Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1861-02-28

|
eral Government, and taken the pro perty and
money, and who had fred upon an unarned
vessel bearing its flag in the view of these
thins, and as long as they continued in their
present condition, let there be no compro-
mise, or if there must be let him be "coun-
ted out" as one all the way to the end, Not
conf iaing his views to the Executive, and the
people who had raizsd the standard of rebell-
ion, be they many or few, he had no compro-
mise to offer, and no terms to talk about
None. Never. until they had dofed their
cockades and hauled down their Palmetto
and their Pelican flags. and wore, not the
citizenship, of men subject to the laws. De
struction rsigned in these very States where
a majority of the people are loyal to the Con-
stitution and the Union. There were other
States, however. the people of which had the
strongest and most obvious incentive to
launch in the tide Of secession. They are
connected socially, politically. geograpb-
really and commercially, with community
against whom an irreyerence to the Cons til
tuition and hostility to the Union had gone
50 far that fealty to the General Government
had been made punishable with DEATH In
those States tive parties existed, one in favor
of disunion, and the other persistently oppo-
sed the conclusions, to go out or to remain
in, if they were waiting to be coaxed-if that
was so, if the people of any State were to be
rafled for by the Government, he for one
would decline to take any part ia such trans
actisn. He would not see the Government
go into an auction room to bid for allegiance.
If they were to be coaxsd into wedlock, he
would prefer the feeling Of the old oouqueror
With regard to his daughter, and of whom
the poet sung:
warrior 81 ould her bridegroom be
Since maids were best in battle wooed,
And won mid shouts of victory.
This was the way be would prefer to WOO
those States who stood wavering, and who
wanted to be coaxed into the Union. Dan
gers existed in Deleware, Maryland, Virgin.
ia. Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, and
North Carolina. In those States public yir.
tue still lived, and the patriotism and genius
of her sons was exhibited during this debate.
And now, in this great struggle, they found
them not; only maintaining their own posi-
ton in the storm, but inspiring others with
their spirit; and yet they promised TO give
all the help they can [applause] to stem the
current Of revolution, and to roll back the
tide Of sectional madness and egotism which
prevailed in other States. Not that he be-
leived 1t would avert the spread of disunion,
or even narrow it. They would, however,
make what concession they might to show
that they had not stood idle spectators while
the ship was drifting on the rocks, which
would show that they did not stand uninter-
estsd spectators while the harpies on shore
attempted TO destroy the eagle on the seas,
concessions which would saow that they were
anxious to avert civil war until af;er they
had exhausted every expedent and employ
ed every fair means to secure peace But
who could compute the consequences, or
count the disasters of granting to Slavery all
the possessions hereafter TO be acquired p
Who could p-edist the disasters which might
arise in making Slavery the golden promise
embodied in the Crittenden proposition Vi
further empire? To do this would do to
make the Government the armed missionary
of Slavery, and would amount to covenant of
war against every people and tribe and State
owing foot of land between here and Del
Fuego. He would vote for all the provisions
declaratory of the duty to observe all consti>
tutional pledges. Hs would vote for even an
amendment to the Fugitive Slave law, provi-
ding they could have two amendments-
There was provision proposed for transfer
ring from the Government of State to Fed
eral Judges the duty of surrounding fugi-
tiyes from justice. He could not vote for
that. The blame was not that the constitu.
tional guarantees were not sufficient, but
that the people would not observe them. If
they were not observed now how could they
expect them to be observed when altered p
There would still be provisions as dangerous
as those new existing, and as accessible to
the Punic faith of the Free States. He would
leave the Constitution as il was. IF they
should alter it, if the American people tam-
per with that liberty bestowing instrument
some Gibbon, or, better still, some Dante
would immortalize .he crime. Some limner,
with internal pencil would group in the
picture, horrible in til cir resemblance to the
actors Of the day, and hang it in the sky, full
in the view of those who shall hereafter tread
the corridors of time The people of the
North were boace- loving and brave people.
and would cling to the last to the institutions
of their country, with an attachment almost
idolatrous, so would the people of the great
State of New York, with her 100000 of in
habitaEts. So did her Legislature, as testi-
fed in their late message to the Government
in relation te the action Of these men, who
were now embracing the pillars of the Re-
public that they might tear down the temple
Of liberty. These men would sustain the su-
premacy of the Government, and defend it
against all new commers. The men of the
North believed in this Government as their !