Year: 1860

/
weakness OF compromises Now. | onl,
T speak Tor myself, that in view of the man


ner in which compromises have been treat


ed, should think hardly any two member,


OF the Democratic party could look eacl


other iU the face and say compromise with


out q smile. A compromise to be broueh


about after the experience we have had, i


absolutely ridiculous What are we t,


compromised? ] am Que Of those who wen


with zeal to maintain the principles of tn


republican party. In constitutional wa,


we met and nominated our candidates. Yo
/ did the same. The issue was made and W


went TO The people with it, and, althoug


usually in the minority, usually beaten, th


Justice of our principles and the bad ad


ministration of the government conYince
The people that change ought to b


brought about, and after trying your ut


most, and we our utmost, we beat you


We beat you on the plainest and most pal


pable issue ever presented to the American


people, and one they understood the bes


-and now, when we come to the capital


we tell you that our candidate must be IN
augurated and administer The Government
precisely as their predecessors have doue.


1t would be humiliating and dishonorable
to Us If we listened to compromise by


which we should lay aside the verdict of


the people. When it comes to that, you


have no government, but anarchy ntervenes


aud civil war may follow, aud all the evils


that human Imagination can rise may be


consequent upon such course as that


The American people would lose the sheet


anchor of Liberty, whenever it is denied


on this floor that a majority fairly given


shall rule. know not what others may


do, but tell you shat with that verdict Of


the people in my pocket, and standing on
the platform on which these candidates
were elected, / would suffer anything be-
fore ! would compromise in any way. l
deem it no case where we have right to
extend courtesy or generosity. The abso-
lutte right, the most sacred that free peo-
pie Gao beStow upon any man, is their YER
dict that gives him full title TO the Office
he holds. If we cannot stand there. We
caunot stand anywhere and, my friends,
any other verdict would be as fatal to you
as to us. You say he came from one Sec
tion of the country. What of that ? Mr..
Wade appealed to gentlemen on the other
side to say if they believed if the result of
the contest had been the other way the re.
publicana would have threatened diSuuion
He claimed that if Mr.. Lncoln was an
honest man, he would administer the Con-
stitution faithfully. Therefore say to you,
as far as / am concerned, will yield to no
compromise. / do not come here begging
one. 1t would be an indgnity to the peo-
pie represent if | was to stand here re-
creant to the rights of my party We
have won our rights TO the Chief Magistra-
cy, aud if you were as willing to do justice
to Others as to exact it from them, yon
would never rise to ask for compromise
Many Of you stand in al attitude hostile to
this Government when you threaten, un-
less we do so and so, you will go out of this
Union and destroy the government. say,
in my private capacity, | never yield to
anything by way Of threats In my pub.
lie capacity have no right to yield. There
fore, | would not entertain proposition
for compromise. This long, chronic contro.
versy must be met upon tho principles of
the Constitution. hope it may be ad
justed, but | know of no way except that
laid down by the Constitution of the u S.
When we go astray from that, we plunge
ourselves into difficulties. There are differ
ent ways of constituting it, but in my judg-
ment, 1t is the wisest constitution ever yet
organized, and am willing to stand by it,
| ask for nothing more. There is another
subject about which ought to say some
thing. 1t is claimed that you have right
to Secede at your pleasure. | cannot find
any warrant for doctrine like that in the
Constitution. In my Judgment, it would
be subversive of constitutional obligations.
II that is so, we have no government. 1t
wond reduce this Union to a mere conglo.
meration of States, to be held together at
the will of any captions member Of it. The
state OF S. Carolina is small state but,
probably, if she was sunk by an earthquake,
we should hardly find it out, except by the
unwonted harmony that would prevail in
this chamber. | say this from no i'll will.
think she is unwise. would be willing
to let her go out if we could do so without
an example fatal to all government But,
standing here, my wishes must be controlled
by constitutional duty, don't see how
any lildu Cdu COHbeuu ludb u SldGO eau 70
out of the government at pleasure. The
question was reviewed thirty years ago,
aud received a verdict which it was suppo-
sed had set it at rest forever BY Gen.
Jackson, and the men who surrounded him,
it was pronounced a delusion. and utterly
disruptive of all Governments. Yet, here
it is today, blooming and fresh. Mr.. Cal,
houn, even, held to the doctrine that we
have power to make war Oh state. You
will find this doctrine in his long letter to
Gov. Hamilton. / acknowledge to the full
lest extent the right Of revolution, if You
SO call it-a right to destroy the govern
meut and erect another on its ruins more in
accordance with your wishes But when
you undertake it you undertake it with this
provision If you are successful, all Is
right. You are heroes. But, ii you are
defeated you are rebels.


That is the character Of revolution IL
successful all well if unsuccessful the gov
ernment treats them as traitors. He did
not see cause to apprehend that any par /
Nv intended to make war on the seeding
States he ouIy asserted the right to do so
If they saw fit. He would not, however,
counsel or advise any party to do it, He
would be very tender with the rights of the
people who were about to break up the