The national Republican., 1861-02-09
In addition to the reasons already given, /

Constitution, providing against future aWehu-
men,s to that instrument, touching slavery IN
the States, not because l have any wish myself,
or because know of single Republican any
where who wishes or believes he has any right
to interfere with slavery in the States, but be
cause there is no need of such al amendment.
| am opposed to any alteration of the Constitu-
ton unless upon the most urgent necessity;
and then, never at the demand of those, or to
placate those who are in actual rebellion against
il. The Republican party, in their platform of
principles, are soemnly pledged against any
such interference or the belief in any right to
interfere with slavery in the States But am
further opposed to the amendment, because as
has been so well shown by the honorable chair
man of the committee, it is morally impossible
that slavery in the States should ever be inter.
fered with by any amendment to the Constitu.
ton. With no more slave States than exist to.
day. there must be .tortyJoe free States before
any such amendment can receive the sanction
of three tourths of all the States. And, lastly
| am opposed to it because it gives to slavery |
new and additional guarantees, which the illus
trious trainers of the Constitution did not think
necessary to insert in that instrument. They
were careful to exclude from the Constitution
the very word "slave : and they regarded sla.
very rs an institution which was inconsistent
with the great ideas upon which the Govern
ment was based, and which, at period not
very remote, would gradually be done away. |
am therefore unwilling to go further than they
went, in giving it constitutional sanction, espe.
cially as the workings of the system do not par
tcularly commend it to the enlightened civil.
zation and Christianity Of the age. What the
Constitution gives it, will give--no more, no
less.
Nor can admit the force of the appeal that,
because the people of the South have been made
to believe the falsehoods circulated there
against the Republican party, we must make
concessions that otherwise would be improper;
in order to appease their fury. Because the
leaders of the Breckenridge Democracy have
made the people of the South believe that Mr..
Hamn is mulatto, that Lincoln is in favor
of having the white people intermarry with the
negroes, and that the Republicans are to invade
their States with armies Of "Wide Awakes," and
set their slaves all free, shall not consent to
change the fundamental law of the land, and
thereby virtually admit the charges to be true.
Many of the Southern people are evidently in
that condition Of mind where they ''see men as
trees walking" They would not now believe
it, even if every Republican should vote in
favor of this proposition. prefer to wait till
the " madness" passes away, and then see if we
cannot reason together" If that time never
comes, it will not be my fault, nor the fault of
the Republican party.
Sir, | cannot svmpathize with the argument
of those who attempt to draw parallel between
the present condition of affairs in some Of the
Southern States and the revolt Of the colonies
against the Government of Great Britain. l
would not dignity the eau eess rebellion which
now exists among portion of the slaveholding
people of the country, so as to elevate it along
side of the great American Revolution, which
will forever stand forth as one Of the most sub
lime epochs in the history of the world. If,
every time discontented minority, after having
participated in an election, shall refuse to ac.
ouiesce in the constitutional result, and threaten
to pull down the pillars of the Government, we
treat them in the same way that Burke advised
towards the American colonies, how long will
it be before The great fundamental principle on
which this Government rests, to wit, that the
majority shall rule, would be trampled under
foot and the Government destroyed?
do not propose, Mr.. Speaker, to go into a
detailed statement of all the reasons which
operate on my mind against the admission of
New Mexico as a State. These are fully set
forth in the report which signed in conjunc-
ton with the gentleman from Wisconsin, Mr..
WAsHBURN.1 1t would be a sufficient reason
for voting against it, that, as a measure of peace
to those for whom it is intended, it will fail to
be satisfactory. If it fails to be acceptable to
the gentleman from Tennessee, moderate and
conservative as he is, do not think it will com.
mend itself to the people of his State, or those
of the other border States. But, my chief OBJ.
lection to it is, that it virtually surrenders (al
though covered up under specious dsguises)
the entire position of the Republican party in
reference to the extension of slavery into free
territory. When New Mexico was acquired
, it was free territory. Since then, through in
fuences from this capital and at the instga
, ton of prominent Southern men, slavery has
been established there, by the enactment of a
barbarous code, disgraceful to the civilization
, of the age.
BY the organic act of the Territory, Congress
has the reserved right to annul these laws, and
| at the last session bill to that effect passed
r this House, but failed in the Senate. By now
admitting her into the Union, on an equal foot
! ing with the other States, we in effect, approve
y this barbarous legislation, sanction the proceed
t ings which forced slavery into the Territory
e and bring her into the Union as slave State
t But it is said by some of those who advocate
c this measure that it will be free State. II thi
s is so, then it is no concession to the savehold
ing States; and it is absurd to suppose that Sc
r cession is to be prevented by the admission o
# another free State. No; if it comes in at all
f it comes as slave State, carved out of terrtor,
i, that is Free or which it is the duty of Congress
0 to make free. The same influences that estab
lished slavery there will also cause it to remain
9 1t is true there never may be but few slaves
t but STILL to all intents and purposes it will be
D a slave State. 40 this cannot consent; and
| only reiterate the language of Mr.. Clay, in
q one OF the last speeches he ever made when
/, declare that no earthly power can compel me
E to vote for the extension OF slavery over terri
f tory that is now feel"
e There are other and all-suiiicient reasons
a outside Of the slavery question, why New Mex
= leo ought not to be admitted as a State. He
4 system Of peonage, or "white slavery )" the pau
y city OF her white inhabitants the mongrel char
acter Of the mass Of her people, and their entire