OCR Text |
Show .. 100 .A. POLITICAL TEXT-BOOK FOR 18~0. Mis!lisslppl so; but they doubted it. Now let us see how far his t ltcory an<l SIIIJJlOSitions ha ve lJeen ver ifi ed. I infer th at he t old the p eople of Mississippi so for he makes it 1L charg(' in hi!! blll of indictment a ga inst me, that 1 am ho:;tile to southern right!! because I gave those vot I'S. Now. " ht\t has b eon the r esult? My views were lnco rp oraL.:II into the Colllpromise Measures or 1, r>O, aud his wc1 e rej cctt·<l. lias the ~o u t h been excluded from all the t err itory a l.·quired from ~t exi co? What snys the l>ill from tile ll u u~c of Reprcscu ta.tives n ow 011 your talile, r t!pcalu,.; the ~ l ave code In New Mexico, cst.a bllshed by t.hc people thcln~H.: Iv es? it ill jlC£1't (~(the /i i,Ytory of the co1wt .. ·:11 th." t tmcler thi,~ d octr ine (!l 'IIOil·inttwvon tion, tJ~i11 dod,·ino th ctt yo1t deliyltt to <'atl squat te1' sovel'l'i( tnf!/, the j)<'OJilll of .Ne1o .Afe.ti <"O ha'tM •htt,·oduced a nct })I'(J/ect otl 'to vory in Ike 1olwltl of tlw t J'erl"itot·!l· Unde1' l hi 11 <loctri n e, they have convel'tecl a t l'(td qf Frve To,.,·ito,·y ·into Sl11•ve Tel'l'itory , more t!trm .five time.~ the Hize of the Stata of N~:~w-YoJ 'k. Un<l ,. this doctrine, Slave,·y has l1een urtend ed Ji•om tJ~e R io (} l'(lnde to the Gulf of OaltjOI '1~a, aru.t.fl'(rtn. th~ li tM of tlte R epu bli c; of N t 0 Wo, n ut onl!f11j) to 36 de(l. 80 m ill., but 1Jj) f,o 3:)cle(I.--GlVINQ YOU A DEOIH'F. .UID .A ltALP'lllOHK 8LA.VK TIHUUTOIIY T itAN YOU EVI(R CLADt:m. In 18-1. anu 1 49 anu 1 '50, y ou only asked to have the l ine of 86 deg. 80 min. 'I' he Nas hville convention tlxeu that ll.ll it!:! u !Limatum. I o rrereu it in t.he Senate In August, 1 c~S a nd it was adopt ed here but r ej ecte d. in the House of Hepresen\ ativ es. You a ·ked only up to 86 deg. 80 min., o.nd 1Wilr int&r·v~mtion has yilven yo1t Sla.ve Tel'l'itot·y up to 88 d e(/. 1 A D"Git KIC .AND A IIAU' MORE THAN YOU .AST.: ED; and yet y ou say that this is a sa cri.fice of Southern rights ! These a re tile fruits of thls principle which tho Senn.. t or from 1\Iississlpplregarda M hostile to the rlghU! of the South. Where did y ou ever geL any other fruits thai were more pn.lata ble to your tnsto or more rcfre~hlog t.o y our strcugth? Whu.t other in ch or .l<' ree 'l'erritory has been converted in to Slave 'l'crrltory on the American contl ocn~ since the ltevolution, ex cept in New l\l c xico and Arizoo ~ under the principle o r n on-intervention atlirmed al Charleston f lf It be true thut t.hls p rlncipic of non·inter· v cntion has given to lavery nil New 1\l c~ i co , which wn8 surrounded on n early every side l>y l<' rcc 'l'enitory will no~ the same principle protect you in the northern s~at~s of Me xico wllen th ey nre a cquired, sin ce they 11.re now sur r ounded by Slnve Te rrit ory; are several hundr ed njlles fur ther outh ; have rno.ny degrcce or gre:ttcr heat · anti have a climate i\11<1 soil ndnpted to Southern prod~ct.l p Are yon n ot sat i!!fi cd with th et~ c prnct.ical results P Do you desire to appeal from the people of the 'l'erritorlt-s to the Uong r ess of the Un it ed States to settle this qu~ tion in the 'l'crrltor! es ? When y ou dh t rusL the 11eople aml appeal to Congress, with b oth houses la rg-ely agninM y ou on th i!! ques tion, what sort of p l·ot ect.ion wi ll you