Year: 1861




here in the North who stands idly by and says that
Il place my party above my country?-my plat
form above the Constitution, or my creed and
committals above a COMPROMISED The man who
does this, will have to fight party in the North
before a twelve month, that will stand as a lion
in the path of those who would march their armies
through the center and border States to strike the
seeding and revolving States of the South; be
cause there is party in this country that looks to
the past when they determine the merits of this
controversy. While they have no excuse for the
States who have seized upon the Federal property
and precipitatng revolution; yet they do say
that the people of the border slave States. who
are loyal to the Union. entitled to the respect
of the people of the Northern States; and that
while the dominant party of the North hold the
destinies of this Government--the most glorious
and beautiful of elrth's fabrics--while they hold
the destiny of this Government in their hands,
they are appealed to by the patriotic masses of
the country, North and South, to make the nee
essary concessions and compromises to save 1t,
and if they do not, if evil counsels prevail, and
dissolution, with all its calamities, should come
upon us, let the blame lie at their door. | know
there are gentlemen who are so excited, Il will
not say bv any other than patriotic mOtives,) as
TO saw Come every calamity come war, come
pestilence, come famine, will not yield one jot
or title of the platform of principles to which l
stood committed in the late political struggles of
the day. / believe, sir, it will be a solemn
duty of the conservative portion of the Northern
people, before twelve months roll round, unless
some paci6cation be agreed upon, to stand be-
tween the ultra men of the North and the South.
/ believe that the conservative element of the
country-andI do not speak for Democrats alone,
but conservative Republicans, Americans and
Bell men-I believe the conservative sentiment
of this country demands that the Crittenden COM
promise should be proposed by the people of the
North. And it is no answer to this proposition
to say, many of our Republican friends do
say, that 1--WE won the victory, we fought this
battle, and entitled to have doctrines
and principles carried out now by the united
voice Of the people" Now, sir, allow me to say
in the spirit of kindness, and / fully consider the
responsibility of the declaration, that until the
ultra men of the North shall come forward and
make some proposition of compromise, there will
be no union in the future in the North between
the Republican and Democratic parties, in the
work of subjecting the South by any kind of mil
itary crusade; and for the that the spirit of
Independence and patriotism beats alike in the
bosom of Republicans and Democrats. believe
the conservative sentiment of the country de-
mands this concession before the consummatiOn
of disruption has been reached How little a
concession and sacrifice is it for the Republican
party to make, who afford to be generous, lib
eral and national; how little concession is it,
say for them to shake of this simple, tenacious
adherence to party platforms.


1t is said that the Crittenden resolutions recog-
qze slavery south of the proposed line of division
Suppose it does. In 1856, in the National Con-
gress, every Republican Representative, save one,
voted for Dunn's bill for the admission of Kan
sas into the Union, which did recognize the exist
ence of slavery in that Territory, and provided
for its continuance to years. The Federal Con-
sttution recognizes, in three different relations,
the existence of slavery in State. And, now,
let me ask, where is the moral or political sin for
the modern, and, l might say, degenerate sons OF
our revolutionary sires? Where is the sin for us
to acknowledge what our ancestors were not
ashamed to establish? Are we better than the
men who made the Constitution, and who fought
and won the independence of the country, and es
tablished our free institutions? Most assuredly
not, sir And let me remind Senators that ibis is
not becoming time to stand upon mere puncti-
lios of honor and party spirit-that the history
of the political parties in this country furnish
abundant examples of concession and compro
mise-that they themselves have belonged to O
party of the past who have from time to time
yielded many points that regarded at the
time as great principles of the Government, anC
yet 1t was not regarded as a yielding oEabandon
ment of a principle of honor, or as Concession
unworthy of patriots and statesmen. How long
has it been since great and proud party of thi:
country stood committed to United States banl
the regulator of exchange and financial agen
of the Government? We all know how readily
that was abandoned, at the the behests of party
Not long since, sir, tariff to protect domestic
industry-hostility to the Independent treasury
system-determined opposition to the veto power
"a demand that it be abrogated by constitu
tional amendment-were the watch words anC
rallying CRY of q great and powerful party; anC
yet all these have passed away and yielded to tin
tests of experience and the necessities of tn,
times. And coming down to more moderI
times, how long has it been since opposition I,
the fugitive slave law the slogan and CRANE
sentiment of the Republican party; and yet, to
day, that is abandoned? However, Ohio ha
declared hostility to that law; but, generall
speaking, the Republican party have abandone
or smothered their opposition to it. How long
sir, has it been since there a party in thi
country that repeatedly declared against the &C
QUESTION of any more foreign territory to exten
the boundaries of the Republic? and recently
was admitted by Senator from Ohio (Ml
Wade) that the leading object and aim of the Re
publican organization was to acquire vast terrific
ries from Mexico, and surround the slave State
with a Gordon of free States, so that the institu
ton of slavery would eat the yitals of Souther
society," and destroy itself. So gentlemen shoul
not be afraid of concession when the rise fa
of great empire is at stake. If it has come t
this, sir that mere party creed is to stand thoug
the Union fall-if a platform is to be held NJ
though the Constitution be shattered-if the ter
acious spirit of partisan and sectional division
shall still be brought against Southern institution
and Southern people-it is an unfortunate cond
tion of the public mind, and portends our creates


calamities. This slavery agitation has brougl
the country TO what it is. And j shall not, II
the sake of exasperating party feeling, lay I'll


whole of this charge at the door of my frienC
over the way, because the Republican party al
not entirely responsible for it. / will not q
them the injustice to say they are Abolitonist
but will saw, and am bound to say i'm iustiC
and honor, that the slavery agitation, brought I
! by the once despised Abolition party of thirt
| years ago, has grown stronger and stronger, uni
| it overthrew the old Wing temple and banisht


from its halls its priests and its altars; and wht
it took upon itself the robes and organization al
name of Republican party, at the same time


took within its bosom the entire anti-slavery al
| Abolition forces. This is true, and it is usele


to disguise the fact that the agitation of the slav


ry question has brought the country to its prese


condition. | will not do the Republicans the i


justice to say that they have agtated the questiC


alone; but l will say that Republican demagogu


and | would not apply this epithet to any ge


tleman on this floor, to any gentleman's CO



sttuents-and pro-slavery demagogues at d
South, have alike pandered to the slavery al


anti-slavery sentiments of their respective Sc


tions, and thus have brought the country to
present unfortunate condition. And the repc
of the majority of the Committee on Federal


lations proposes no remedy. Have the Repub


can members of this Senate no remedy to pr


posel If not, ii is time we all knew it. | S


and repeat it is time Senators here should spe


frankly and plainly as to any measure they ha


ofpacifcation and Union. Ii this is all the 4


claratiOn that is to go from the Senate of India


to the people of the Union-that We are in fav


of the Union, (for that is the subtance ofit,) a


that we pledge whatever is due from loyal Sta


to the Federal Government to uphold the laws


it declares nothing more than the simple wavi


of flag would from the dome of the Capt.
: Now, sir, we demand, and the country deman,


some measure of adjustment. Oh. but you 81
We can't now consistently with our position;
have fought the battle, won the victory the iss


is decided in our favor; and, as was intmated


His Excelency's lex Gov. Lane) inaugural,
, other day, the man who does not stand up a
| tbo q 81 -, 6