OCR Text |
Show A POLITICAL TEX'T-DOOK FOR ldoO. Whe1·ea8, A crisis has arrived In t11 e public ulfalrs of I llR. WEBSTER AGAINST SLAVKP.Y EXl'F.~SIOK. the Nation, which requires the free an(l full expre~siou of tlle people, through their legal representatives; and I In the United States Senate in Aurr 1R48 W1Lere~8, The United States Is u.t war ~vith the Hcpu~lic .Mt·. WelJsteJ' in speaking 011 the' IJ'll to n·• . "· ' of Mextco, occasioned by the Annexntton of 'J'ex <~l!, wtlh r • ' • I org.1.~11~e a view to the addition of ~lave Territory to our country, the Territory of Oregon With a. cla.use prol11bl\aml the extending of Slave power In our Union; and inrr Slavery, said: Wlterea8, In the opinion of the General Assembly, such 0 a cquisitions arc hostile to the spirit of our Free Instl- The question now Is, whether it is not competent tt tution~, and contrary to sound morality i therefore bo it Congress, In the exercise of a fait· and just discretion tc Resoltved, Hy the Senate ancl House of Representatives say that, considering- that there have been five sla'veof tlte S1:1te of Delaware iu General Alisemuly met., '!'hat holding States (Louislann, .!<' lo rida, Ark1tnsas lllis:lourl our ~euaturs and Representn.tives In Congress are hereby and l'exas) added to the Union out of foreig~ ncquisirr que~te<l to vote against the annexation or any 'l'crri tory tlons, ancl as yet only one .f.' rei! State, whet her, under this \1) our Union, which shall not thereafter be forever free state of thlngi1, it i11 unreasonable nnu unjust in the r, 0111 Slavery. t~lightest degree to liruit their farther ext en!;}>; .. •,? '!'hat II MASSACUUS~:1'TS AGAINST SL.A.VERY. The following re olution wn.s pnssed l.>y the Legi: l:tture of Massachusetts in 1847, in connection with otilers ou the subject of the Mexican war. Resolved, That our nttcntion Is directed n.new t.o the wrong :wd '· enoru1ity" of Slavery, nnd to t.lre tyranuy nnJ usurp:Ltlou or the" Slaxc Power," llS displayed in the ld:'tory of our couutry, particularly in the annexation of 'l'exa", au<l the pre:;ent war wilh lllexico, and tha.t we are ilnprcs:;ed with the uualterttble condition, that a r egard fur the f;Lir fa.u1o of our country, for the principle pr morals, and for that l'lghteousuess that exaltetll a nation, B;Lnctions and r,·qui ro.~ all constitutional efforts for tile des tructi on of the unju~t. influence of the Sl:tve power, and fur t.he iLboliLion of Sla.v-e1·y within the limit.s of the Uuited St!Lks. TilE WHIGS 0~' ~IASSACLIUS~~TTS AGAINST SLAVKRY. The )la.ssachusetts Sta.te Convention held at Spriugfieltl, in the latter part of the m1 onth of SeptcmlJe r, 1 -17, aml a.t which Daniel 'Vchster wa' uominatccl as a. candidate for the Prcsid c nc?T• passecl the following among other resolutiOns : R~olAJecl,, That the w:n witl.,J\lexico-the predicted, if bot t.lic lcgltnnat.: oiTspnng, of the annexation of Texasbegun in H. JIH.Ipal>le vlohttiou of the Constitution, aud t.hc. u s urpatlo~1 or the powers of Congress by the Prcsiden., ud carnecl on in reck le~slndiiTerence and disregard or the blood aatl treasure of the Na1ion-can have no ohject w.hich can be dro.:ctecl liy the acquisition of "Iexi~ un ternLory, uucl c:r lloe circumstance or tl1e countryuuless U~Hier adequ;· tc S•·curitles for tire protection of human. hberty-cau have no other probable result than Ute ult una tc a rlva.a co.:tllent of th<• sectional supremacy of the Sla vt- Power. Aftc1 recommL'n(lit~g "Pence with :Mexico without di~mcmlJertncn t," and "No addition of Mexic<m 'fcl'l'itories to the American Union" the Convention ' Re8oltved, That. if this cour~e should be rt'jectcd anLI the war bii:LII lie prosecuLecl to the 1i11 :tl snloj ec tiu11 or disme111- l!ennent of !ll ex!co, the Whigs of M;h~;Lcllu se tts now decl: u·e, ancl put tlt.ls declaration or put po•e on record that l\la:~t;ach uset ts. Will never consent tiHIL Mexican 'l'enitory hOI\. ever· a cqutre<l, bhall becoltlc a part uf the Ame t·i cat~ Urtwa, unl c~ ll o!l the unalterable: co11dition that "there £ltallue. uerther ~lavery nor Involuntary Servitude therein o llrenn:>e th11c1 111 tlte punishment of crime." ' Resolve<l, That in ruaking this declaration of It er purlJ'lbC, l\la~sachusc~t~ !\tlnounccs no new princivlc of anion !