gc~! Whenever you ask a Sl1tve code from Cou ~res~ to pr(ltecl y our ins titutions in a Territory whe1·e the people do not want it, y ou will g et that sort of protection which tht wolf gives to the lamb ; y ou will g et t hat so1 tor friendly hug that the grizzly b ear gives to the infant. Appettllng to nu Anti- lavery Congress to pass laws or protection with a view o f forcing Slavery upon an unwilling and hostile p eopl e ! Sir, of nil tho mad schemes thnt ever could be devised by the South, or by the enemies or the South, tha t which recogn ize~ the r ight or Congress to touch the Institution of Blf~very eith er in ::itatcs or 'l'crri· t orlos, b eyond the si ngle case pro vided in tlie Constitu· t ion Cor the r en tli tion of fug itive Sl a ves , Is the mo• fatnl.-.AppendiCll to Con(J1'e8si01wl Globe, J)GGe 814. 'f I-IE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT. • • • .A. SPEECII BY WILLIAM II. SEW .A.RD, n clivered at R ochesicr, .!Jfonday, Oct. 25, 1858. FRI.LOW-<::J'MZKNS: The unmistakable outbr eaks of zeal which occur a ll around me, show that y ou are earnest men -and such a man am I. Let us, ther efore, a t least for a time, pass by nil secondary a nd collateral questions, whether of a pe rsonal or or a geneml n a ture, anrl consider the main suhj ect or the present c anvass. 'l'he Democratic party, or, to !:!peak more a ccurately, the party which wear!! that attractive name, Is in p ossession of the }'edcml Government. 'l'he ltcpubllc:m~ propose to dislodge that party , a n<l dismiss It from its high trust. '.rhe main suhject, then, Is, whether tJ1e Democrnc tlc party deserves to r etain the confidence of the American p eople. In a ttempting t.o prove it unworthy, I think tiln.t I am not a ctuated l.:>y prejudices a g ainst that p a rt.v or uy prepossessions in favor of it.~ a dve rsary; for I have le'arnctl, by some experience, that virtue antl patriotls tn, Yicc nml selfishness, are founcl in all p a rties and thn.t they dill'cr less in their motive!! than in the poll~ics they pursue. Our country is a theatre, which cxhiiJit.s in full operation, two raclically di!fc rcnL political systems · the one resting on the hasis of servile or s la ve la.IJor th~ other on the baSis Of VOfUntu.ry labOr or freemen. I The la bor e rs who nrc C n<~lav e d a re a ll n i'!-'Toes, or p er eons more or less purdy of African d eri vation. n ut this is only a ccidental. 'fhe principle of the system ill, that labor In every society, by whota:!O\.lver pe rform 'cl i.~ necessarily unintellectunl, g roveling, untl base; ancl d utt the laborer, equally for ills own good :wd for the welf:tre of the St.a.tc, ought to be enslaved. 'l'he whiLe laborins; mnn wheth er n a tive or foreigner, Is not enslaved, only l> ecaus~ he cannot, n.s y et., be r e<luced to bondage. You need n ot be tol1l now t.hn.t the slave system Is the olcler of the t1vo, tmd that once it wa.'3 unive rsal. The emancipation or our own ancestors, Caucasians an~ Europeans as they wer e, hnrdly dates beyond IL penod of five hundred y ears. The ~reat melioration of human society which modern times exl•lbit i.e mainly due to the lncOJ -.p let.c substitution of the syste~ of voluntary labor for the old one of servile labor which las nlrendv taken place. 