Year: 1860

I4d4O I'LL AD4o SAx4xSA3s


After several Southern Senators had declared in
favor of Disunon in case a Republican President
was elected in 1850, John P. Hale, the 10Th ult
gave his opinion ON the subject in brief speech,
which commanded much attention at Washington
Mr. Gwinn, of California, had just taken his seat
out of the Union. and gorifying her greatness and
independent strength. Mr. Hale said that If Gwinn's
position were the true one, have been living un
der an utter delusion.


We are not union of States; the free States are
subjected provinces. and people do not choose
President. They but perform an idle ceremony
You sit there, according to the enuncation made
this morning, the representatives of fifteen States,
and you proclaim to majority of this Union that
ifthey dare to exercise their prerogatve and choose
aPresident representing the views which they enter
tain fand the suppostion presupposes hltthey are
the views of majority of the people of these Uni
ted States or else they could elect President
YOU will dissolve the Union. You substantially, by
this declaration, declare that this is an idle mock
ery, delusion and deception. 1t is no choice;
you people of the free States of the non-slave-
holding States-if that is phraseology suitins any
car better-you are not part of the southern pow
er of this Confcderacy; you occupy to us the posi-
ton that the old French parliament did to their
monarch. He made the DEGREES, the prerogative
of the parliament was to register them--that was
ALL They call that n government OF law. The
Senator from California speaks TO if there had
been an appeal made to US. do not consider it
so | rather consider it as forewarning ofa state
Of facts which, lift exists. oughtto be known and
cannot be known too soon.


This is the remedy SIR am glad to hear it,
The remedy is that majority Of these United
States must surrender, give up their convictions,
forbcar in the exercise of the highest functions
with which God ever endowed frcemen, to let their
ballots speak the sentiments Of their understand
ing, and their hearts, stiie everything that is man
ly in them If by chance, they ever get anything OF
that sort there, and 20 to the polls next TALL TO 90
through the idle ceremony of voting, when is al
ready foregonc conclusion, if they do not register
your DEGREES, the Union is TO be dissolved Sir, it
is dissolved now, if that is the state OF the case il
is not Union; We are not co-States, We are not
here the representatives Of sovereign States OF
States having any political rights; We are here
simply to register your decrees--no sir, not that,
hut our people are to como together in the fall oil
1860 and register the solemn DEGREES that shall be
made for them by the slavehodng States of tins
Union.


recolect an eastern tale which may serve as an
Illustration, and trust the story is not below the
dignity of the occasion. 1t is said that eastern
monarch. dstrusting his physician. had determined
to put him to death. The physician begged hard
for his life, but it of avail. At last he said:
"If YOU insist upon putting me to death, have on
" one request TO make, and that is that my dssev-
cred head my be put in basin of water, and then
il will answer any question you nav put TO it,
The monarch replied: at had anr doubt about ia
king your life before have now, for want to
try that experiment., Sir, want to try that exper-
meit and want to see whether am the represen-
tative on this floor of snch slaves that they
can be driven from their convictions, and the excr-
else of their high franchise by the annunciation that
fthey do il this Union is TO be dissolved. Sir, it is
no Union to them; this Government is nothing but
badge of oppression and degradation and ofhumil-
aton, if such be the tenure by which we hold our
places in the confcderacy.


l. this an appeal that is made 10 us? II is not an
appeal to frccmcr., not the representatives
of free States, not as men. II you respected US or
our constituents, you could not make such an ap-
peal. Iti not an appeal to be made to men, or to
freemen. Ii docs not address itself TO our reason,
but to our fears. ] know it has been said. some
times reproachiuy, that the only way to appeal to
us is either to address our feas or our pockets
This declaration dav, made upon the floor Of the
Senate based upon the idea that there Is nothing
manly, nothing patriotic, nothing that spurns deg
radiation in ourselves or in the people whom rep
resent.


Sir, if Senators think that thic is the way this diff
6culty is to be solved, is not for me to complain
thank them for the warning; and ask them il they
feel any sort of interest to know how it is received
by the people Of the free States to read the returns
that will como from the next election, and
tain how many arc scared, how many ere fright
cned, how many are driven by such an appeal, as
il has been called. 1t is not for me to stand here
and make professions because they are discredted


ust az fast as they are made, and have none to
make; but will say this--I do not know whether
shall get credit for my sincerity in It'll have de-
clared again and again that desire the Union Of
these States to be perpetual. desire il to be per
petual Union of equal States; but If stand hcre
representing people who will quail before the an
nouncement that the exercise of their honest con-
victions is TO work dissolution of the Union, and
IL thought that such intmation as that would
frighten even one of our women from the course OF
her duty in the approaching crisis, which is to be
solved by the result of the next presidential cleo
ton. would scorn to represent them.


>


But, sir, il could without arrogance or presump-
tion, make an appeal to gentlemen who believe
that dark clouds hang over us, and that the future
is portentcus of evil. would ask them il they re-
ally believe that this is the-way to deal with such
state of things. Gentlemen have told us over and
over again that the danger of a dissolution of the
Union is imminent. Sir, that il is not only mmi
Eent but desrablc. / beg gentlemen not to indulge
in this strain Of rcmsrk. think. and believe his
tory justifes me in it-other gentlemen can speak
for themselvcs--that represent people that can
not be driven. They are few but when m uch few
in number what they are now, they left their plows
= II l~Ct ~. n.