The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1863-02-18

popolar rights ended in disruption and an

archy?
Who can deny that the American constitu-
tion, as framed by the fathers of the revolution
of 'I6, was one of the noblest conceptions that
ever emanated from the human mind !-and If
one must regret that the fruit of late years
has not been worthy of the tree, who shall say
how much of that We are compelled to depre-
cate may not be directly traced to the canker-
worm of slavery. (Hear, hear) With free
constitution the United States has not been a
free country One half has been entirely sur
rendered to slavery, and the other half has
been subject to the same malign influence
The Southern States have been knit together
by one common bond-touch the slave inter-
est and the whole South was in a fame and
drawn together as one man. The Northern
States. on the contrary, had no such universal
interest to bind them together, and through
their divisions as Wings and Democrats, Lib
erals and Conservatives, the South always
continued to hold the balance of power, and
control the national policy Of the Union. The
South has had entire sway at Washington
No man could be successful in public life, no
man could hope to rise to eminence in the ad-
minstration of affairs, unless he knelt at the
Southern shrine, and maintained with his
whole strength the peculiar institution. Moth
ing could be more corrupting, more utterly
demoralzing, to the public men of the North,
than the choice constantly presented to them,
adhere to your Northern principles and ruin
your career-abandon your principles and bow
your neck to slavery, and the gates Of the
White House are open 10 you. Nor was the
slave influence confined to the political arena.
1t permeated every walk of life. The vast
cotton trade and the supplying of goods to
the stakeholder, extended their qualifications
all over the Union; their influence was felt in
the store, the workshop, the lecture-room, the
press,-aye, even in the pulpit. Every one
was made to feel the potency of cotton, and a
style of augmentation in defence or pallia-
ton Of slavery was heard everywhere from
men who, on any other question, would have
scorned to advance such miserable sophistries.
The whole Union was debauched by the cotton
influence; and it does seem to me that ii would
be unreasonable aud unjust to test the Ameri-
can constitution by its working while control
led by influences so malign and INJURIOUS
Let the friends of freedom rejoice that at least
the hope Of better state of things begins to
dawn, and that, freed from the curse of human
slavery, the American people may yet show
themselves worthy of their high origin, and
take their right place among the free nations
of the world.
We in upper Canada, Mr.. Chairman, cannot
help having some sympathy with the North
erners in their peculiar position; for though
we have no South we have an Eastern influ-
ence to contend with-an Eastern minority
that rules the Western majority, that controls
our public affairs and dictates terms to our
public men as the price and the penalty OF Of
fetal success. Hear, hear.l None know bet
ter than the people Of Upper Canada the de-
moralizing scenes that may be witnessed in
the public arena under an influence like this.
Hear, hear.) Let it not be imagined for
moment, Mr.. Chairman, fr1m my speaking
thus, that am a republican either in theory
or practice. Sir. am persuaded that no one
can have studied closely and impartially the
republican system of the United States and
compared it with the limited monarchy OF
Great Britain, without coming to the conclu-
sion that the practical results obtained from
our own form Of Government are infinitely
more satisfactory than those secured under
the system Of our neighbors. tCheers.) But
let us not forget that we are apt TO Judge OF
monarchy by the monarchy of Queen Victoria
the best, the wisest Sovereign that ever as
cended a throne tGreat cheering.) Let us
not forget too, that there have been. and there
are still, very different monarchies In the
world from that of our own beloved Queen
and assuredly there are not so many free gov
ernments on earth, that we should hesitate
earnestly to desire the success of that one near
est to our own, modelled from our own and
founded by men of our own race. tCheers.l
Sir. do most heartily rejoice for the cause of
liberty that Mr.. Lincoln did not patiently ac-
quiesce in the dsmembernent of the Republic.