Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1861-02-01

efDmeDE. FDaI SHOutu ike 60 10. nave
presented preamble and resolution for the
consideration Of this body which, think do
not infringe upon any party platform, neither
upon our ow1 or that of the Democratic party.
We must meet this question of our national
difficulties fairly, as it was in 1920, and again
in 1888 by compromise aud eoncliation.
concur in the expression of the Senator from
PHILADELPHIA, Mr.. SMITH when he alledges
that the great underlying question in the pro-
sent national controversy is not that OF slave
~, but that of obedi ence to the revenue laws
of our Government. The resolutions offered
by myself recognize the fact of resistance to
! the revenue laws of the Government, as the
occasion and frst cause of the present irritAted
feelings of the country upon the alledged SUBJ
ject Of slavery.
The arguments used by members Of our own
party during the last political campaign, were
mostly designed 30 show that the great object
Of the party TO which belong was to bring The
! Government back to It's original purity--to
/ what il was 10 the days of the Fathers of the
1 Republic; aud our orators did not fail to show
! to the people the iudignities we have So fre~
! quently suffered at the hands of our Southern
/ fellow citizens, which were sufficient, taking a
/ Southern view of the matter, TO a rebel
/ ious spirit on the part of the people of the
North. | believe that the complaints made by
! the Northern people are not simply imaginary,
but are based upon such indignities to our citl-
zeus no people can bear with complacency.
Have net citizens from alnost every portion of
the North been maltreated and subjected 30
| insult for no other reason than that they were
| Northern men.
| have set forth in the resolutions a jGstif- :
cation, if such is needed by any section of this
| C0nfederacy, of the course we have been pur
saing in Pennsylvania firmly believe that
our difficulties are political taat they haYe
been caused by politicians and embttered parn
tz ms, both 10 the North and South Much of
the difficulty, which, as nation, we meet to-
day, is owing to the repeated nisrepresenta-
tons Of our political opponents. We wish TO
remove the errou; 's belief entertained by the
people of one see.lgn of this Union against ths
people of the North, who voted for the Re2Hb-
lican candidates for President and Vice Pre-
sideut of the United States, and to show them
that we are now, as We always have been, in
favor of the compromises of the Constitution.
Mr.. Lincoln will falsify every charge made
against him by reckless politicians, both North
and South, before one year OF his Presidential
life Is past. 1t is my firm belief that we can
not exist as one people without compromises
being made, and We, as the representatives of
the majority Of the people, shoald be the first
TO offeF such compromises, as a great State,
such IS we represent, should offer TO those
States distracted by misrepresentation Of de-
signing politicians and bad men. We have
Prospered as no nation on earth has done for
more than three-quarters of century by cam
promises on the part of all nations aud, Mr.
SPEAKER, If we do not present sone measures
OF compromises here, the representatives Of the
people al Washington WILL
There are IN our country, two systems of la
bor, the interests Of which always have and
will continue to run counter to each other
One OF these systems can get along without
protection, the other cannot and, we there
fore, honestly and unhesitatingly say to the
South that we cannot get along Without such
protection as our necessities demand. This
being the state of the case we should give
mutual protection to eE0h great sectional in
terest, and we have but 10 look back to the
past of the republic to see that as matters wet 9
tremendously conducted then, so should th, Y
be acw; aud 70 do this we must have the
Missouri Compromise line re-established. We
must have the territories which are the com
mon heritage OF Us all SO arranged as to set
tie this question which is creating such uni
Versal excitement over the entre land. No
government can long stand whils such az ex-
cltement over the entre land. No govern
lneut can long stand while su5L an excitement
that winch We nov witness, is prevalent
within her borders. When the Missouri CoHl-
promise line was in existence the country was
az peace, and remained SO until tue repeal of
that measure by the Democratic party, whom
/ charge with causing all the difficulties which
are threatening tho permanency of the Union.
The misrepresentation of the Democratic lead
ers in 1856 elected Mr. Buchanan by falsely
representing tue policy and doctrine of thsr
opponents. They then unscrupulously assured
the people that unless their candidate was suo-
cessfal, there would be dissolution of the
Union.
The same assertion was made during the
canvas last year, but it failed ia its effect
The people were determined that tue Demoera~
cy should lot dissolve the Union at every Pre-
sidential election. But the Northern Democ-
racy in their extreme efforts to carry tha
election by Southern sectional vote, repre-
sented the Northern sentiment so unfairly 10
the people OF the South that they became
alarmed for tae safety Of their institutions,
having Deeu falsely assured that the No1thern
people @ere a unli for aggression upon their
Constitutional rights.
The North has now to make the cholce Of
two alternatives, compromise or war aud
believe that it is our duty as sensible men, and
as the representatives of patriotic aud christian
people who prefer compromise to war, when
such compromise can oe made with our South
cru fellow-cItizsns, which do not involve the
sacrlfae OF any principle, or Of our own honor.
The people of this Stale are not ia favor Of
var aud | assure gentlemen, the man who
will not 20 as far as he can 90 without the