Year: 1861

O"HS S'''Si Nuu NOW VIC are cupUpPu Ill Tue st1ull
business o. crlmln,tion and re-criminat,on, as to
VINO is responsible for not having lived up TO
tnem IN good lath. and for having broken faith.
want whatever compromise is agreed 10. placed
beyond the reach Of party politics and partisan
policy by being made rrevocable in the COnstitu-
ton ITSELF so that every man who holds Office will
be bound by his oath TO support it,


There are several modes in which this irrita.
ting question may be Withdrawn from Congress,
peace restored, the rights of the States maintain
ed. and che Union rendered secure. One of tnem
-one TO which L can cordially assent has heen
presented ny the vegetable Senator from Zen
lucky Mr.. Crtenden.] The journal of ,he Com
mttee OF Thrteen shows that voted for it ia
committee. am prepared to vote for Il again.
l shall not occupy time now in discussing the
question whether my vote to make a partition
between the two sections, instead of referring the
question 10 the people, will be consistent with
my previous record ornot. The country has no
ve.y great interest in my consistency. The pre-
servatlon OF this Union, The integrity of this Re-
public. is OF more importance than party platforms
or individual records. Hence, | have no hesita-
ton in saying to Senators on all sides of this
Chamber, that am prepared TO act on this ques
ton with reference to the present eXigcncies Of
tue case, as # had never given vote. or utter
ed a word or had an opinion upon the subject.


why cannot you Republicans acccde to the
establishment and extension OF the Missouri Com
promise line! You have sung peans enough in its
pldiSC tHt utttlcu DicCtlOuS anu curses enough
on my head for its repeal, one would think, to
justify You now in claiming a triumph by its re-
establishment If you are willing to give up
your party ieelngs-to sink the partisan in the
patriot-a help me to re-establsh and extend
that line. a perpetual bond of peace between
the North and the South, will promise you never
to remind you, in the tunre, Of your denuncia-
tions OF the Missouri Compromise so long as
am supporting it, and of yodr praises Of the same
measure when we removed it from the statute
book. after you had caused it to be Abandoned
by rendering it impossible for us to carry it out.
seek no partisan advantage; ] desire no person
a! triumph am willing to let by-gones he by
cones with every man who, in this eXigency.
will show by his vote that he loves his country
more than his party.


II presented TO the Commtte of Thirteen. and
also introduced into the Senate another plan by
which the slavery question may be taken out of
Congress and the peace of the country maintain
ed. If you Of the Republican side
are not willing to accept this, nor the proposi-
ton of the Senator from Kentucky. Mr.. Critten-
den] pray tell us what you are willing to do? l
address the inquiry TO the Republicans alone for
the reason that in the Committee Of Thirteen,
few days ago. every member rom the South in
cluding these from the Cotton States. IMessrs.
Toombs and Davis expressed their readiness to
accept the proposition OF my venerable friend
from Kentucky Mr.. Critcndrn] us final settle
ment Of the controversy. If rendered and sustain
ed Ivy the Republican members. Hence, the sole
responsibility OF our disagreement. and the only
difficulty in the way of an amcable adjustment.
is with the Republican party.


in my opinion we have now reached Il point
where the agitation must close. and all the mat
tcrs in controversy be finally determined by con-
stitutional amendments. CT civil war and the dis
rupton of the Union are inevitable My friend
from Oregon, Mr. Boker] who has addressed the
Senate for the last two days. will fail in his
avoWed purpose 10 'rv"dc' the question. He
claims 10 he liberal and conservatives; and |
must confess that he seems the most lib
cral OF any gentleman on that side Of the
Chamber. always excepting the noble and pa
troc speech OF the Senator from Connecticut
[Mr DiXon:] and the utmost extent of which
Senator from Oregon would consent to 90. was to
devise Il scheme by which the real question at is
sue could be evadcd.


Il regret the determination. to which l appre
hend the Republican Senators have come, to
make no adjustment, entertain no proposition,
and listen TO no compromise OF the matters in
controversy.


IL fear, from the Indications, that they are dis
posed to treat the matter as party question, to
De determined in caucus with reference to its
effects upon the prospects Of their party, rather
than upon the peace OF the country and the
safety Of the Union. | invoke their deliberate
judgment whether it is not dangerous expert
ment for any political party to demonstrate to
the American people that the unity Of their par
ty is dealer TO them than the Union of these
States. The argument is, that the Chicago plat
form having been ratified by the people in
majority Of the States, must he maintained at all
hazards, no matter what the consequences to the
contrary | insist that they are mistaken in the
fact when they assert that this question was
decided by the American people in the late cleo
ton. The American people have not decided
they preferred the disruption Of this Govern
ment. and civil war with all its horrors and mis-
cries. to SlrrpnuprjnO iOta OF the ChicuTO
platform. If you believe that the people are
with you on this ISSUE let the question be sub
mitted to the people on the proposition offered
by the Senator from Kentucky or mine. or any
other fair compromise and | will venture the
prediction that your own people will ratity the
proposed amendments to the Constitution, in or
der to take this slavery agitation out of Congress,
and restore peace TO the country, and insure the
perpeuty of the Union.


"Why not give the people chance? 1t is an
important crisis. Why not allow the
people to pass on these questions? All we have
to do is to submit them to the States. If the
people reject them. theirs will be the responsible
ity and no harm will have been done by the ref
erence. If they accept them the country will be
SAFE and at peace. The political party which
shall refuse to allow the people TO determine for
themselves at the ballot-boX the issue between
revolution and war on the one side, and obstinate
adherence to party platform on the other, will
assume fearful responsibility. war upon a
political issue, waged by the people OF eighteen
States, against the people and domestic instltu-
tions of fifteen sister States is fearful and re-
voting thought. The South will be unit, and
desperate, under the belief that your object in
waging war is their destruction. and not the pres
ervation Of the UniOn that you mediate servile
insurrection and the abolition OF slavery in the
Southern States, by fire and sword in the name
and under the preext of enfC rcng the laws and
vindcating the authority of the Government.
You know that is the prevailing, and | may say
unanimous opinion at the South; and that ten
millions people are preparing for the terrible
conflict under that conviction.


when there is such an irrepressbe discomfort
pcrvading ten million people, penetrating the