Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1857-1865, 1861-01-04

Is il upon the general principle Of humanity, then
that you Undressing Republican Senators] wish TO
put end to slavery, or is it TO be urged by you
as a mere topic and point of controversy to sustain
party power2 Surely ! give you credit for looking
at it upon broader and more generous principles
Then, in the worst event. after you have encoun-
tered disunion that greatest of all political calami
ties TO The people Of this country and the dsunion
lists come, the separating States come, and demand
or tske their portion of the Territories they can
take, and will be entitled to take, all that will
lie on the Southern side of the line which | have
proposed. Then they will have a right to permit
slavery to exist in it. and what do you gain for the
cause of anti-slavery2 Nothing whatever. Sup
pose you should refuse their demand and claim the
right for yourselves2 That would be 1agrant in-
justice which you would not be willing that /
should suppose would occur. But il you did, what
would be the consequences A State North and a
State South, and all the States North aud South,
would be attempting to grasp at and seize this ter
ritory, and TO get all of it that they could. That
| would be the struggle, and you would have war F;
and not only dsuuion, but all those fatal conse-
quences would follow from your refusal now to per-
nit slavery to exist TO recognize it as existing on
the Southern side of the proposed line, while you
| give to the people there the right to exclude it
when they come to form a State government, if
; such should be their will and pleasure.
, Now, gentlemen, in view Of this subject, in view
of the mighty consequences in view Of the great
, events which are present before you, and of the
mighty consequences which are just now to take eff
feet is it not better to settle the question by d
vision upon the line of the Missouri Compromise
For thirty years we lived quietly and peacefully
under it. Our people North and South were ac-
customed to look at it as proper and just line.-
Can we not do SO again? We did it then TO pre-
serve the peace of tie country Now you see this
: Union 10 in the most imminent danger | declare
TO you that ii is my solemn conviction that unless
-
this proposition, We shall be a separated and di-
5 vded people in six months from this time That is
my firm conviction. There is here that
depleres il more than do; but it is my sad and
melancholy conviction that that will be the conse-
quence. wish You to realize fully the danger. |
r wish you to realize fully the consequences which
f are to follow. You can give increased stability to
: this Union; you can give it an existence, glori-
Gus existence for great and glorious centuries to
come, by now setting it upon permadent basis re-
( cognzing what the South considers as the rights
and this is the greatest of them all: it is that you
should divide the territory by this line and allow
3 the people South of it TO have slavery when they
are admitted into the Union States, and to have
it during the existence of the Territorial govern
meut That is ALL Is it not the cheapest price al
r which such blessing as this Union was pur-
d chased2 You think, perhaps or some of you, that
there is no danger that will but thunder and pass
c away Do not entertain such fatal delusion.
tell you it is not so. | tell you that as sure we
c stand here disunion will progress. fear it may
: swallow up old Kentucky in its yortex-as
true State TO the Union yet exists in the whole
+ Confederacy-unless something be done but that
e you will have disunion, that anarchy and war will
follow it, that all this will take place in six month:
II believe and confidently as ! believe in your pres
e ence ! want to satisfy you of the fact.
n Mr.. President rise to suggest another consider
II alton have been surprised to find, upon littl,
A. Nf
h made which recognized the independence of this
/ country By Great Britain, the States North of Ma
Il son and Dxon's line had but territory of on'
hundred and sixty -four thousand square miles, while
- the States South of Mason and Dixon's line haC
IS moro than six hundred thousand square miles. ]
it was divided. Virginia shortly afterwards cedet
to the United States all that noble territory North
l. west of the Ohio river and excluded slavery from
d it. That changed the relative proportion of terri
,r tory After that the North had four hundred ant
D. iftyfve thousand square miles and the South thre
III hundred and eighty-ive thousand. Thus at once
ll by the concession of Virginia. the North, from
hundred and Sixty-four thousand, TO four hun
b dred and twenty-five thousand square miles AM
the South fell from six hundred thousand to thre
m hundred and eghty-fve thousand square miles,
A. By that cessisn the South became smaller in exten
70 than the North. Well, let us look beyond. | in
as tended To take up little time possible, and
d avoid details but take all your subsequent acqui
g. sitons of Florida of Louisiana of Oregon, of Tex
So as, and the acquisitions made from Mexico. The
,e have been so divided and disposed of that tn
IN North has now two millions two hundred thousan
of square miles of territory, and the South less tina
" one million.
: Under these circumstances, when you have bee
h. so greatly magni6ed--I do not complain of il;
he am stating facts-when your section has been mad
- so mighty by these great acquisitions and to grea
~ extent with the perfect consent of the South Cugl
To hacit ado 10 uvhc
y will leave you the North side Of it nine hundre
y, and odd thousand square miles, and leave to tn
ha South only two hundred and eighty-6ve thousand
~ 1t will giveyou three times mnch as il will Civ
ID her. There is three times as much land in yor
~ portion as in hers. The South has already occJ
pied some of it, and it is in States but altole
~, the South gets by this division two hundred an
r' eighty-fye thousand square miles, and the Mort
~ nine hundred thousand. The result of the who
of il is that the North has two million two hundre
y - thousand iuare miles, and the South only one mi
= lion.
w. mention this as no rcproach, no upbraiding 4
~ complaint--none at all. do not speak in th
spirit | do not address you in that temper. b.
: these are the facts, and ought, it seems to me,
80. have some weight and when we come to make
81 peace offering, are we TO count it, are we to mea
- ure it nicely in golden scaes2 You get a pric
w ~ and the dearest price, for all the concession askt
~ to bs made; you have the hrmer establishment
IN your Union you nave me restoration OF peace M
W tranquility, and the hopes Of mighty future,
- secured by this concession. How dearly must oi
" individual. or two individuals, or many individual
- - value their private opinions if they think the
:, more important to the world than this mighty i
=, terest OF the Uaion aAd government Of the Unit,
w States.
u Sr, lisa cheap sacrifice il is glorious satrifc
This Union cost great deal TO establish il; it 60
w v, the yielding of much of public opinion and nut
of policy, besides the direct and indirect cost of
the war to establish the independence Of the cou
~. D try. When it was done, General Washington hir
~ self said Providence has helped u.s. or we could n
~ have accomplished this thing. And this gift OF q
Va "a wisest men, this great work Of their hands, th
az ,iu work in the foundation and structure Of whi'
n Providence herself with her benignant band, bel
gu ed-are we to give it all up for such small consid
rationsl The present evaporation the present fec
m m' ing of disunion, is the result OF long continue
u controversy the subject Of slavery and of teri
hN tory | shall not attempt 10 trace that cOntrOYe