Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-01-31
SPEECH
Hon. James Fl. Thomas,
OF TENNEssEE.I

80 foI;n,- sSould predominaie if possible; but
mnsl saw that the character of the debate which has
-Teceded hasnot been to my taste. Yet sir, we must
csrforrn ourselves to the circumstances by which
vsare surrounded; and, with q view Of discharg-
;nr nv duty, desire TO submit some remarks to
the consideration Of the committee upon the sub
lee. which now so seriously engrosses public at
tertion.
This question of slavery has ever been trouble
some to this country Yet our fathers we're enabled
to dispose OF IT. and 10 dispose of it in suchla way
secure. not cEy liberlies, bnt the establish
ment of 3 Government which has led to q happiness
and prosperity Of eur people unexampedin the his
tory of the human family. When the declaration
of Independence was framed, every State of this
Union wasa slasehslding State They went shrough
that war, 0nl this troublesome question troubled
not The council, the camp, or the battlefield. We
conducted that war to successful termination, and
to the establishment of our Independence In pro-
cess of time, when our convention assembled to
stablish constitution, had twelve slave States
and but one free State. There was then in the
northern mind a hostility to slavery.
We frequently hear from the other side of this
Chamber the position taken that they want to bring
back this Government to the principles of its faith
ers. Itwould be well for those gentleman who de-
sire to effect that object to look TO the spirit which
actuated those wise and patriotic fstbers of ours
while assembled in convention What do we find
them doing then? Why, sir, the slave trade was
then in existence, and was tolerated by many of
the States of this Union and some southern States
were averse to its abolition. We find that when the
first rough draft Of the Constitution was submitted
for discussion il gave Congress the pow
er to abolish the slave trade any time
after 1900 A proposition was then made
that that trade should be extended to 1903. Mary
land and Virginia voted against that extension. a.
distinguished member oftnat convention from Con-
nectieut Roger Sherman) said that the southern
tofo well nat
they would rather tolerate thesave trade than part
with two Siates-Georgia and South Carolina; and
on a vote upon the proposition to extend the slave
trade eight years, New Hampshire, Massachusetts
and Connecticut voted to give that extension, and,
by their votes, the proposition carried, and the
slave trade extended eight years beyond the time to
which sore of the slave States commended it should
be limited And now what do we see upon this &C.
oasion? Not single member from either of those
three States will tolerate a southern Sta In re-
moving single one Of those slaves, or their de-
scendan.s, which were imported during those eight
years. into any one of our Territories But we pass
on. We find that these fathers accommodated this
matter among themselves; and they established
Constitution which hes eminenty served its purposes
for nearly three qusrterc of a century.
What is the history Of the Government after
wsrdsi Your Washington, your first and greatest
President approved and signed bills to spprehend
fugitive slaves and to admit slave States into the
Union. Your second President, John Adams,
Of Massachusetts,, approved and signed fu-
gitive slave bill for the District of Column
bia,, and bills recognizing slavery in the south
western Territory. Your jefferson acquired the
territory of Louisiana, with all lis slave proper
ty, and he signed and approved o bill to regulate
the coast slave trade by which slaves were permit.
