Year: 1860

| w no ever mas seen J0e NOrJnern man tal
on the field of combat Was it not know
that braver men never stepped upon tn
quarter deck, nor entered the periou
breach Z Who ever heard Of coward a
the North when duty called But if
understand the Senator, we on this side
and the untold millions we represent, hav,
not the courage to maintain onr honor.


Toombs--I would refer the Senator t
my speech. made no such allegation
merely said that people who would vic
late the contracts they bad made were no
to be dreaded when they threatened t
march down upon u.s. / made no sucl
allegation against the North. The gentle
men seems to consider that they on thai
side are the people | do not.


Mr. Wade said he had read the speech
and supposed it was declaration that
those on that side, and the people they rep
resent, lacked that courage which was ne
cesSary to maintain ther own honor when
impeached.


Mr. Toombs--I said those persons who
we're not faithful to their contracts. and
who passed Personal Liberty bills, were
not to be dreaded.


Mr.. Wade-I am very glad to hear the
Senator's explanation, because | say it is
no particular merit or honor to gentlemen
on that side to have general courage. We
inherited it from our common ancestors
who dragged kings from their thrones when
they undertook to trespass on the rights of
the people and | trust in God that we
their descendants shall ever be as ready to
vindicate, not only our honor, but our
rights, as were our ancestors at any period.
But if that is all the Senator meant, | would
not much disagree with him. The men
who could be faithIess would be very AMI;
to be towards. But | don't wish to he
misunderstood in regard to this barborous
mode of settling difficulties in thnly set
tied and partially civilized countries. where
there were no restraints of law, and where
standardization reigns, l don't know but
this code might be necessary. If men can.
not be restrained by more elevated plinci-
pies than fear, it may be necessary to teach
respect for the rights of others, even by
fear of the combat But the Senator ac.
cnsed us of being perjured and faithess to
the Constitution and ready to trample it
under foot. And now, sir, inst see how in
consistent gentleman may be |
have no idea that he meant to express the
full import of his language, because he came
here taking the same oath as | did vet he
says that he was eager for the signal from
the Old Dominion to declare war He
was ready, prompt and eager to second her
motion, for he said, zone blast upon her bu-
gle horn would raise a million men," For
what ? Why, to throw down the pillars
of the Republic in universal ruin. He
wonId do so, sir, if Republican was elect
ed President at the next election. Did he
stand on high ground ? Did he stand on
an elevated position, when he charged us
with treason and a violation of oaths. and
threatened, in certain emergency, that he
himself would stand forth to pull down the
pillars of the Republic ? If to do that is
not treason, | don't know what is. If that
is not violation of the oath he has TAKEN
| do not understand the import of it. To
be sure, these things are said in the heat of
debate, but they go out TO the country,
and must be noticed here. The Senator
went back to the ancianr history of Greece
to illustrate his argument.


He did not come forward without pre-
paration. He accused us because we did
not happen to be quite uimble-footed enough,
as he supposed, in the execution of the fu.
gitive law, but he did not instance single
ease, if remember rightly, but it was
general charge. There has not been single
case of resistance to that law in my State
When the cases came before the Courts,
they received the most rigid scrutiny, and
the law has been vigorously applied There
have been cases of the most doubtful char.
acter. Men have even been kidnapped
and carried Off A case occurred not long
since. And that was not the only one
meet the general charge with general de-
nial. When has there not been faithful
execution of this most rigorous, odious,
and, l believe in many provisions unconSti-
tutional law Mr. Webster thought it had
no warrant, except in judicial decisions
But he was not going to argue this point.
Mr. Wade referred to the clause giving
power to commissioners as decidedly uncon,
stitutiOnal.


1t gives $40 to decide one way, and IS
the other. We are told this would not
buy magistrates, but that the magistrates
who generally decide these would be inhu.
enced by a "f'penny bit" Mr.. Wade went
On to speak of other provisions of this law
and said the North never denied any con.
stitutional law, and never will resist such a
law. The law is unpopular, for it goes
against the hearts and consciences of the
great masses of the North, and nothing
short of the Almighty Power changing
their hearts can make them eager to exc
cute this law In the South, where the
feeling is different, when slaves are brought
there from the Coast of Africa, in violation
OF the law against piracy, these very magis'
trates cannot iuhict the punishment DUE
lie Would have just as much ground to &C
cuse the South of perjury because the vic.
TINS Of the yacht Wanderer are not releas'
ed, and her officers punished, as they have
to accuse us because we do not execute
swiftly enough law more odiouS and re-
pugnant to us. The next charge Of the
Senator is that of passing Personal Liberty
bills. There is no foundatonh hunder the
heavens for this charge against Ohio Ohio
never passed a law in violation of the Con-
stitution Of the United States, and she
never has been derelict to her duty in this