Year: 1861

very well that Congress cannot do it.
There are fifteen Slave States in the
Union. There would have to be fully
Eve Free States before the Constitution
could be altered so as TO interfere with
Slavery--twenty-six Free States would
have to be added to the Union
While the North would be doing this
the South would make three or four
States out Of Texas, and so on. No,
this is not what they fear. But there
is an aspect on which this Slavery ques-
tion does izfluence the Southern minds
the Southern leaders. / will tell you
what they are afraid Of. They are
not afraid of this great Government in
terfering with them, as appears from
the fact that the institution was safer
when we were altogether than it is to-
day. Here is what they are afraid Of.
They have learned by experience that
Pro-Slavery ideas will not travel toward
the North pole, but that Anti-Slavery
ideas will travel Southwark. They
are afraid that the people of Kentucky,
Tennessee and Virginia may take it into
their head to abolish Slavery in their
domain, and they want to make Gov
ernment in which the people can't rid
themselves of the institution if they
wish. Cries Of that's so. And now,
pray, what becomes Of the boasled doc
trine of States Rights? The old doc
trine has been, among the politicians,
that every State had perfect right to
control its own domestic affairs in its
own way. Yet here is Confederacy,
Of which no State can be a member un-
less it is slaveholding State. II Ohio
should take a notion to secede laugh
ter and go into that Southern Con-
federacy, she would have to become a
slaveholding State before she could en-
ter it.


A Tennesseean who now lives in
northeastern Texas told me the other
day that the people Of southeastern
Texas are afraid that the people OF
northeastern Texas will make that
country free territory. Suppose they
do. II the people of Texas want Sla-
very they can have it. II they do not
want it, it is none Of my business. They
can do with this question just as they
please. II the people of Ohio want
Slavery they can have it. II they do
not want it they can do without it. In
either case l, as citizen of Tennessee,
have no right to complain. Ap-
plause.


i am not going to discuss the reason
for all this trouble in our country, but
4 there is one cause which / may allude
Ito. It is to be found in the great and
prominent fact that certain bands OF
wicked-awfully wicked-proud, am
bilious, overbearing. despicable men,
have been deprived OF political power.
As my friend Governor johnson said
to day, l will tell you what is the mat
ter. we didn't elect our man President.
TApplause. And not only did these
Southern leaders find that they had lost
all control of the Government for four
years, but they find another great fact,
that the mud sills" of society, hence
forth and forever, would control the
destinies of this nation. Loud ap-
plause.1 l know something of the
pride Of these Southern men. They
cannot bear the idea that a poor COM
mon raiI-splitter should be President
over them. Applause. They can
not conceive Of such thing. Well
now, for my part, admire rail-split-
ter who has sense enough to reach the
Presidential Chair.


They cannot bear the idea Of going
up and bowing to President who once,
when he was boy, worked up and
down this river for his dimes. That
amt all. They cannot bear the thought
of being excluded from all the great
and lucrative offices-of being thrown
from the high Offices in the Courts Of
Europe where they love to shine with
their fashionable wives and pretty
daughters. / have sometimes thought
that If John Bell had been elected may
be they would have borne it. But
when. Mr.. Lincoln was elected they
knew they would see these poor Black
Republicans, who, like Lazarus, had
been lying at the rich mans door, beg
ging for a crumb Of comfort and not
getting it-they would find them there
sitting in the White House, clothed in
purple and fine linen every day and
faring sumptuously every week, and
worse than all, Old Father Abraham at
the head of the table. Loud applause.


And now am l going to break up the
Government Of my fathers to crafty
such men? Never! never! Loud
cheering.1 Never while the world
stands will ] consent to do any such
thing! [Applause. But oh. it hurts
them; for there are Just fifteen hundred
men in the Southern Confederacy who
think they ought to be President Of the
United States to-day. Laughter.


Now, my bearers, l am going 10
speak of something political for mo-
ment. These same bad men-I am GO
ing to throw out hint which l know to
be well grounded--these same bad men
foreseeing the certain election Of Mr..
Lincoln, about the time Of the Balti
more Convention, entered into a con-
spiracy-a written conspiracy-witb
their names signed to it, to overthrow
this Government, and inaugurate one Of
their own to perpetuate their power
over this whole nation. How do i