Year: 1860

hensive of ruin ! can deduce no otner
conclusion than that those who have been
in possession of this power have shown
themselves incapable of administering the
government on such principles as IL shouiu
be administered upon.


do not believe any senator here from
the southern states can look me in the face
and say that he has not, and his section
has not had their full share OF political
power from the organization OF the govern
ment until now. No, sir, it is perfectly
obvious that your power in this Govern
ment has been altogether in disproportlon
to your numbers. do not blame anybody,
because | know it is the nature OF us all
to make use of all the powers we have to
the advantage of our own principles, our
own interests, and our own views. Un-
doubtedIy, sir, complain Of the admlnstra-
tion Of this Government and say that it is
total failure to such degree that you
are meditating its utter and entire destruc-
tion. Who is to blame for all this except
those who had the power and have control
led all the policies of the Government to
suit themselves This is most manifest
from the confession of those who complain.
1t is but the shadow of the great principle
which | contend for thrown across the po-
litical horizon, that disturbs the equanlmty
Of our Southern brethren. The Senator
from Georgia Mr.. Toombs) told MS that
they were in possession, and be was proud
of it-and well he might be--of 500, OOO
square miles Of the most beautiful country
God ever bestowed upon man and ne IN
formed us, sir, that it was capable OF suS'
tanning population greater than that OF
Europe and | believe he spoke within
bounds when he said So


He told us there were buttwelVe millions
of people inhabiting that country. And
we all know that the Slaveholdng States
in point of area are one-third greater than
that Of the Free States, while they contain
now not more than one-half of the popu-
lation. He showed their prosperity and
that, too is So Is not, then, anomalous,
these winnings and complaints about the
aggression and oppression of the North,
who are entirely out of power, and when
we know that the property claimed 10y these
gentlemen were never so prosperous as to-
day Slaves are higher than they have
ever been before, and their employment is
more profitable TO the owners than it has
ever been. In one moment it is the glory
and boast Of Sputhern eotl1me' and, in the
very next breath, all is ruin and despond-
ency. How is it, Sir If the North
have conducted themselves so shameeSsly
toward Southern institutions, if their under
ground railroads have so sapped the found
ations of your peculiar institutions, how is
it that your property has risen in the mar
ket, and now stands higher, by your own
boasting and showing, than at any former
period These things cannot be. One
thing would notice. The Senator from
Georgia (Mr ToombS) rose in his place,
and with kind of despair on his counte-
nance, said that we on this side of the
Chamber we're the enemies of the country.


He felt them to be the enemies of his
country, and power would be unsafely
lodged in our hands Why unsafe, Sir, if
we have not endangered the Government
so far? He complained that we were faith
less in the execution of his fugitive BILL and
yet he told US that such was the loyalty of
the servants of the people of Georgia, that,
since the days of the Revolutionary war
to the present day, not one hundred for any
cause whatever, had escaped. Sir, had
not that Senator small reason to complain
of anybody 2 Scarcely a negro a year
had escaped from the great State of Geor-
gia, yet she comes here and is ready in her
rage to make war on the Union, to tear its
pillars down, and involve us all in one com
mon ruin. And why, sir Because they
have lost one poor nigger year He does
not tell US whether they lost them by A Abo-
Iitionists or not But when the gentleman
comes here to maintain that kind of argu-
ment, it is perfectly evident that there is
something else than the consciousness of
any real losses by this unfaithfulness of
those whom they abuse.


Well, sir, as the senator from Georgia
seemed to be the Attorney General to bring
in bill of indictment against this side of
the Senate, propose for brief period, to
review some of the arguments, some of the
declarations and some of the vituperation
contained in that speech, for | acknowl-
edge him to be among the ablest and most
experienced Senators of this body, and if
any case could be made out against the
North for any violation of duty, he was
able to make it manifest. He had the
ability, and certainly he did not lack the
zeal, and if he failed with another noted
character he failed where Satan could not
stand He set forth, sir, with the charge
of treason, of perjury, nay, of cowardice,
which l confess grated more harshly than
all the other accusations made use Of. We
were told that we, with the untold millions
we represent, had so lost our sense of hon
or that we could not resent an injury.


Did he believe we were arrant towards
on this side ? If be did, and l have no
doubt he did-if he believes this side Of the
chamber are oil non-combatments, will
not believe he intended to earn cheap
reputation for valor against those whom he
supposed would never meet the challenge.
1t is known to everybody that the people
of the Free States have utterly repudiated
this old, and they contend, barborous mode
of settling difficulties with duel Every
intelligent man knows full well that the man
who indorsed this practice in the North
has so fallen under the ban of public opin
ion that he could afterward receive no Of
fee of trust or honor in any of those states.
He is treated as an outcast and if by any