Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-04-06
SPEECH OF HON. Jas. b. CLAY. q
Before the Southern Rights Convention,
at Frankford, Ky., Wednesday, March

some account of the doiags Of the Peace
lately assembled at Washington, Of which he was
member What, said he. is now the condition o
our beloved country. year ago all was peac
sad happiness, such as the world had never befOr
seen; but what is il now? Onr Union is divided
distracted, broken, destroyed. Confidence no lon
ger exists; there is no security; all is gloom IN,
uncertainty. Why is this? What has brough
about this state Of thingss Was il news to yos
when you were told last fall that if a sectiona
President were elected upon q sectional platform
adverse TO the institutions Of section Of the ma
tion that there would be security in Of the
affairs Of the Union and to the rights Of the South
The man whose name bear, and who was the
author Of my being, predicted this state Of things
twenty-ons years ago. In language as prophetic 81
words of Holy Writ he warned the country what
would be the inevitable consequences Of the cleo
ton Of . sectional President. refer you TO his
speech madesin 1887 upon Abolition petitions. You
didn't think it possible and yetit has come t, pass
Mr. Fillmore in 1855, told you the same thing in
his Albany speech. All Of yoH will recollect that
he asked Of his Northern friends if they would sab
nit to the election Of purely Southern President,
on sectional grounds and asid that far bis part he
would not nor would the North suffer H.
Mr.. Lincoln was elected upon sectional plat
form, adverse to all your interests social domestic
and pecuniary. BE was elected, and the prediction
made twenty-o one years ago has come to pass. Sec
ton has been srrayed against sections the strongest
i destroyed.
South Caroline, with Georgia, Alabama, Mississip-
! pi, Louisiana, Florida, and fexss-have gone out
| Of the Union. 1t is not my purpose to justify or
| condemn the action Of South Carolina Some say
she ought to have waited for consultation with the
Border States. In my judgment II would have been
better for all the Southern States to have acted in
/ coneer.; but have right to set in judgment on
| the action of South Carolina. Ii she had waited
for the cooperation OF Kentucky, the question
/ crises how long would abe have waited, and what
indi9nities and wrongs would she have suffered be-
fore Kentucky was ready to cooperate with herr
l. is not necessary for me te recount all the Ills
the insuls the indigntiss, the violated Constitu-
tonsl rights that gave cause for the action Of South
Carolina. You have al thought Of these things.
Never before have public affairs been well uE-
| derssood by the people at large. Every man Of
yen has been touched in his honor aud in his peck
et and the long record has been fully before ycu
But will pass to the proposed remedies for restor
| ing peace harmony, and confidence, and restoring
| divided nation.
First Of all We have the measure known IS the
Crittenden Resolutions, which have been approved
not only by the people of Kentucky, but BY those Of
the entire South. They were proposed in the SEN
ate as amendments 10 the Constitution, for the p1r
pose Of restoring peace and harmony disira:led
] country. They have been much discussed and much
commented upon. l will read to you here portions
| of the resolutions.
mr. Clay then read extracts from the Crittenden
Resolutions, explaining their effect.
There was q show at least of justice to the South
in them True, they did not give Us al that is our
right They surrendered to the North our right to
go with our property into the Territory north Of
&c deg, 80 min, acquired by the common blood
and treasure Of the country, snd comprising three
fourths of the entire Territory. While we were
willing to coneede this much fer the sake Of peace
and harmony, we're they willing to give up any
thing to us? No These Crittenden Resolutions
were smothered-so burdened with amendments
they could not pass, and without amendments they
never could have passed. How spoke Kentucky in
reference to these resolutions! Almost every
meeting within the borders Of the State Endorsed,
and in most cases, made them the ultimatum. The
Convention ct Louisville did so, and every meeting
of the people that have knowledge gave to them
their approval, The general expression Of opinion
vas that although they gave less than our right,
for the sake of peace We would be content with
them but would take nothing less So their great
author announced on the fsor Of the Senste-if not
in words at least in substsnce-thst they we're his
ultimatum. But we esuld net get them. Our good
old mother, Virginia, seeing that the Crittenden
Resolutions could not be passed, nor anything
else satisfactory, chose to call Peace Con-
ference Our Kentucky Legislature, which
had been embarrassing itself with resolu-
ton upon resolutions, jumped at the idea Of send
ing Commissioners, and appointed thsm forthwith.
