The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1861-03-15

t
signed their names and affixed their seals TO
it.
Now, what is proposed by all tho meas
ures that hHvo becn suggested to euro this
difficulty The Constitution is TO be revised
and reformed in some way or othor, so as
to accommodate il to the present necessities
of slavery. Lot US look vt one of tine prom
| ositions brought forward hero by tho COM
mitoo of thirty.thrcc. voted against rails.
ing that committee. l was satisfied then,
as ! am Satisfied now, that it was measure
| pregnant with nothing but mischief; and !
believe we have not yet experienced u tenth
/ of the mischief to which the raising of that
committee must inevitably give rise. Hero
| is one OF the propositions that are made to
heal tho wounds of tho Union made by the
| election of II President of the United States
strictly in accordance with tho Constitution
of tho United States:
"Art. IL. No amendment Of this Con-
sttution, having for its object any inter.
ference within tho States with tho relation
between tbeir citizens and those described
10 section second CT tho first article of tho
| Constitution as 'all othor persons" shall
originate with any State that does not
recognize that relation within its own limits
or shalt be valid without the assent of every
one of the States composing the Union."
Now, sir, State mny, and, in tho course
of evonts. inevitably must, become weary Of
slavery. II may become Improbable; it
may become destructive to tho border slave
States. Open tie African slave trade, and
how speedily will slavery become nuisance
and n curse to those States! Continue the
system of smuggling that is now carried on
and let it increase, as it has increased FOR
! . InRN al H..
I States will find no market for their surpue
slaves. Tnen they must dosire, above al
things to be rid of that ruinous system.-
Let them DO bowed down under this weight
of slavery. and yet bo unable, of thensel ves
to effect on emancipation. it being 200 diff
cult measure for them to carry furwart
themselves lot tbom long to ask for the aid
of the Federal Government or of their fol
low States and yet this proposition cuts
uff all powor in those States to relieve theil
burdenod and ruined brethren. Any State
that has half u dozen slaves NAV put It's
veto upon tho notion of Congress, and OF
! the several States, in aid of such State, OF
to lift that burden which is crushing it ia
the dest.
Sir, can wo vote for such proposition
Is there anything in tho character, or con.
ditons, or relations of slavery, that impose
this necessity upon us; that forbids us to
help those who want help; that forbids us
to be generous or noble. hearted towards oui
slater States which desire and need our aid
The heart of tho phlanthropist may break
to give delvorance, but noro shall be granted
Tho noblest impulses of tho human heart
wither and die under this most heartloss
and needless and wicked provision. Sir
there never was, in the history of legislation
proposition so utterly indefunsibIo rs this;
and yet this is to be- tho great cure-all for
the disease of tho nation at tho present
| time.
| Now, after these loose remarks wish to
turn tho attention of tho llOuse for fow
moments,to the successive salvations of this
Union. In 1920. as We all know. the con-
trOversy as to tho admission of tho Stato OF
Missouri into tho Union with sluVury, pro.
duccd great excitumont between the two
sections Of tho nation. We were told that
few patriotic men-good men, mon whom,
| ! was trained to venci alto as tho foremost OF
their race-came forward and proposed to
draw q limo between freedom und slavery
to give tho south of that limo to slavery. aud
the north of that limo to freedom. That,
tor the time being, did allay tho excitement
on the subject of slavery, then porvading
! luC lV Jury IL Wdo tHeu buppOeCu tHd'
that would be tho last of tho struggle bo
tween freedom aud slavery. All the terri
tory thon belonging to tho United States
had it's Status fixed by that compromise
One part of il was appropriated to freedom
and tho other to slavery.
I Well, matters ran along up 10 1854, ant
then it was found by the Constituiion-mon
pers that tho very means which saved the
Union in 1920, was destroying it in 1854
After all, the Union was not saved it was
discovered, by tho professional Union savers
that this great hcaing measure OF our
fathers was unconstitutional; that, as a law
upon the statute. book, it was degrading and
unjust TO tho South. AS a substitute fol-
this provision, tho "groat principle of squat
tor sovereignty" was invented, which was to
determine tho fate of aii tho States that
might be carved out of the Territories bo.
longing to tho Union. We'll, sir, after a
struggle unprecedented in the history ol
Congressional procedure, that question was
settled. Then the great root of bitterness
was extracted, 'grubbed up" and cast out
and we were told that we wero TO enjoy q
millennium of peace, which was to reign
over us and our children, down to the latest
generation.
But what was tho result 7 After stirring
up this mischief, the blood was bubblng and
boiling and scething throughout the entire
ConfeGeracy and from that hour there has
not been moment of peace within the
Union, nor is lhcre likoly to DO until we
como to another salvation of the Union
After eight years trying of that salvation,
we arc now to have another. Aud who iE
10 bring this great salvation to the Union
What propositions arc there set forth among
our wise men, our prudent men, our con
servative men, as they call themselves
What do they propose Anything that il
calculated TO allay this conflict between
freedom and slavery-that 'irrepressible
conflict" which was said to havo boeu in
vented by Senator Seward in 1854 No
| sir; no Senator, no Representative, no law
yor, 10 Clergyman, no layman, has ever
OWNED the period when that 'irrepressble
conflict" commenced. There exists, and
always has existed, Il warfare between free
dom and bondage, slavery and liberty, SC
irreconcilable that they cannot DO mado IA
work harmoniously. They never have done
so heretofore. and they never will do sc
hereafter. No, sir. Slavery has destroyed
freedom in every nation where it has been
tolerated it has been permitted to work
out its legitimate fruits. ! know We are
told by the advocates of this system that
slavery has existed in all parts and ages oil