ted TO be taken from section of the Union to
another for sale And, sir, every President up to
the present hour has approved aud signed bills in
conformity to the views which ara commended for
upon the part of the South; and it is only within
the last few years that this opposition TO the inst
tuition of the South has advanced to its present for
midsble aud Threatening position. And why is it
Il may be traced back to a morbid-pardon me,
for intend 10 say nothing intentionally offensive
but, in my judgment, it may be traced back to
morbid sensitivsness upon the part of the north
ern mind upon this subject. This hostility to slaV-
cry in its origin attracted little attention at the
North and few gave countenRnce 10 it; but it gr8-
duay got irto the school-houses, into the school
books into the pulpit aud irtO all the various modes
of education, and into all the means nsed in the
formation Of the moral sentiments of the people
1t has been continued; and the present generation
have been brought up and educated from the nur-
sery in feeling of hostility to this institution
which was thus tolerated by the fathers of the Rsvo
luton in every State Of the Union. This system of
education has gone 90 until large majority of the
people Of the North have grown up TO manhood I'M
der such influence,
And what is the result! 1t has formed political
associations, and political party which now pro-
poses 10 take control of the Government Of the
country, and TO do l. upon the SINGLE isolated
idea o. hostility to Southern institutions. In 1856
this party first assumed prominent and threaten
iug attitude toward the South. And what do we
find them declaring upon that occasion? When
they formed the Republican party, in 1855, they
formed it without regard past political differences
and divisions. When they came to lay down their
prSp NJ u ut IA heir Al
doctrine. In that body we find men who had been
Wings Democrats, and Americans; men who had
belonged to all tae political parties CT the country
but all their past party predictions were 10 be
laid aside. and the party, without regard to
them, was TO be formed 1t was SO formed, and
their declaration was:
'ResoIped That the Constitution confers upon
Congress sovereign power over the Territories Of
The United States for their government, and in the
exercise Of that power, it is both the right and the
duty Of Congress TO prohibit in all the Territories
the twin relics of barbari.m-polygamy and
slavery"
In 1850 the same party again laid down their
platform, which as follows:
$50 That the normal condition of all the terrific
~ of the United States is that of freedom. That.
as our republican fathers, when they had abolished
slavery in all our national territory ordained that
no p.rsen should be deprived of life, liberty or
property, without due process eff law it becomes
our duty, by legislation, whenever such legislation
is necessary TO maintain this provision of the Con-
stitutioa against ali attempts 10 violate it; and
we deny the authority of Congress- CT Territorial
Legislature, of any individuals to give legal ez-
istence to slavery in any Territory in the United
STATES"
When that party, in 1860, in convention, came
to look out for representative of the principles
which they intended to inaugurste in the Govern
NEST, provided, they succeeded, it looked al over
the country for such individual. The two
most prominent aud eminent men who presented
themselves for that nomination were Hon. Mr..
Seward. of New York, and Mr.. Lincoln of the
State of Illinois. Upon the first ballot, Mr. Sew
ard received large plurality Of the votes. But
he was not nominated; and Mr.. Lincoln was
finally unanimously nomipsted and elected by
that party; and it is now openly declared to the
country that the former gentleman, Mr.. Seward,
is 10 be the prime minister of Mr.. Lincoln, the
successful candidate of the Republican party for
President. The gentleman eve their elevation
to office to their opposition to Southern institu-
tious They we're selected and voted for, not for
personal predictions but fer their devotion to
the doctrines which taey were known to have ad-
vocSted, and for opinions they were known to en-
terrain
Nov, call the attention of the committee and of
the country to what, in BRIEF these opinions
Mr.. Seward declares
Slavery can be limited to its present bounds
it can be ameliorated; it can be, and it must be
abolished and you and l can and must do it. The
task is as simple and easy It's cpnsumDston will
be benefcent, and its rewards glowing. It only re-
quirss to follow this simple rule CT action to do
everywhere and on every occasion what we can,
and not to neglect refuse to do what we can at
any time, because at that precise time, ana on that
particular OCCASION we cannot DO more Circum
stances determine possibilities"
Extend cordial welcome to the fugitive who lays
HE weary limbs at your door, and defend him as
YOU would your pRteInal gods.
Correct your own error that slavery has any
constitutional guarantees which may not be released
and ought not to re re,inquished."
You will bring the parties eff the country into
an effective aggression upon slavery"
Again, he declares:
''What 8 commentary upon the history of man is
the fact, that eighteen years after the death Of
John Quincy Adams, the people have for their stan
dard-beerer Abraham Lincoln, confessing the obli
atoms of the higher law, which the sage Of Gain
cy proclaimed, and contenaing for veal or woe for
life or death, in the irrepressible conflict between
freedom and slavery / desire only to say that We
are in the last stage of the conflict, before the great
-, al ;rou of II; ;Dto tha