Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-05-19
~ fe- From the Louisville Journal
Henry Clay's Last Speech--Words of

We have never known a time more appropri-
ate than the present for the republication Of at
least portion of Mr.. Glars great speech upon
the compromise of 1850, that immortal speech
which was almost if not quite, the last effort of
his glorious life, and in the delivery of which he
cheerfully and gladly sacrificed on the altar of
bis country the little physical strength that re-
manned TO him. He struck for the Union, throw
ing the remnant of his energies into the
blow
We give the close of that speech. Let all who
love the words of wisdom, all who cherish with
feelings of veneration the name of HENRY CLAY,
all whose hearts still throb for the country to
which they owe their allegiance, read it carefully
and ponder it well. Every thoughtful reader will
rise from its perusal wiser man. Ii HENRY
CLAY were now alive, gazing with fearful eyes
and an agonized heart upon the terrible and most
deplorable events of our day, he could not dis
cuss the present great interests of our nation
more ably and wisely than they are in effect dis
cussed in what we republish from his eloquent
lips and fiery heart to-day.
Mr. CLAY-Mr President, hope the Senate
will only have the goodness-if don't tire out
their patence-to permit me to 60 on. would
prefer concluding to day. begin TO see land. l
shall pretty soon arrive at the end. I'-had much
rather occupy half an hour now than leave what
| have to say for to- morrow-to trespass upon
the patience of the Senate another day.
Such is the Union, and such are its glorious
fruits. We are told now, and il is rung through
out this entire country. that the Union is threat
ened with subverson and destruction. Well, the
first question which naturally arises is supposing
the Union to be misunderstanding all the causes
of grievances which are complained of-how far
will a dissolution furnish a remedy for those
grievances? If the Union is to be dissolved for
any existing causes, it will be dissolved because
slavery is interdicted or not allowed to be intro
duced into the cedei Territories; because slavery
is threatened to be abolished in the District of
Columbia, and because fugitive slaves not
returned, as in my opinion they ought to be, or
restored to their master. These, believe. will
be the causes. it there be any causes, which can
lead to the direful event to which l have re-
ferred
Well now, let us suppose that the Union has
been dissolved. What remedy does it furnish
for the evils complained of in its united condi
toni Will you be able to push slavery into the
ceded Territores2 How are you to do it, sup
posing the North-all the States north of the
Potomac, and which are opposed to tin pos
session of the navy and army of the United
States. Can you expect. if there is dissolution
of the Union, that you can carry slavery into
California and New Mexico? You cannot dream
of such purpose If il were abolished in the
| District of Columbia, and the Union was dis
solved, would the dissolution of the Union re-
store slavery in the District of Columbia? Are
you safer in the recovery of your fugitive slaves
/ in state of dissolution or OF severance of the
| Union, than you are in the Union itself? Why,
what is the state of the fact in the Unon2 You
lose some slaves, recover some Others. Let me
advert to a fact which ought to have introduced
before, because it is highl. creditable to the
courts aud iuries of the free States.
In every case so far my Information extends,
where appeal has been made to courts of JUS
tice for the recovery of fugtives. or for the re-
covery of penalties inflicted upon persons who
have assisted in decoying slaves from their mas
tiers and aiding them in escaping from their mss
ters as far as am informed, the courts have as
/ serted the rights of the owner. and the juries
have promptly returned adequate verdicts in ia
vor of the owner Well, this is some remedy
What would you have if the Union were dis
severely Why sir, then the severed parts would
be independent of each other-foregn cOuntriesl
Slaves taken from the one into the other would
be then like slaves now escaping from the United
States into Canada. There would-be no right of
extradition-no right to demand your slaves--no
right to appeal to the courts of justice to demand
your slaves which escaped, or the penalties for
decoying them. Where one slave escapes now
by running away from his owner, hundreds and
thousands would escape if the Union were severed
in parts-I care not how where you run the
line, if independent sovereigns were established.
Well finally, will you in State Of dissolution
of the Union be safer with your slaves within the
bosom of the States than you are nowI MIR.
i hot thov r,lf fro
quently from the border States one will doubt.
But must take occasion to say that, in my opin-
ion, there is no right Oh the part of one or more
of the States to secede from the Union. War
and the dissolution of the Union are identical
and inseparable There can be no dissolution of
the Union except by consent or by war. No one
can expect, in the existing state of things, that
that consent would be given, and war is the only
alternative by which dissolution could be ac-
compshed And, Mr. President, if consent were
siven-if possible We were to separate BY mutual
agreement and by given line, in less then sixty
DAYS after such an agreement had been executed
war would break out between the free and slave
holding portions of the Union-between the two
Independent portions into which it would be erect
ed in virtue OF the act of separation. Yes, sir
sixty days--in less than sixty days, believe our
slaves from Kentucky would be fleeing over in
numbers TO the other side Of the river. would be
purSueu Dy tneir owners, ana tne excltaOie anO
ardent spirits who would engage in the pursuit
would be restrained by no sense of the rights
which appertain to the independence of the othel
side OF the river supposing it then to be line o
separation They would pursue their slaves
they would be repealed, and war would break out
In less than sixty days war would be blazing
forth in every part of this now happy and peace
able land
: But how are you going to separate them? In
my humble opinion, Mr. President, we should
begin at least with three Conference.-The Con
federacy of the North. the Confederacy of tn,
Atlantic Southern States. (the slavehoIdins
States) and the Confederacy of the Valley of I'll,
Mississippi Ny life upon it, sir, that vast popu
ation that has already concentrated and will con
centrate upon the head waters and tributaries o
the Mississippi will never consent that the moutl
of that river shall be held subject to any for
eign power whatever. Such | believe. woult
be the consequences of "A dissolution of tn,
Union But other Confederacies would sprins
up from time to time, as dissatisfaction and dis
content were disseminated over the country
There would be the Coafederacy of the lakes
perhaps the Confederacy OF New England and o
the middle States.
But, sir, the veil which covers these sad and dis
astrous events that lie beyond a possible ruptur
of this Union is thick u be penetrated or lift
ed by any mortal eye or hand.
Mr.. President, i am directly opposed to any
purpose of secession or separation. / am fo
staying within the Union, and defying any por
ton OF this Union to expe drive me out of tn
, Union. am for staying within the Union an'
fighting for my rights-if necessary, with TN
, sword-withn the bounds and under the safe
guard Of the Union. | am for vindicnting thos
rights, but not by being driven out of the Union
, rashly and unceremoniously by any portion o
this Coniederacy. Here lam within it, and herr
mean to stand aud die, as far as my individual
, purposes or wishes can go-withrn il to protec
, myself and to defy all the power on earth to ex
mel or drive me from the situation in which | an