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Show Charles O'Conor. followed hy groan~ and hi~sc~.) I beg of you, grnt1c•mcn, nll of you, at lea. t, who nrc of my opinion, to prc:'<'n·c ~i l <•nre, aml to 1 nx the hi:'. ing anirnnl the full c njoymc·nt of' hi· nntnral pn·v d· egf'. (C' n·c s o r· '' C.x' ooc1 ·' ") ,.fl1, c·,, .:.-. t· of' our rner that ofli:n<1<·c1 was taught to do so by that hi ~sing nnimal; the first }ltlm:m ~ocirty that cv •r was brok<'n np throu~h . in an<l cli:;con] ha<l itR happy union <]j~::;olved by the entra.nen of that nnimnl. ( G rent che •ring and laoghter.) Th •n.f'orr, I !'ay, it is his privilege to l1isR. Let him hi , ~ on. ( ,hN·r~.) Hut, g<'ntl men, 1 will not detain you mueh long r. ( ries of " Go on!") I maintain that negro lavery i. not unjust. (Cheer~.) That. it i. benign in its influcn •cs, both on the white man and on the black. (A vot' e - " r['} 1a. t l•S so." ) J mam• tnm• that it is ordained by Natnre- that it is a n •cc.~sity of' both r:w<·s- that. in the climntcs whrr' the blaek raC'e can li' e and pro~p<'r, Nature herself enjoins COlT •lativ' duties on the blaC'k man and the white-which cannot he p erform •<1 exce'pt by the preservation, and, if the l1i~sing ~cntl men pleasr, l>y the perpetuation, of negro slavery. (Voi e·, "That is right." Cri<·~ of " Good," and cheer . . ) I am ju, tificd in thi opinion hy the highest tribunal in our country- that venerable xpolH'llt of 0111' in. titutions and of our prin ·iples of justice- tbc Suprcm' Court of the United ~ tate·. That court has held on thi:-; suhjrct what wise men will ever pronounce to be . ound and just doctrine. There a.re ome principles well known nnd w ·ll under stood, univer ally recognized and univcr. ally ncknowl •d(Ted amonfJ' m n, which arc not to be found writtrn in C:l 0 eon:-:.titutions or in law.~ . The people of the United Stntc~, at the formation of our government, w re, as th y till arc, in some sense, peculiar, and radically di. tingui;.:;hnblc from other nations. '\Vc were white men, of wl1at i. eallc<l, by wny of di. tinction, the Caucasian rare. '\V c w •rc a monogamous people; that is to say, we were not J\Iohammeda.ns, or followers of Joe Smith, with half a uozcn wives apiece. It was n. fundamental principle of our civilizatiou, that no State could be tolerated or exist in this Union which would not, in that Charles O'Conor. respr.ct, rc·cmblc all the other , taLes of' the Union. Some other di:;ti11ctivc f<·<llUn' ' might be :-;tat<•<l which sc·rve to mark us as a }H'opl· distinct from oth 1':-;, an(l incapab le of a:-;soC'iating on t rms of' pc rfccL political •q uality OL' ~oc ial <'CJllality, as fri 11<ls and fellow-<:itiz ·ns, with certain ela::;: •s of' m '1\ that arc to be founcl on the •arth's surf~t cc. As a white 11atiun, we made our Con. titution anti our Jaw~, YCsting all political rights in that race; th ·y con~ti tutcd in every political ensc the American p opl '. (Cheers.) As to the negro, we allowc•d him to live unuer the hadow and protrction of our laws. \V c gave him, as we were bound to giv' hirn, protection; but we denied to him political rights or the power to govern. \V 0 left him for as long a period a:; th, community in which he dwelt , hould .o.rd r in the comlition or bondman. (Applause.) To that condtllon the negro is a ssign d by nature. (Cries of' "Bravo!" and cheers.) Experi •nce has s hown that his class cannot pro:;p •r ~ave in warm climates. Jn a cold 01• cvc> 11 a moderate!~ cold .climate he soon peri ·h 's; in the xtr •nwly ":arm .reg10u ~ lu · race is perpetuatcu, and with prop •r guardmnslup, may prosper. lie has ample strength, and is eompeknt to bbor, but nature deni" to him ·ith 'r the i11 tell<'d to go\·ern Ol' the willingnc:' to work. Both arc denied him. But that same power which ucprived him of the will to lahor I - . ' ga~ urn, 111 our country, as a recompense, a ma ' te 1· to coC'r ·c that duty and convert him into a valuable and us ·ful srn·ant. (Cheers.) I contend that it i ' not injustice to leave tlic IH'O'ro in the condition in which nature placed him and for whi ·h condition he is adapted. Fitted only for a st~tc of pupii<W<', o~r slav? , y~tcm give~ him a ma ter to govern him and sup17Iy ~11~ ~Cfif:l n~:1c::;; and 111 this there i::; no inju:;ticc. N ·itiH•r i.-; 1t lllJU.'tlcc 111 the ma.~ t<.:r to compel him to labor and t her ·by afford to that master a ju t compensation in return for the care a.n d talent employed in gov<.'r ninO,.,' him . J n tl 1·1 s way alone JS the n 'gro able to render himself useful to him::Je lt' and to the society in which he i:3 plaeeu. The e arc the principleR, gentlemen, which the extreme 25-;1,'. |