Year: 1862

position to fulfll the conditions Of the or.
iginsl curse thai. .man should earn his bread
by Che sweat of his own face; that he shall
earn it for himself and those immediately
dependent on him, and not be compelled 10
earn Il for smother. They will be equal
with the white men in their right to justice
and the protection ofthe laws; they shall
have Gn eqaaf right to the free use Of their
own bodies, their own intellects, their own
moral affections. and the right to apply the
proceeds Of their own labor to the promotion
of their own welfare and the welfare Of their
dependent families; and If II shall by expert
ence that any of them are Incompetent to
provide for themselves and their families,
they will have guardian for theiy protecs
tion No other equality Is implied in the
Declaration Of Independence, and none
other is demanded by the friends Of ernsn-
cipation.


Examined, then, from any point Of view
which suggests Itself to my mind, I am able
to perceive no objection to the result which
is contemplated with SO much apparent
alarm by Senator's from States tolerating
slavery. An defamation and arguments
designed to demonstrate the danger ofa free
negro population to the peaceful and quiet
ofa white co immunity is triumphantly refu-
ted BY the rapid increase OF the beautiil
commercial metropolis of Maryland in pop
ulation and wealth, although its streets
swar'ns with free negroes. Sir, the con.
dition Of thirty-six thousand free negroes Of
Baltimore i, ast.nding dsily refutation Of
their alleged inability to provide for them
selves, and TO become peaceful members of
civilized society. se Hf


This brings me to consider, in conclusion,
the censure Of the Senate by the Senator
from Pennsylvania. He enquired. why do
you not listen on the these exciting SUBJ
Jects to the representatives from the border
States; why do you not follow their advice,
and thus steer clear of the quicksands and
breakers that seem to interrupt the
progress Of the ship of State? This implies
that we do not meet here on terms Of per-
feet equality as members of deliberate
body, in which each one can demand only
respectful hearing, and then an honest judg-
ment of his peers based on the merits Of the
case. 1t implies kind Of superiority on
the part of the Senator's from slave States to
require blind act u escence in their views
without considering their facts and weighing
their rersons. l Hs.a sE-eG
| Now, sir, protest against any such i'm
plication. A Senator who occupies seat
on this floor from q slave State has no right
TO demand concurrence in his views; he has
no right to dictate the policy Of the nation.


All he has a right to require of this Senate


is respectful hearing, and then candid


honest judgment. The Senate was not or
ganized to record edicts; it is supposed to be
deliberate body ofpeers. Senators are ex-
pected to listen patiently, and to carefully
weigh all that can be said on all sides of
every great national question, and then to
express, in the form of laws, their solemn
jungment. 1t is as much the duty of the
Senator from Kentucky to follow my advice
as It is my duty to follow his. 1t may be


thought, however, that those who are sur
rounded by slavery ought to be better judges
of the effects of legislation calculated to ad-


vance the welfare of such communities. This
should be admitted to be true in qualified


sense; in discussing every local question


they have right to extraordinary indul-


gence, just as every other Senator has when


questions are pending Of deep local interest


to their constituents. But, on the other


had, their statements, which are in the


nature Of evidence, must be received with


many grains of allowance. Their testimony


is not disinterested. They have direct,


certain interest in the subject of controversy


They are threfore to be heard as witnes.


who testifies for himself Under the ordi


nary rules Of judicial tribunals. they would


be excluded from the jury-box, and would


not be permitted to adjudicate the. cause


II, however, you admit their competence q


witnesses, as jurors, and judges, by what ex
traordinary rules Of judicature do you claim
that they shall be the only jurors who shall
be sworn, and the exclusive judges in theiI
own case? This appears to me to be tht
very climax of presumption.
Sir. these Senator'S. instead of coming into


this deliberative body with superior claim.
to consideration on the subject of slavery
come under that class of disabilities which
should require US to weigh with extraordi
nary care their arguments and their state
ments Of facts: for when tried by our ex


perience and observation of their previou!
counsel, we are not encouraged to rely on j
implicitly in the future. We have evidences
that they are not infallible advisers, but ar,
men Of like passions and like weaknesses
with ourselves. A majority Of the Senators
from what are called the border States hav,
steadily opposed every measure adopted for
; the prosecution Of this war for the suppress
: sion Of the rebellion Had their advice beer
followed the rebellion would have eliminated
long since in the Inauguration OF some on,
Of the chief rebels as the President Of The
Republic, and we would have come to tn,
end Of our experiement of self government
They have not given the slightest considera.
ton to that overwhelming conviction OF the


public mind in the free States, that slavery
is ina certain sense the cause Of the war 81