'fhls African slave svst~m l! one which iil ite origin an<lln lt6 growth, has been altogethe r for~lgn f"9tn the h~~;hlts of the races whlch colonized these ·ta t es, ~ established clvUisation llere. It waa lnt r oduc(ld on this new continent as nn engine of conqueHt, and for the Oitablishment of mona r chica l porrer, by the Portuguese and tho • pnnlards, and wns r a pidly extended by them nil over Routh America, Central America, J,ouisiana, and Mexico. lt>'l leglthnate fruits nrc seen In ~he pover ty, imbecility, and anarchy, which no,,. p ervade aJli>ortuguese and Spanish Ame ric a . 'l'he free-labor system Is of Oerman extraction, and lL was est a blished in our country by emigrants from wed en, Holland, Germa ny, Great llrltaln, and Irela nd. We justly ll.l'!Crihe to its influences the strength, wealth, gr eatness, Intelligence, nnd freedom which the whole American people now e njoy. One of the chief elements of the value of human life Is freedom In the pursuit of happl· ness. 'J'he slave Pystem Is not only Intoler ant, unjust, and inhuman t ow!trrl tho lnhor er, whom, only because he Is a hthorer, it lo ad~ d own with chains and converts Into mer· cha ndlse, b ut is scarcely less severe npon HJe freeman, to whom, only becnul:!e he Is a la bor er from necessity, U denh! s facili ties for employment, and whom it expelll from the cornmnnlt.y bec1Lnse it cannot enslave and convert him into merchandi ~e also. It is neecssarlly Improvident IUld ruinous, because, as a genernl truth, communities prosper anrl flo urish or droop and decliue ln just the degree tba1 they pmc tice or neglect to practice tho primary duties of jmstice a.nll hum;mity . 'l'he frec-h~bor syBtem conforms IC the <llvlnc law of eqnaUty, which is writ ten In the hear14 and con~clences or men, nml the refore ill always and ever)" where bene ticent. 'l'he slavo sys t em i.e one or constant danger, dlstrll81, suspicion, and wo.tc hfuluCf!R. It debases ~hose ll'ho~• toil alone can produce wen.lth ancJ r esourcr.s for defense, to the lowest dcgt·ee of which hurnnn nature is cnpuble, to guard against mutiny anti Insurrection, and thuJ wastes energi es which oth erwise might he employed Ia national development ancl nggrandizement. The fr ee-labor eyRt em eclu c1~tcs ~II :LIIkc, and by opeJr lng all the fi elds of Industrial t>mployment, and all 1~ departmenU! 0( 1\Uthority, '0 tho uncheckctl and. ~Q tl4J rivalry of all cll\sscs of men, nt once secures umv~r~ j. contentment and brings Into the bi$iht!~t po8>~1hle acbt V,J ty all the •p hylllcnl, moral, and socla.l enerfo,'·l e4 of t e whole State. In Stat015 where the slave system pre~~11 ~ Ute m&~~ters, directly or lndirecUy, aocure all pol MR. SEWARD'S lRRRPRESSmLE C ~FLICT. H\1 wer aod con11ti tutc a ruling ar!!ltocr~cy. Tn ~t atcs p~ re'thc free-labor system prevn.tls, un~vcl'11al 1:Htffra~;e ~e:essarily obtains, and. tl1e ' tat.e lnei'Jt!thly b ecmncs, ~ooncr or later, tL rep ublic or c!cmocntcy. . . Hu~silL yet tuaintalns ~lavery, nnd 1s a tlespot.sm. Most of ihe otl!Cr J<; uropcan !:\ta.tes Ita,. • abolished ~larery tLllll tt<lopLcd the system. o f free lahor. lL 11 as ~he ILilt~gonL~tic political tendenc.eH of the I wo sy~tcms which the flr~t :lpoleon was contemplating when he rcdlcted t h11t I :urope would uiLim1Ltcly lie either all ~ss11ck or all ltepuli lican. r\ever d id huruan liU~acity uttor a more prcgn1Lnt truth. The two ~:<y~tl.'ms arc at. once pel'Cl'lved to he Incongruous. Hut t.hcy a rc 111ore tban lncougnt()llS-they are lncomp!lt ii.Jie. 'l'hcy ne,·er htLVC pe1·nuwently e xisted to get her Ill one counLry, and they never can, It would l>e ea~y to dcmoni:lt rate thh; lmpOH~ibility, from t.he ir rcconcila !~I e. contrast between their gre!Lt plinci ples ILncl charactcn 'tJcB. HtJt the expe· l'icnce of mun kinu has conclusively l'Stal,lishtd it. t!!ILVery, as 1 htLVC a lready in I imale<l, cxi le<l In e 1·ery Hllite !u Europe. ~'rcc lubor has supplanted it ei'CIYwhcro except In ltussi:t nnd T u rkey. ~tate nece '!litie~ developed in modern times, a re now obli~ng even those two nations to encourage u.nd e1npl y free lal>or; aiul already, dUHpOlic as t hey nrc, we find Lh •m engage1l in aboli~ll ing Slavery. In the nit e<l l"tate~, ' Ia. very came Into collision with free lahor a t the close uf the la~t century tuHI fcll uefore it in New-E n ~l ancl. r\ e11 -York, NewJcr ·~y and l 'ennsylvania , but tnumphe<l over it etrectu: LI Iy ' nud excluded it for a period yet undetcnnincd, f1'01tl Virgi nhL, the Carolinas, an<l (l curgia. l ndecd, 1:10 inconllHLlible <Lrc the two sy~:~tem.<~, tl11~1 every new State which is organized within our ever-extending domain Jnakcs lt1:1 first poli t ical act a choice of tlt' one t~u<l an excluijlvn of the other, even at the cost of eh il war, if necessary. 'l'l1e SlilVe l;Lilte~, without law, llt the last naLional elecLion, successfully forliad e, wit hiu their own limits, even the casling of votes for a candidale for l' re!:' idcn~ of Ute nite<i ::itat.cs &uppo::;ed to be favorable to ~he c~tal! l h,hmeut of t he f r ec-l ahor t-j ~tcm in now States. llithcr to, the Lwo systems haYe cxl·tcd In di fferent Statc6, buL 6ide by ~:;ide within the Aincri<'an Union. 'l'hl~ has happened because t he Union I It con fe<lcmtlou of State~. But in another aspect the IJuitcd ~taLc~ conHitutc only one nation. 1 ucrease of 1ropu l:ttlou, which Iii filli ng the 'taLes out to their \'Cry IJonlcrs, together with u. new a u t! extended net-work of railro:\dl'l tLnd oLher avenues, a nd au iuternu.l commeree which d aily uccome~ 1110re iutil!latc, is rapidly bringing the Stat•;s Into a higher nnu more Ferfcct social u n ity or consolidation. 'l'hus, these autagonistic systems nrc contin u~llly com i n~: in·o c loser contact, aud coll il:liou results. ShaUl tell you what th il:l collision menns? They who thi11k that iL is aecident.al, unueecs!'lary, the work of in :. Crcsted or f:w:tticul agitators, :t n<l therefore epllememl, ml~tttkc the case a lto~,;cther. l t is un lrreprcs il>le conflict between op poHing a nd enduring forces, and it means that the nitc<l States lllust and will, sooner or later, become either entirely a slal·eholdlng untion, or ~ntirely o. free-labor nation. l£ither the cot ton a nd rice tidll.s of 'outh Caro liu tl and t.l1e ~:~ugar 11 lnntations of Louisi.ana will ul t irna.t cly be t ill ed by free hLlior, a nd t:harl\!st.ou a nd New Orleans become mart!! for lcgiti· muto u1cr·ch ;~IHlisc alone o1· else ti!C ryo-ftclds and wheat-fields of iiJ assachus~tts and New-York must again be surrendered by t heir fa rlllers to 'lave cultur e and to the IH'OducLiou of sla ves and lloston and New-York l>e· cornu once more m a.rk~ts for t ru.de in the bodies and bouls of men. It is the fa ilure to apprehend t his great truth tlmt ind uces so many unsuccessful au.cmptl:! at fi nal com p ronti~e l>e twecn the , lave and Free