Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1861-03-08
STATE OF THE UNION,
SPEECH OF HON. j. =. MORRILL,.
OF VERMONT,
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
FEBRUARY Is, 1861.

OF VERMONT,
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,.
D FEBRUARY Is, 1861.
The House having under consideration tn,
, report of the select committee OF thirty three
Mr.. Morrill, said
) 1t is undeniably true that, if the late elec-
\ tiOn had resulted in the defeat of Nfr Lin
t, coin. no revolution would have been precip-
itated, and no new guarantees to slavery
} would have been required at our hands But.
} while we have been victorious in the cam
paign, we are invited to submit to what
would not even have been suggested, had we
been defeated aye, and invited to submit 10
what nearly two thirds Of the popular vote
of the Democratic Party itself rejected For
,3G5,97G Democrats, in voting for Nr
Douglas, voted against the protection of
slavery in the Territories and only SIT ,9j3
for Breckenridge, in favor of it, Under
these circumstances, the demand made is a
humiliation to which no party can submit.
10 1870, the Missouri compromise was estab-
llshed, and It's repeal was never agitatCd bv
the North. In 1928 John Quincy Adams
was defeated on charges of extravaganc,. al
though the expenditure was not ouc->lxth of
| what we now witness but the North sub
| mltted. In 1882 Gen. jackson was reelected
on the ground of hostility to the United
States Bank ; and when the bank went down
| all acquieSccd. In 1914 Mr.. Polk WAS elected
! because he was in favor Of - the re-anuexa-
| ton OF Texas" and " extending the area oi
! freedom - and when Tex IS came in, with
| four slave States extended on its banner, even
| then there was no rebellion. In 1913 the
| Wllmot proviso was defeated but no secess-
ion followed. In 1854 the Missouri com
| promise was repealed and yet the Union
stood firm, notwithstanding this combined
blunder and crime. In 1860 Mr. Lincoln
was elected because he was opposed to the
extension of slavery into the Territories, and
opposed to the general maladmnistration Of
the Government for the last eight years. That
verdict OF the people cannot be reversed, ex-
cept by the people themselves, four years
hence. | trust it may never be reversed.
Meantime it must be accepted by all order |
loving, ConsututiOn-obeying men If the /
South did not mean to abide by the result |.
only on the principle OF - heads | win, tails .
you lose''-they should not have courtcd the .
issue, nor made the appeal to the baIlot-box .
Having participated in the election, 1t is too .
late to reject the verdict.
WHERE TIE RESPONSIBILITY LIES.
y Democratic President has not used his
high prerOgrative to estop the dsmember-
ment Of the Republic, but only to license
anarchy. lie has looked benignly on seces-
sion. Like a clever old man, with unruly
sons, he has deprecated their conduct by
saying, "DOHf: but if were you | would,
and can't help it if you do 1t is not
- ~ ''l( ,''i' - ." u s0''
'l0 '''u 'i'lN '''e '''u'i0"'S' VI s"'Ia' anu
'aJ 80 nm my ~ uO"il "ieu Us OWN
oil> 80 I"'' vi IHISo i"'o CoI-
'-V-- 80 I'o lT'i'' Vi ''io>'
nv" Va my ~ 0C'ii''I''ti' VIII A'EC " PdSS
~ y. - -. i"''i0 "'s''iS. 1''I "ii'
-,I - E.. "'''
.'li1 i''i''T ~ ~ '' "o'''' %, .''o cratic
I',.I I'o - ii-o'' VI 'H'' l1,'y must
'''' '"i' ''i ~ ~ ''''1 0"' 4'l'N'''0i'
CONCESSION TO THE REBELLION IMPOSSIBLE
Copprornises are updcr tbe han of AL
parties, and to the advocates OF secession,
who mean revolution, more odIous than to
any other 1t any State or States may with
ara" '"0'' 7v''"'0'@ - ~ r--''r' "a .,'y''
9d d ,-ijS, ',.s,,s i'I''S ,,' .,-.''
,'''
+Lep dsr,,rI t.rrns L,u,'I5,,.,.t'I -,
Jt organic hws-oeiore they Will return to
Sher dIIeSldhce, "HtI Is o"r N'HStIluloh, / :
such course obtain the sanction of serious
'onccssl0u,. the national government would
be forever DESTROYED, and each member Of the
amily, rs they acquired strength and mcttle
Or disuhediencc. might in turn defy the law
md order Of the paternal roof unless some I ;
portion Of authority was abdicated, and some ;
portion Of the estate was set apart for exclu- .
1--WE cnioyment. | will do nothing to com
nit our Republic to this crumbling process ,
IF mutiny and decay | will do nothing To :
.dmit the doctrine of secession as the extreme
Medicine of the Constitution. No one who
lcsires continuance OF the Union should
onsent to put 1t in a position of mere SUI u
-o, - d,7,, S+o+es Slc ,r..s,r,.tia, C.r- 4
,ids that our system should be inoculated y
With any such virus. II the seeding States Is
ieSlre 10 quit the Union and quit It forever, '
'' .'Ih IIoto,o J.
vi t"'' pun InS anu '"'ilif SUM, 'HO,t ~ =
ne people. ms Is 'he ohiy moue Dy Nhich :, :,
he end aimed at can he reached without y
ivil war, and the utter Generalization Of all t
~ tEo,,s,i.,,.i,n W
So
lie MAJORITY CANNOT CAPTJ LATE TO TIE ! "
MINORITY. al
\
For one, cannot make what appears 70 -,
le to be concessions, nor consent to any -
lcasure that shall lower the moral and 70 ~
teal standard OF the great majority IN the -
'orth. The South shall have al lts rights +
ut am commissioned to surrender none -
hen the prlnelples upon which WAs elect -,
a member OF this House become danger "'
US to tn country shall deem 1t my duty p
} resign and 80 home but while peiIeVe T.,
hem vital to Its prescription they VIII con a.
nue to be asserted Measures intended lor n
limitation, forcing the majority 10 capitu- 10
lte to the minority Will nave no couhten- ~
nee from me.
THE r,-Rrosr or THE vrRvoxr LAW. f,
~
Among the resolutions reported by the l.