Year: 1860

place, it is obvious that it is an aris.ocracy.


He says that these communities, of which the
master or owner is the head, aggregated,
make the State, and the owner is the repre-
sentative of these separate communities.
That meets my idea of nothing more nor less
than an aristocracy | do not say that this
condition Of things is censurable. | do not
use the word "aristocracy' in any bad sense.
/ / sayit is simply that. Another thing, which
is perhaps but an ingredient Of the first, is,
that the mass Of the community do not
speak now Of the slavcs-are, in effect, prac-
ticaly ignored. The masters representing,
as Mr.. Calhoun says, these separate commu-
mites, make the State, and, as the represen-
tativos Of the labor and property of which
they are masters and owners, they of course
guide the State. and hence he says, there
comes to be no collision. We all understand
that large majority of the southern people
are not Shareholders, and they never will be
probably. or course according to his own
statement, they are essentially left out Of tho
account.


These two conditions Of society, inasmuch
as they are both in existence in our country.
and no doubt will be during our lives and
probably for centuries TO come present to us
"A problem to solve and the question is, what
is our duty here, for this body is the repre-
sentative Of these two interests. | regard it
as the duty of Congress, 50 far as the powers
which have been delegated to it will enable it
to do, to endeavor to promote and advance
the prosperity of all parts Of this country
of both these sections, if you call them sec
tons; of both these. conditions of society.
That may be very difficult problem but
the more difficult it is, the more we should


be willing to grasp it, meet it, do our duty in
relation to ii. | think we arc not at liberty
to set aside any one part Of our country, or
any one Of these conditions Of society. on the
ground that we cannot exactly reconcile its


privileges, its interests, its duties, with those
Of the other That problem is put into our


hands in the formation Of our Government,
in the existence Of this Government. and we
cannot do our duty il we avoid it.


It is, say, Mr. President, not an easy task


to shape the policy of this Government. to


order the forms of our commercial intor-


course, to lay our duties and taxes, to frame


all our laws in such manner as shall best


promote the advantage Of the whole of this
people, and both of these classes, and this
whole community. It may be true, at times,


that we shall find the interests of one part
conflicting in some degree with the interests


Of another part, and therefore it is that the


problem may be difficult Of solution, practi-


cally in our hands but it is nevertheless the


problem put into our hands. II is to that we
must address ourselves. 1t is that we must
perform as Ear as VIC can, and as much as in
+ US lies


The first thing that occurs to my mind is


this question is it at all probable that we
can, either Of us, induce the other to adopt
our system Of society Argue il as long as
we please, spend as much of our time aud


breath about it as we may. in commentator


Of the respective system which we represent,


aud to which we belong, after all, believe
there is very little reason to suppose that in
this Hall one party will be able to induce the


other to adopt its system. 1t is not very
J likely, it is not very probable. Whenever
the system Of either party is attacked, and
its weaknesses attempted to be exposed, each


may stand on the defensive, and that is well


enough, If so be that it is conducted in ap-


propriato spirit, and with that courtesy and
urbanity which should become the places that


we occupy in this, which ought to be regard
Z ed as an august body.


II will hardly do TO say that these two con-
/ ditions Of society cannot exist in the same
nation. There is coexstence in the same
/ nation. There is another kind of coexistence


in the same municipal government. They are
not the same thing. fancy that, after an
J experiment of eighty years more, we may
/ at least say that they can exist, and prosper
} ously, too, in the same nation. The lesson
of our own experience teaches as much as
chat these two conditions can exist, and exist
prospetously in the same nation. But when
we say that, we should recollect that the
word nation as applied to a people like
frrF Il a.T
/, separate nations, in ono sense separate sover-
eighties and all the internal and municipal


regulations TO which the condition of society


belongs, fall appropriately and exclusively


within the jurisdiction of the local authorities


Of the Sovereign States.


Then there may be a wel-shaped and WE'LL
conducted and pros sperous y-conducted nation,
with one condition of society, in one State,
in ono municipality, and another in another
State. They may both be prosperous within
the same ,nation; but, after all, they cannot
coexist in the same municipal government.
That Is a mere truism, perhaps. 1t requires
one simply to state it to apprehend it. | say
a State cannot be a non-slayoholding State
and slavehoding State at the same time
and may say, | may add with equal truth,
that | think our experience shows us that,


under a territorial government, a Territory
cannot be at the same time slavehoding
and free Territory | believe that expert
mont has been attempted, and it is failure


the thing cannot be- 1t would seem to be
very obvious on the mere statement. Itwould
involve paradox.


Well, now, sir, what shall we do with this
country, having these two conditions Of So
elety spread over it and existing in iti What
is our duty in relation to the matter; We
have no quarrel or difficulty in relation to


slavery, SO far as it exists within the separate
/ States. 1t exists under the operation and


protection Of the governments Of those sepa-
rate States, Teaceably and quietly. But the
question arises, what shall we do in relation
} to it when we come to the territory which lies
: out of and beyond the jurisdiction OF the
} several States F; We must keep the peace
, about it, 1t must be arranged in some way
: What can we do with it How can we get
, along with it, quietly and peaceablyi | think
we, like any other people, might be enabled,
If we we're so inclined, to draw some lessons of
advantage from our own experience, and from
the history of our country. We are apt to


forget, in the hurry Of new aud untried ex-
a periments, that after all, experience is the
safest guide for to-day and the safest guide