l::ita tes, and it i.1:1 t ile existence of this great fact that rcn d erll a ll such pretended cOlll )H'Omises, when made, vain a nd e ph cme~·al. Startling as this saying may appear to you, rcllow-cJtizens, it i.l:l l>y no me;Lns an origimLI or even tL modern one. Our for eCathers knew it to be t r ue, an(l unauimously act ed upon it when they framed Lite ()onl:! t i ·.ution of the United Btatcl:!. They r egard ed the ex i.st.! tlce or the ller vile system in so mtm y of the States with ion ow Rnd tihrune, which they op enly confessed, rmd Uiey looked upon the co llision bet.wecn them, which was Lheu j ust reve:tl ing Itself, a.nd wbich we are o ow a ccus· ~lllc d to deplore, with fav or and hope. 'l'ltey lcn e1v that e.Jlher the one or the other sy stem mullt el>clusively prcTu! l. Unlike loo many of those who In mod ern timcl'! invoke their authority, th ey had u. choice between ~he two. They p referred the system of free lal>or, :1.11(1 they d et er· mined to organize tho Go vernm en~ and so to d irect itll lc~ivl~y , that Lha~ system should ~urely a.otl c ertainly prev:ul. Yor thill purpose, a.nd no other, t.b ey bued t.be 11 whole Htr ll('ture or Government broadly on the principle t h:Lt nil lllCll ~~re creal ed equal, a nd thcre fMe fre\' lltllo dreaming that, wiLhiu the short period or one h undred years, their dcsccndunl.ll would bear to be toltl hy any orator, h owever p opular, th 1~t I he ut ternnce of that win· ciplc wa.s merely u rhetorical rhapsody; or IJy any ju<lge h owever vcncmltd, that It was attended hy mental rc· tJerv~tt.ions, wltich r r• JHlered it hypocr itical and fa hsc. lly lhe Onlinance of 17'>7, they dedicated 1LII of the nt\lional do n11.~in not yet polluted by 'lavery to free lahor immediate ly, tht·nceforth tllld forever ; while by the new Constitution and laws they in1 itecl foreign free labor f rom nil l:111ds under tho sun, an<l interdicted the lmporta. tioll of African Slave l .. nbor, a~ all times, in nll pilLet~>~, a nti under a ll Cl l'l'lllliSt:Lllce~ whatsoever. I t i~ true that thq JWec~BHr •Y and wi::;ely motlilied this p olicy o f Frec<lont, by lt'a ving lL to the sc,·eral !:!tales, a !T'cctcd :tS tlt e,v were by diffe ring circumstances, to abolbh ~lavery in thcl ~;, own way and at the iJ' own )IIC!\.sure, instead of conll<lin;.: that duty to Cl)ngre .:1, Sln<l that tl1ey secured lo tltt· ~lave ,'tateR, wlt ile yet retaining the !:!ystcm of ~l ave·' , :~ threc-tlfths rcpre~entation of slave~ in the J<'cdcml t . PveJ'n Jnent, until they bhould find themselvct~ a hie to 1 dinqulsh it with safety. lin~ the very uature o f the!le uao dilic:Ltions fortifieR my p o~ition th:tt the fa thers knew that the two system!:! coul<l not endure within the l u! on, and expected thnt withill a ~hort per irHI ~lavery wc>uld dilmppcur forever. 1\loreovcr, In order that these modlfi cu ti ont~ might not alt.ogethn defeat their g-rnnd de~:~ign of ll Hepuhlic maintaining univcrKal equality, th<'y provided that two-thirds of the ~t.aleli might amend the Uonstilution. lt r e111:1 in1:1 to say on t l1is point only one word, to ~narc! against Jnl~>a ppi·e h ension. Jf Uw~e 'Latcs arc to agau1 be· colllc uulv t• r::;n lly 1-!l:LvdiC>Idin!