Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1867-08-09

/ erty, from the beginning to the endins
/ Of it. But the advocates of Slavery
nave affirmed a strange doctrine in re
gard to the Constitution. They thinh
that because I swore to support thu
Constitution, / SWOTe to support the
practice Of slavehOlding. Sir, slave
4 holding in Virginia is no more under
the control or guarantee of the Consti.
tuition, than Slavery in Cuba, or Brazil
or any other part Of the world, is under
the control or guarantee of the COnStltu-
/ tiOn-nOt one particle.
Mr.. McClernand-I wish to ask the
gentleman Wether he has always held
that the Constitution deserved to besus-
tanned and accepted-Whether, at any
time in his life, he held that the Cons j.
tuition ought to be trOdden under foot ?
Mr.. IOVelOV-NeVer, Sirs never.
always defended il, and ALWAYS will
whether it be against the Democrats who
pervert it, or the DisuniOnists who
trample on it.
Mr. McCIernand-If the gentleman
says he never said so, I am not prepared
to contradict him, for I know nothing,
personally, about it; butt had under
stood that the gentleman once uttered
this language that i" the Constitution
was a piece Of rotten parchment that
81 ought to be trOdden under foot" "
Mr.. LOVeJOy-Ye that was thrown
in my face once before here, and I de-
ton in truth. I always defended the
Constitution, because it was for Iiber-
ty. II was ordained by the people of
the United States, not by a superannua-
ted old mummy of aJudge-and a Je-
suit at that-but by the people of the
United States. to established Justice. Sc
cure the blessings of Liberty for them
selves and their pOsterity, and to secure
the natural rights of every human be-
ing within its exclusive jurisdiction.
Therefore I love it, These men can per
ceiYe nothing in the Constitution but
Slavery, A young man leads a blush
ing bride to the altar, and takes the
witnesses, to love, cherish, and protect
her. There she stands-the divinest
thing that God has fashioned and placed
upon earth-radiant in the beauty of
youth her cheek glowing with the col
or OF the rose, which expands and fades
away into that Of the lily; her eyes
sparkling like the stars from the depths
of blue, and her tresses falling around
her neck like the locks of the morning.
Is the mole on that fair round neck, or
the Wart on that plump, soft hand, the
woman whom the bridegroom sWore to
love and cherish2 Say, Sir, is it? So
there is the StitutiOn-instinct with
Freedom, radiant with the principles of
universal liberty, seizing the inspired
utteranees of our Magma CgbGTtG, and re-
ducing them to practical and organic
realization. Now, Sir, I insist that If
the clauses that are deemed to refer to
the subject OF Slavery mean all that the
widest enthusiast claims them to mean
they bear no other relation or proper
tiOn to the Constitution which ] swear to
support, than the eXcrescence on the
hand or neck does to the woman whom
the bridegroom vowed to love and cher
ish. He loves her not for these things,
- a. . Il H. Il 49,
not in consequence of these
things which are alleged to be in it, but
in spite of them. But you will say wO-
man had a right to sport an eXcTescence
on her hand if she chose. I cOncede it /;
and as Federal laW-makeT, 1 cOncede
that the States have the right to sport
this fungus of Slavery, because it is be-
yOnd my reach. But time rolls away.
Olive plants have sprung up around the
p aren't stem. The woman has gone
mad. She glOats over the eZcreSCence
which has spread and covers her entire
hand. She exclain1s 81 Husband, this
is a dear sweet darling, a real love Of
a wart, and I want to engraft it on the
hands of all our daughters. 1 had it
when I was married you vowed to pro-
tect me, and claim the right to transfer
it to all the children. If you do not, I
will go to Indiana and get a divorce. 1
will dissolve the union between us"
The husband, calm and firm, replies,
t'NIY dear, have induIged YOU in this.
Whim about your hand, because I took
you for better or for worse, and I
thought it one of your individual rights,
which [ was not at liberty to disturb.
But if you propose to transfer this de-
formity to the daughters, say distinct
" and decidedly, it cannot be done.
This is my pr6rOgative, and Unjust eXer-
else it." So I say to the Slavery Prop
sgandists wEO desire to transplant Slav-
cry to the Territories, and thus fasten it
uDOn the daughters Of the Republic.
my dears, it cannot be DONE" I say
therefore, Mr.. Chairman, that there is
no justification for this pratice of slave
holding, from the fact that the enSlaVed
race are an inferior race ; no justification
from the pretended fact that it inn
parts Christianity and civilization to
them and none in the guarantees ofthe
Constitution. Now, there are some
Christian men on the other side Of the
House: I want to put it to them in all
candOr--fOr while intended to speak
ofsIaveholding with as severe terms of
reprObatiOn as IpOssibly can, 1 dOnot in
tend to offend any individual personally
II want to know of you, Christian gem
tIemen. how you are going to Christ
ianize men when you 90 not give them
homes.
a Member-Give them what?
Z.
tiOn to the conjugal and parental rela-
tiOns. How are you going to christian
iZe men whom you turn out to herd to-
pether like the buffalOes that roam up
on the Western prairies? YOu cannot
do it. It may be asked, Sir, when
confess that have no control over this
matter, why discuss it ? why talk about
it?
Mr.. SingletOn-I want to know If the
gentleman gives homes
Mr.. LOvejoy-I must decline to yield
to the gentleman.
Mr.. Singleton want to answer the
gentleman's question by asking him
another. I want to know if he gives
homes to the negroes he carries from
the South to Canada and other places
A Member-The negroes he steals?
The Chairman-The gentleman from
Mississippi is not in order.
Mr.. Barksdale-I hope my colleague
will hold no parley with that peTJured
negrO-thief.
Mr.. Loveioy-It is asked, why dis
euss this question? Why talk about it
when it is confessed that we have nc
constitutional power to legislate upon
it? will tell YOU, Mr.. Chairman. II
will be recollected that Mr.. Webster
once said when speaking of the threat
ened interposition Of Russia to snatch
Kossuth from the protection of Turkey
for the purpose of sacrificing him on
the altar of despOtlsm "Gentlemen
''there is something on earth greater
ethan arbitrary or despOtic power. The
"lightning has its power, and the whirl
s'wind has its power, and the earthquake
| ''has its power: but there is something
| 'amOng men more capable of shaking
/ ''despotic thrones than lightning, whirl
| "wind, or earthquake; and that is th'
/ "excited and aroused indignation of tht
''whOle civilized world"
Sir, before the public sentiment of tn
| Christian and civilized world, [ pro
pose to hold up to universal reprOba
tion this practice of slaveholding.
propose to hold it up in all its atrOcity
in all its hideOusness, just as gentle
men have been holding up the practic
of polygamy, and reprObating it, am
Sir, that public sentiment Of the civiliz'
world will burn upon this practice c
/ Slavery, and ultimately secure its re
moval in the only proper way-by tn
action of the Slave States themselves
That is why I discuss it, Mr.. Chair
man, my time is passing away, and
must hasten on. 1 want to come to
few things that have been under dis
cussion during the inchOate conditio
of the House, while this Hall was echo
ing with mutations that would hav
drowned the lupiue chorus Of the Alps