Year: 1861

of policy as this !? Would it advance their
policy of securing homesteads to actual set
tiers By "a solid vote from your side Of the
Chamber, you have defeated this policy for the
last ter years Then, the people of the North
west desire a connection with the ocean. They
desire access to the Pacific as well as the
Atlantic and your votes have become a
more insurmountablc barrier than the inter-
vening mountains. Who can expect that
the Northwest would willingly dissolve its
connection with New England AS offensive
as her people may be to you, they are not
so to us. They have already, by their capi-
tai and their science, overcome the only
barriers between us and the great Atlantic.
We are now within three days journey Of
Boston, and Of the Atlantic at any point; and
we believe that, in pursuance of this same
policy, her capital, which we have not, will
enable ms to connect ourselves with the Pa
cifc States. Her great fleets of merchant
ships, starting at the western terminus of
our Pacific railroad, can connect US with
that human hive that swarms on the other
side of the Pacific, and thus reverse the
worlds travel, and send it, with a large pro-
portion of the worlds trade, by our doors, as
it careers onward to the Atlantic cities and to
the Old World. You may fancy that you
can sit enthrOned at the mouth of the Missis-
sippi river and coerce confederation with
the Northwest, regardless Of her great inter-
ests. Well, sir, there are now in the North
west, on the upper waters of the Mississippi,
about nine million freemen. 1t requires lit
tie but physical force to give us access to the
Gulf; /; and doubt not that our people will
readily find the means to secure that
exit and might predict that if you had
seeded, it probably would not be many
years until tie increase of our population and
the multiplication of our resources, which
have been unparalleled in the worlds history,
would enable us to command the terms which
shall again place the mouth of the Mississippi
under the same jurisdiction which you now
propose to leave. .#s. .


But again, sir. who are the people of the
Northwest? Chiefly the Children of New
England and the great middle States
Look over your census reposts of'each- de-
cade, and you will find they are from very
powerful part of our population. If any
body had any doubt on this subject,
would ask them to look around me here
Where are the native States of these Sena-
tors on my right and left? Nearly all of
them were borne in New England or New
York; and that is but an index of the char
acter of the population of the States Of the
Northwest. shy, sir, ycH have but two
Senators on this floor who were borne there.
Do you suppose that you will be able, by a
stroke of diplomacy, to sever the ties of con-
nection between the father and the son, be-
tween the old homestead in New England
and New York, New Jersey and Pennsylva-
MIA, and the new possession in the States in
the great Northwest? Ifany man calculates
on this, he reckons without his host.


This reminds me, however, of another
view of your objection to the policy Of the
Republican party that it would not allow
your citizens to migrate to the Territories
with their negroes. Why, sir, is it possible
that statesman will stand here, in the SEN
ate of the United States, in the middle q The
nineteenth century, and urge it, as good to
be desired, that the Federal Government
shall adopt policy that will entice away
ftheir citizens? Does the welfare of the slave
States require the expatriation of their peo-
pie? l remember the first winter had a
seat on tins floor, Senator from Pennsylvania
(Mr. Brodhead) announced that he opposed
the homestead bill, and introduced the coun-
ter proposition of the land-warrrnt system,
because the homestead bill would tend 10
draw off the industrious people from Penn
sylvanla to the new States That idea has
occasionally been mentioned since. 1t
would not be the true policy of New Eng
land, perhaps, if she were to take narrow
and selfish view of the subject, to support
the measure which we desire; but her affec-
ton overcomes her interest. She has per-
ceived, too, doubt not, that what she loses
from the strength and power of the nation,
of which she is part; that what passes
from one hand, she can readily regain with
the other. We have not met that spirit from
the other side of the Chamber. The inn
provement of our rivers and our harbors,
that would give us access to the Gulf, you
of the South oppose. The construction
of national railways, that would give an ac-
cess to the ocean, you oppose. The passage
of homestead bill, which would enable
the poor men who migrate to our States, by
honest industry, to procure for themselves
homes, you oppose. BY an intimation of a
purpose to exercise controlling influence at
the mouth of the Mississippi river, do you
suppose you will be able to arrest US in the
pursuit ofour true interests


But the Senator from Virginia propound-
ed one significant inquiry, which ] beg leave
to allude to here


Mr.. BENJAMIN. One word, if the Sen
ator pleases. VIII he state who it was that
made the threat about the mouth of the Mis-
sissippi river? Ishould like to answer the
person who made it.


Mr.. HARLAN. / have not said that any
Senator made that threat. alluded to in