Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1866-06-29
Gen. ROsseau on Massachusetts,.

seau of Kentucky, shows how utterly false
and hypocritical are Massachusetts, morals
and philanthropy, of which Sumner, Stevens
4 Co. pirate SO loudly. A State that within
the present century, authorized the sale Of
unborn babes, can have little to boast of on
the score of morals Gen. Rosseau said:
We have heard a great deal said about Sc
cession, and about it's being. crime I hold
it to be as much of a crime as other men do,
but did the doctrine of secession originate in
the South? Not at all it came from the
very men who are now the bitterest and the
most proscriptive in this the time of the ma
TONS trouble. It comes from the State of
Massachusetts, from Josiah Quincy and John
Quincy Adams, who taught secession to the
men Of the South: 5n
Let me read you what John Quincy Ad-
ans said in 1913 about SECESSION:
eve hesitate not to say that annexation
(of Texas) effected by any act or proceeding
OF the Federal Government, or any of its De-
partments, would be identical with dissolu-
ton. 1t would be violation of our national
compact, its objects, designs, and the great
elementary principles which entered into its
formation, Of a character so deep and funda-
mental, and would be an attempt to eternize
an institution and power of a nature SO I'M
just in themselves, SO injurious to the inter
ests and abhorrent to the feelings of the free
States, as in our opinion not only inevitably
to result in dissolution of the Union, but
fully to justify it,"
That, sir, is from John Quincy Adams,
in document published by him and signed
By him and nine other members of Congress
at that time. He insisted upon the right of
breaking up the Government if Texas was
annexed.
Josiah Quincy started the same theory
long before on question precisely similar.
And | wish to read what he said on that SUBJ
ject. It is as follows:
eff this bill passes (for the admission of
Louisiana) it is my deliberate opinion thati
will free the States from their moral obliga-
tions, and as it will be the right of ALL so it
will be the duty of some, definitely to pre-
pare for separation, amicably if they can,
violently if they must"
That is an extract from Gales & Seaton's
Annals of Congress of 1910 and 1911, and,
strange to say, Mr.. Quincy gives the very
same reasons that the secessionists gave when
they began this effort to break up this Gov
eminent, that when contract was broken
by one of the parties to it, of course the
other party had a right to repudiate. He
gave this reason:
ssIs there" said he, "a moral principle of
publicla better settled or more conformable
/ to the plainest suggestions of reason than
that the violation Of a contract by one of the
parties may be considered as exempting the
others from its obligations p
There, sir, is the beginning of the doc
trine of secession. A portion Of the south
ern people attempted to carry out this prin-
ciple. We. put it down but let those who
taught the doctrine not insist upon too much
castigation of others for we'll learning what
they so we'll taught.
Now, sir, should be ashamed of myself
if / should come upon this floor to arraign
the people Of Massachusetts, to denounce and
abuse them for any opinions which may have
been held by the leading men Of that State !;
should be ashamed Of myself as member
Of Congress, or as a private man, if | should
do SO unworthy a thing. But, sir, how often
have we had these filings at the State of Ken
lucky.
And where do they come from? I wish,
sir, to call the attention Of the House to what
was said few days ago by Senator from
the State Of Massachusetts,; and wish, once
for all, to denounce this self-righteous con-
ceit, let it come whence it may.
Senator Wilson, on the floor Of the Senate,
used this language:
II have felt that this struggle, which was
contest of ideas, of thoughts, of acts, and
of blood, was logical and philosophical con-
test. It was a contest between men trained
in the spirit of liberty; that spirit which en-
braces in it's affections all the children of
men of every cline and race; that spirit
which pulls not the highest down, but lifts the
lowest up, on the one hand, and on the other
the dark, malignant spirit Of slavery, which
shrivels the mind and debases the soul. For
two hundred years the one side had been
trained to the love of freedom, justice and
humanity, and the other had been trained in
the spirit Of caste. It was contest of giants
it was the ''irrepressible conflict" and it
came to blows; and when it did come to
blows it rocked the continent with it's power.
We have triumphed." 81
Now, Mr. Speaker, protest against any
corner Of this nation, or any considerable
portion Of it, assuming to itself the right to
give morals and laws to the remainder of the
world /; and | especially object, sir, when
such an attempt is made by a portion Of the
country whence came not only the doctrine
of secession and revolution, and appeals to
resist the measures Of Congress, but where
was originated in this country the system Of
slavery itself. The first place, sir, upon
this continent to which slaves were ever
brought was Boston. l wish to detain the
House moment in showing that slavery had
its origin on this continent in that portion Of
the United States, and that it legally con-
tinued there, though virtually abolished, bui
by law remaining until very late day, a few
months ago.
I read from Moore's History Of Slavery
in Massachusetts,:
:. Slavery having never been formally
prohibited by legislation in Massachusetts,
4o &c L., ,,,4: