Year: 1860

Charleston platform, on which Mr.. Breck.
inridge was placed, and give up that on
which we won the victory, YOU would
grudgingly and hesitatingly be satisfied.


Mr.. 1VERSON said he wished the SEN
ator would read his speech before he
quoted so much from it. He had not said
they would be satisfied with any such
thing.


Mr.. Wade read from Mr.. Iverson's
speech, reported in the Globe, that he
supposed there would be no overt act on
the part of Mr.. Lincoln, but the power
Of the Government would be so executed
against Slavery that it would not last ten
years, and continued Then you are not
going TO wait for any overt acl, but are
going TO proceed upon the suspicion that
probably he might. l have disavowed
any intention on the part Of the Repub-
lican party 10 harm hair Of your heads.
We hold to no doctrine that can possibly
work you any inconvenience. We have
been faithful to all the laws. Ii is not.
then, tha! Mr.. Lincoln is expected 10 do
any overt act by which you may be in
jured. You won't wait for any. But, ,an-
ticipating that the Government may work
you an injury, you will put an end TO it,
which means simply this-that we intend
to rule or ruin this Government. There
is where il comes. We do not like your
institutions, you say. But we never liked
them any better, and you might as well
have dissolved the Union at any other
time as now. We stand precisely where
we stood, repudia,iug your institution, as
matter Of morals, but, admitting that,
when it is out OF our jurisdiction, we have
no hold upon it and no designs upon it,
Is there anything in the character OF the
President elect Of which you complain
Has he not lived blameless life, never
violated any law has he committed any
violation of duty '? Why then are you
suspicious that he will Now, then,
have shown that. having the Government
in your hands all the time. you have
brought it 20 the verge of destruction


and the people, believing it was time the
scepter Should depart from your hands
have placed it in more competent hands
If this is so you have no constitutional
right 20 complain, when we all disavov
any intention so to make use of that vic


tory we have won, as to injure you at all
This brings me here to the question o
compromise. The first day Of this session
Senator rises and offers resolution tC
inquire into the evils between different


sections. and to ascertain what could bt
done 10 settle the difficulty. l tell tha


Senator ! know OF no difficulty. AS Il


compromises l supposed we had agreed


that the day OF compromises was a. al
end. The most solemn we have mad


have been violated, and where are they


Since l had seat in this Senate one O
considerable antiquity was swept ava,


from our statute book and when in lh


minority I stood up here and asked yol
10 withhold your hands-that it was
sacred compact between sections-wha


was the cry +? That it was nothing bu


an act Of Congress, and could be swep


away by the same majori,y that passed i,


That was true in fact, and true in law


and it showed The weakness of compro


mises. Now, only speak for myself


that in view of the manner in which com


promises have been treated L should thin
hardly any Two members Of the Demo


cratic party could lock each other in th
J face and say compromise" without
, smile. A compromise 10 be brough
about after the experience we have had
is absolutely ridiculous. What are we t
, compromise? / am one of those VIII
, went with zeal to maintain the principle
Of the Republican party. In a Consiilu
) .ional way we met AID nominated ou
candidates. You did the same. TIL


issue was made and we went to the peopl
/ with it, and, although usually in the mi
, nority, usually beaten, the justice of GU
principles and the bad administration c
, the Government convinced the people tina
change ought 10 be bought about, an,
after trying your uimoa, and we our ut
r most, we beat you. We beat you on tn
plainest and most pal pabc issue ever pre-
senied TO the American people, and on
r they understood the best-and now, whei
, We come 10 the capital, We tell you tha
, our candidates must be inaugurated ant
administer the Government precisely a
their predecessors have done. 1t woulc
! be humiliating and dishoIorable to us
: we listened TO = compromise by which W,
should lay aside the verdia OF the people
When it comes 10 !hat, YOU have no Gov
errment, but anarchy inter'enes and ciyi
war may follow, and all he evils ;ha
human imagination can raise may be con
, sequent upon such course as that. Th
: American people would lose the sheet
anchor OF Liberty, whenever it is denie,
on this floor that a majority fairly giver


shall rule. know not what Others ma


do, but l tell you that with that verdict o


the people in my pocket, and standing oil


the platform on which these candidate


were elected, l would suffer anything be


fore would compromise in any way.
deem it no case where we have right Il


extend courtesy or generosity. The alb


soluie right, the most sacred that q fre,


people can bestow upon any man, is thei


verdict that gives him full title 10 tn,


Office he holds. II we cannot stand there


we cannot anywhere /; and, my friends


any other verdict would be as fatal 10 yot


as to us. You say he came from ou


section Of the country. What Of that


Mr. Wade appealed to gentlemen on thu


other side TO say il they believed, if th'
result OF the contest had been the othe


way. the Republicans would have threat
ened disunion T. He claimed that if Mr.
Lincoln was an honest man, he would ad
| l. 81