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Show Edward Everett. moral causes. Have those who rebuke the South for the continuance of Slavery consider 'd that neither the present generation nor the preceding one is re. pon iblc for its existence? The African slave trade was prohibited by Act of Congress fifty-one years ngo, and many years curlier uy the se~aratc South~rn States. The entire colored population, ~1th the cx:cptwt~, p ·rhaps, of a few hundred surreptitiously mtroduced, 1s native to the Roil. Their ances tor~ were conveyed from Africa in the sl1ip of Old England nnll New Eugland. They now nnmber between three antl four millions. lias auy per~on, of any party ot· opinion, propo~cd , in sober. carne t, a practical method of w hol e~ al e emancipation ? I ~~heve mo.'t })er 'om~, in all parts of the country, Hrc of ~pm10~ that free labor i ' steadily gaining ground. It would, m my judgment, have nlrcndy prevailed in the two nort It .1• . f S e n t1ers o. tlJC lavelwltling States, had its advances not uccn unhappily retarded uy the irritating agitations of the day. But has any p ' rson, whose opinion i entitled to the slighte t respect, e~er undertaken to sketch out the details of a plan for cffectmg the change at onc<', by any legi-Iative mea~u re that could be adopted? Consid<'r only, l pray you, that it woul<l be to a ~ the South to give np one thou. and millions of prop~!rty, which she hold , by a title satis f;lctory to herself. a~ the fm.:;t step. Then e ·timatc the co:t of an atlequatc out~ fit for the self- upport of the emancipated millions; tlten reflect on the derangement of the entire itHlu trial system of the South, and all the branches of commerce and manufactures that. depend on its great taple - ; then the nccc ity of con-ferrmg equal political pri,·i]co-es on th e emane' . t .1 • I 0 · b ( 'lM .eu 1 ace, w ~o, Clllg free, would ue content with nothino- le's if any thmo- less were c . · 't · C' ' I:) on 1 cnt With our political sy, tern. then the con cnue t · · ' • . '1 n orgamzatiOn of two great political parties on the ~asi:s of color, and the eternal feud which would ruo-e between t te~; and fina1ly, the overflow into the Free Stat;s of a vast mu litude of nee<ly and helpless cmigrnnt::;, who, being exelud- Edward Everett. ed from many of them, would prove doubly burdensome wh 're they arc a<lmittcd. 'hould we, sir, with all our Ry mpatlty for the colored rnc , (and I do sincerely sympathiz with tl1cm, and to all whom chance throws in my way I have through life extended all the relief and assi ·tan ·c in my pO\ver,) give a very cordial reception to two or three hundr ·d t l1ou :-;and destitute emancipated slave ? Docs not every eandid m:m sec thnt cv •ry one of these . tcps presents difTi ·tdti <·~ of' the most formidaul • charnel ' r, - difftcultics fot· whith, as f:tr n:-> I know, 110 man and no party ha ~ proposed a solution ? And is it, sir, for the attainment of objects so mnnife~ tly impracticnbl , pnr ued, too, by the bloody pathways of trc·n:-;on and murder, that we will allow the s tup cn cl o n ~ ev il which now threatens us to come upon the country? Shall w · p ' rmit this curiou ~ ly compacted body politic, th · ni<•cst adjustment of human wisdom, to go to pi ccs? 'Vill we bla~t this beautiful ymmctrie form , paralyze this powerful arm of public strength, smite with iml>ccility tlti: gr<'at National lntellect? "\Vhcre, ir, 0 wlH'rc will be tlH' flag of the United States? 'Vh rc our rapidly intrcasing influenec in th · f:,mily of nations? Alr ·ndy th ·y nrc rc•joieing in our divi ~ ion . The last foreign journal which I hav r ·:.ul, in eommcnting upon the cvc11t at llarp r's F erry, (lw<'ll::! upon it aR !-iOmething that" will compel us to k '•p the peace with th · powers of Europe;" and that mean~, to take the law from them in our international r elations. I meant to have spoken of the wreck of tl1at magnificent and mutually beneHcial commercial intcrcour:-;c wltich now cxi. ts between the producing aml manuf:,cturing States;of the ho. tile tariffs in time of peace, and the hal>itually recurring border war , by which it will be annihilated. I meant to have said a word of the Navy of the United State~, and the rich inheritance of its common glories. Shall we give up this? The memory of our !fathers-of tho. c hapPY days when the men of the North and Sonth stood together |