccncn in tie North forever, or daring the
pleasure or the slave States and Of each Of
them, TO keep ward and watch over -four mil.
lion men, and doom them and ,Leir pos'eriry.
from age to age, 10 a CRUSHING dcspolism.--
That Amendment, if adopted, will startle the
civilized world l. is written conspiracy
against the liberties of -four million men, md
their descendants forever. Thereby the frce
men of this Iaud agtc, to lock hands, and BY
their combined power declare that deiNciarcc