(, 1 do not pretend to ~~~y with what vlohltlons of the Uont'tltution that end Hhall lie accmnpUshcd. On the oll!l•r hand, while I do conli rll'utly hl'lie1·e and hope that my country will yeL become t~ 1:1011 of uuiv ·rsal Freedom, I do not cxpt•ct thnt it will be made so othl· rwi~ c than Lh rou1.dt the action of the several 't ntcs coi1perating with the l<'ederal Covcrnment, and all acting In ~:;trict coufonuity 11 ith their respeclive Constltution8. The strife and conll:ntious conccming ' lavery, which ~e u t ly-disposed persons so IHthitually d eprecate, arc nothiug more than the ripen in!-( or the cont.lict which ll1t: fath.ors tht!mHdvcs, not only t hu~; r l.'ganl•d w1th favor, I.Jut wluch they mny be !la id to have inst it nted. It i:; not to be dcnkd, howc~t• r, that thus f1u the course of that coutcst h:lij not. IJe<·n according to their buu1nne anticipations Ill HI wiHhc's. Ju the tld<l of feel ern I politics, ::ilavery, der iving uulookc<l-for advantages from C?mmercial rhanf.(es, tll!d euer$iksunfore11ecn from the fa cilities co( combiuallon bctweeu members of the slaveholdlng cJa:qj an<l lietwecn that class and other property cl;ts~t·R, early rallied, a nd has at lt•nl-(th lllaclc n stand, not mcre!y tore· tain its original d cf1.· u~ive position, hut to extencl lls sway throughout the whole Union. It is certain th.at the slllVl:"' holding class of American cit h1ens Indulge thJs high nml>J· t ion, and t hn.t they dcri ve t ncourag-cmeut for It from th6 rapid an<l elfeclivc political sueccll~es which they have a lready ohtaiucd. 'l'he plan of oper ation Is this: By ~on· tinueu appliances or pat ron age nnd threat8 of dl~umon, they will keep n. majority f:tvorable to th ese designs In the Scuate where e:Lch State lws nn equal reprr sentntion. Through that maj ority tht·y will defeat, us they best can, t.hc 11d utl~tl:!io n of .l<'ree ::it:ttes, nn<l secure the ndmlsslon of 'l:wc Statcll. nder the protection of the J udiciary, they will, on t.he prindple of the J>red .scott,cnsc, carry Slav.ery into all the 'l'crritorlcs of the mted , tate~ now exlstJ,ng, nud hereafter to lie organlliC<l. J3y the actwn of the J resid 'nt aud tile ,'cnntc, using the t reaty-making power, thry will annex foreign slaveholdlng tu.tes. l n u. favo rnlrle conjuncture they wi ll induce ()ongress to repeal the net or 1 O:l which f)roltil>its the foreign tlln.ve-trade, a n<l so thl.'y ,Till itnport frum A frlca, nt the cost. of only $20 a hca<l, slave1:1 enough to fill up the inten or of the continent. 'J'hug rel:ttively incr •nsing the number of hwe t.ate~,.lltry \'Viii nlluw no nmetHlmcnt to the Constitution prcJudH·!n I to t heir Interest; and ~o, hn vlng permane~tly est.ni.JilRh t·d their power, they expect the l<'cderal Judiciary ~o nul~ify a ll 'ta te law11 whi ch shall Interfere with luternn.l or foretJ.(ll commerce In slaves. When the l<'ree St.ntcs shnll he sulllcicn tly demoralized to tolerate these designs, they r ea!IOO· a bly conclude that Slavery will be accepted by those Stntea themselves. 1 sh :~.U not stop to show how spce<.ly or how complete would be the ruin \fhlch the a ccomplishment of these 11Ja,-cholcllnp: schemeR would bring upon the country, 1' one lMhoul<l not remain In the country to test the snd c~;crit1~cnt. Jln vlng spent my manhood, though not. uJ. whole life in n Free State, no nrlstoera.cy of any kln , much lee!l ~n ar18tocr :t('1 of ala veholders, shall ever make the laws of the bn<l ln which I shall be content to live. lla.vlng aeen t.he 110clety around me unlversll.lly engaged i.Q |