Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1861-02-08
Mr.. Etheridge's Speech.

vi W CuhSsuays W 4' A'NbS
Tennessee, as follows:
He asserted, what was matter Of his
tory, that every solitary act Of the Con.
Stitution was ordained after public dis.
cussion, and was voted for by statesmen
of the south, and either passed by them
or received the sanction and approval OF
their states; and the very policy under
which Lincoln should be inauguaied was
the very policy of the Demoersic party
of the south, and which they gaze to the
country, and demanded and 'eceived
their approval The House knw that
when the government was ordainet when
the Declaration of Independence was
proclaimed that our Western boundary
was the Mississippi river, and he assrted
that very day, at the instance o. the
South, at the instance of the slave bld-
ers, the area of the government had een
enlarged and expanded. Every fot of
soil that had been acquired at the in
stance Of the South, the North with its
numerical power and strength overslhd-
owing the South, has willingly yieldd.
Florida and Louisiana had been tins
purchased at the instance of the Souh.
Florida had been purchased at a cost pf
$4,000, 900, and at a cost Of S50,00G-
900 more to remove the savages, millions
more to build Notifications and towns
along the deep to guard Southern TOM
merce. And after all this, little Florida,
with less than half the population she
represented, goes out of the Union,
with the fortifications, with the public
lands, with untold millions, and, worse
than all, carries with her the prestige Of
the unity of these states. Little Florida
secedes, which could not at this moment
protect herslf from the alligators Without
the aid of the Federal troops-Qaugh-
ter)-this very Florida, purchased at the
instance of the South, with Northern
money and Northern blood.
He then noticed the annexation of
Texas, also at the instance of the South,
and paid an eulogy to Governer Houston
Of that State. In 1850 the South de-
manded fugitive slave law. They had
got that They first demanded the Mis-
souri, Compromise. They got it. They
then demanded its repeal, They 60.
that. They had demanded nothing which
they had not got But now they de-
mand that slavery should be protected
in every inch of the Territories of the
United States. But that question was
decided against them, in a most unmis-
taxable manner, at the ballot box and
even the southern states themselves had
pronounced against that demand The
government had been in operation nearly
eighty years, and up to this time no
member Of Congress had even so much |
as introduced bill to protect slavery
in the Territories. But now they pro-
posed to dissolve the Union because a |
vast majority of the people had replied
to their demand for protection of slaves
in the Territories that all they should ev-
er have was non-intervention. And that
was all they would obtain. One disu-
nionist said that he wanted protection for
slavery for the purpose of expansion,
that slavery was increasing and that in
fifty years they would have twenty mil
lions of negroes, and consequently they
must have room to expand. But the
truth was that they needed no expansion,
and if they did even, they could not get
It. But, as he said before, Congress
should adjourn the quarrel to the people,
and if they failed to do so, in less than
eighteen months it will adjourn ITSELF
He, for one was not afraid to trust the
people, and that appeal must be made.
In answer to Mr. Vallandigham, he said
hat, so persistent had been the misrep-
and misappr tensions of
men throughout the Union with regard
o Northern men and the principles of
he Republican party, that the people
If the South were willing to believe
lie. 1t was amatter of history that few
weeks ago a gentleman (Col. Memmin-
,er) proclaimed from the steps of the
.apitol of AIilledgeville to gentlemen,
awyers, doctors, shortboys, and every.
,ody that stood around, that Hannibal
Iamlin, or, as he was called there Can
iibal Hamlin, was a mulatto that the
North had elected an Abolitionist to be
President and a mulatto to be Vice Pres
dent.
Mr.. Leaks (Dem., Yo.) asked wheth-
r Mr.. Etheridge was speaking on the
ide of the North or on the side of the
outh.
Mr.. Etheridge-I am speaking on that !
de which has few representatives on {