Year: 1860




Hon. Thomas Corwfn.


In the recent contest in Rhode Island
and Connecticut Mr.. Corwin, by invitation
of the Republicans, took an active part, par.
ticularly in Connecticut, and his speeches
doubtless saved the State to his party. As
means Of learning the style of argument
upon which our opponents depended for sue.
cess, and 20 SHOW the contrast between the
actual roted sentiment of the two New Eng
land States, with the unreasoning vitupera.
ton of some rabid western Republican Jour.
nails. we extract from Mr.. Corwin's speech
at Howard Hall, Providence, Rhode Island.
The Mr.. Bullock alluded to was on the Con.
servative ticket for 1t. Gov. We copy from
the Providence Press


In opening, the speaker stated that he had
seen' Just before coming to the hall. re-
port Of a speech said to have been delivered
by the Hon. Mr.. Bullock, a gentleman of
whom ne knew little, except that he was
known for fine character, excellent attain.
ments and for being every way worthy. in
the largest sense, to be called q gentleman.
now candidate for the Office of lieutenant
Governor, in which he found a very elabor.
ate detail of the woes that would fall upon
this country if abolition ideas, as they were
sometimes propagated, should ever obtain
general and prevailing control over the
public mind. 1t was very true, as Mr.. Bull
lock had stated, that the movement of that
Abolition party had been generally unfayor.
able to the negro, and dangerous to the per.
petuity of tho Union.


The speaker would enter upon M t;r.ds
against slavery. He believed that itZr1r
misfortune; and inasmuch as we are nrone
! to believe anything which is an ineradical
evil IN our circumstances and time to he
! somehow Or other conformed to the will Of
God, starcry has been instinc iyelv so re-
garded. Feeling themselves oppressed by
it, feeling that they had brought It upon
themselves and that they could not get rid
OF it, the people of the south honestly be.
believed 1t was right. The speaker was not
one OF those who denounce every man that
owns slave as conscious violator of Gods
law; nor did he believe that every man that
owns slave treats him with brutal tyran-
ny, and wrcaks his savage passions upon
him at pleasure. He did believe that We
could not speak Of slavery among the ne
groes Of the South without endancerinp the
security Of the social system of that conn. .
try. He did not believe that we could nr;nt
the arguments which We hear delivered in
our houses every day against slavery, and
circulate them in the South wherever there
can be found negro that can read them,
without endangering their masters lives.
and perhaps the chastity of their wives and
daughters.


The speaker had learned both from sacred
and Profane history to reject the doemas of
those chronological spectators who deny the
unity of the human race. The three sons
OF Noah were the parents of all the differ
ent races Of mankind. From one of these
brethren who located his .amily in Africa
had sprung the negro as well as the olive.
colored people who inhabit the mountain.
Gus districts in that country. From anoth.
er OF these brethren are we descended
The speaker insisted that it was not trertine
our cousin like gentlemen" to make him
an article Of traffic At the same time he
admitted that the negro, thougha cousin of
ours, was at lesst rather a remote one, and
one with whom, if possible, he wished to
have nothing to do; dull fellow so far as
we have made his acquaintance in modern
times. But as he was one Of Gods crea-
lures who could suffer and enjoy, he would
so regulate the laws of Empire so as to give
him as little suffering and as much enjoy.
ment as possible.


All these things have been settled by the
the Constitution of the United States. We
have agreed that wherever the States of the
Union hold this black man in bondage, and
ne runs away from his master. that master,
ms agent or attorney may follow the fugi-
i've slave, reclaim him and take him back
TO himself That covenant, said Gov Cor
win, your fathers and mine have signed, and
that is the bond by which this Union is held
together; that is national compact, and
oy that bond. you and and all others are
oound By obligations just as sacred as those
'ohsch binds us neuer to commit treason
against the Government of the U. s.
The Constitution does recognize the right
of the master to follow the slave any.
where in the United States. While that
Constitution remains, it shall remain intact
and inviolate. Let us reason with each
other. Let the doctrines OF our philosophy
and the books of our christianity be read
by Southern men. Let the negro have as
much light as the cloud Of slavery which
rests over him will allow him to have: and
thus master and slave may both come to the
conclusion, at some future day, that that
''irrepressible conflict" which was announ.
ced long ago by Southern men, and lately
by Mr.. Seward, will be peaceably brought
into force, to redeem the negIo oes from bon
dagc, and the white man from the error
whereby he now seeks to maintain them in
that bondage. (Applause.)