had the honor of being selected as one Of them,
aud went to Washington as pure patriot in heart
and feeling as ever Gods sun shone upon. car
ried with me no shadow Of party feeling. felt
myself imme Asursbly above al ties Of party.
went there With desire not only Of restoring con-
hdenee and peace, but also had it in my head that
if We wished to restore the Union as it once was we
must do something that would be likely to bring
back into the Union the seeding States These
were the ideas that governed me-pesee, conhdsnce,
security, and reconstruction OF the Government.
These were my purposes and desires. But Whef did
i 2froh mia Ia frsak b
ry, log rolling and clsp-trsp as would disgrace q
county meeting to msnufscturs 9 platform for .
candidate for constable to stand upon. The North
was determined to yield nothing, but to make the
best bargain they could with rs, while many Of
people were ready to yield everything, to make the
best bargain they could with the North This great
Peace Conference was enable to excite in my heart
any higher sentiment than Of contempt. 1t was Q
miserable failure, from first to last. The Commit
tee on Resolutions did report back the Crittenden
Resolutions, which had been Endorsed by the entire
South. They did not even report back Mr.. Guth-
ris's resolutions, which that gentleman considered
TO be as good in substance, and better in verbsge
than those Of Mr.. Crittsnden. But they reported .
set of resolutions falling to recognise The right Of
property in slaves the duty Of the Federal Cor
eminent to protect that right in the territories be-
longing to the people Of the whoieof the States.
The Crittendea Resolutions, with such amend
ments - Virginia asked, were proposed and voted
without so much as crossing st" or dotti1g IN 81, !"
and they received the vote Of but i've Sstes out Of
the tWenty-one in the Convention. a+
The Crittenden Resolutions proposed to recognize
and protect property in slaves South Of SO 80.
What did the resolutions Of the Peace Conferences
proposef Did they propose to recognize property
in slaves! No where. They only affirm that the
status" Of persons held to servtude South Of 80
30 shah net be changed. What do they mean by
status! 1t is legal phrase. Language IN ION
stitution should be plain and clear, 30 mat taose
who live upon the chestnut hills, as wen IS 1nOse
who dwell in the marble palaces Of Louisville, ny
understand it. What did they mean BY ststns =
was miserable dodge. They did not dare 20 re-
oognize the right Of property in slaves Dus ~
afford to recognize the existing s-t-a-Fu.s' A.e
status Of persons held to involuntary sehrssuOs
the Territory South Of SO 80 depends on .ue w.
sion Of the Supreme Court IN the DfG1 - 49,
and on the law Of New Mexico. nov oOes sne
North oopstrue the bred Scott decision Tney
.ar ond Tj1coln reiterated t the other day in his
Tnanoural that the bred Scott decision reiateo 70
ersons and questions Immediately before the Court;
hat vhsn general application OF the principle
20 ,ads TO Territories it was oo'ter dsctG, ana no
s-:-.a. o.au Its said that nevertheless We could
Iii -, an The Territorial law Of New Mexico,
-. y.orn;zes slavery. But let them re-0rgsnize
tbs Suureme Court, land you must recolect they
iii sosu have the power to do col reverse the bred
Scott decision declare the territorial law OF New
Mexico hull and void, and tnen where Is your
Having dedicsted three-fourths OF cur marnif-
cant territory to the North, would then be swim
dled out Of the remainder by the miserable word
status.
Do they tell you that when you smigrsts TO this
territory your property win be prOtectedi No, sir.
Il is to be Withdrawn from the protection Of the
Federal Government, and placed under that Of the
common law! What is the course Of common Law
Is It that Of Gov. Dsnnison in the Lage case, or /
Gov. Seward in the Virginia sssss Gov. seward !