~1 regard t? lt~r stster i:!tates. ILnd make!:! no uew applicatwn uf pnnc1ples ulready acknowledged. Site 111e1·ely states .the great American principle embodier! in our Declara. ti Ot• or. I ~Hlepenrlcnct-:-the political equalit,v of perB. Ot~S tn tlte c~vl,l statc; tire pnncipl.:s adopted in the legisl~ t ~~~~ of Lilt ~,tate . un~ler tl_le Confedemt ion, ancl ~omeumcs. by the Coustrtuuon-tn the :tel mission of all the new tales formed from the ouly '1'el"l'itory belonglug to tJae UlliOil at tlte auortiOII of the Constitution-it is in ehort, the iluperishable principle set forth in the e~er memorable UrdlltHIICe or 1787, which has ror lllOre than l~alf a. c, nlury hecll tire:: fundamental law of hutli!Lll l~b~rt~.~~~ ~lte great vallq of the Lake~, tlte Ohio, and Urt: M1~s1 ~•ppr , wllh what li1 illiant suece:;s, awl witll what uuparullc~c<l rct~nlts, let tire great and growing State~ of Ohw, lntbana, llllnoiR1 Miclugan, and Wisconsin au!lwer and ded:.rt!. ' the question. I see no lnjnstice in it. As to tbe power of Congress I have nothing to ndd to what I said th1 other day. I hn ve s1~id that I 11hall con11ent to no EJ> tension of tluJ m·ea <!( 1:ilrr1lery on tlvis Continent, 11o1 a.ny increase of Sl(VVll Representatio·n in the otluJ UolUJe of Con(lr~ M I L L A R D F I L L ~~ 0 R ~; 1 S Y I E \V S • Jlis B1~{falo LcttCI' of 1838. HurrAI.o, Oct. 17, 1838. ~m: Your communicn.tion of the 18th inst., as chairman of the committee appolnkd by "The AnU-Shwery Society of the County of Erie," has ju~t come to hand. You solicit my answer to the following intcrrof{atories : 1st. Do you b el1evc that petitions to Congre~s, on the subject of Slavery and the Slavc-t.rade, 0111-(ht to bo received, rend, a!Hl r esp ectfully considered by tl.Je rep:esentatives of the p eople? 2d. Arc you opposed to the annexation of Texas to this Union under any clrcurustances, so long as slu.,·es urc l.Jclcl thet·cln? 3d. Arc you In favor of Con~ress exercis ing all the power it posse~;ses to aboli h the 1utcrnul l::ilave-tradc b~ tween the Statrs? 4t.h. Are you In favor of immediate le~i~lnlion for the Abolition of Slavery in tho Dbtrict of C'olumbii.\? An.-.wer.- 1 am much c ng:tgcd, and hn.vc uo time t<1 enter into argument, or explain at Jrngth my reasons for my opinions. I shall therdorc conteut myself, for tJur J)l·esent, hy an ·we ring all your lnteri'Ogatories in the nffir· math,c, and leaye for some future occasion ~~ more extended discussion on the snbjcct. I woul<l, however, take this occasion to ooy, that In tliU' frankly giving my opinion, I woul<l not desire to have it undcrstootl in the nature of a pled~c. At the SlllllC time that I seck no disguise, out f1·cely give my scnliments on any suhjcct of inter est to those for whose sufi'r:.l."l'S I am a candidate, I am opposed to giving any pledge"thnt shall deprive me he reafter of all tliscrctionary power. My own character must be the guaranty for the general correctness of my legis lali\'C depot·tment. On every important suhjcct I am bound to d eliberate before I net, and !!specially as a legislator, to possess myself of all the inform3 Lion, 1Wd listen to every argument that can be adduce1l by my associates, before I give a final vote. If I stand plc<lgcd to a particular course of a c tion, I cease to be a responsible agent, unt I hccorne a mere machine. Should Bubscqucnt e vents ~how, beyond all doubt., that the course I had become pledged ', pursue was ruinous to my cons tituents lllH~ disgraceful to myself, I have no alternative, no opportunrty for r·epcntancc, ttlHI there Is no power to ahsol ve me from my obligation. II ence the Impropriety, not to say absurdity, in my view, of giving a ple<lge. I am IL\\':Lt'e that you h" vc not asked my pled~e, n.nd l believe I know your souncl jud~tm cnt and good sense too well to think _you de ·ire any such thing. It wa~, however, to prevent any misrepresentat ion on the part of others, that l have felt It my duty thus much on this sul •jcct. I am, respectfully, your obedient servant, W. ::IIIIIs, EHrh chairman. MILI,AHD I•'ILLMORE. Mil. FILJ.\fOR~: 's ALBANY SPI!:~:UH OF 1 56. Tile following i' J\Ir. Fillmore's speech, deliveJ ·ctlat Alh:tny, in Jnly, I '5G: .Mr . .It fa yor a1Hl .Fellmo-C'itlzen11: '!'his ovcnvhelmiRg demonstration of congratulation :.nd welcome almost deprive!~ nttl of the powet· of ~pcech. Here, ucarly thirty year:! ago, 1 comn1cnced tn.v JHllit ical career. ln this bull<! ~g 1 first S<Lw a lcgisl:t: i ve botl.v in st:!l!!ion; IH1t ut that tune it nc 1·c · <:lllcred into tlte a;;piration; of my lte:t. t that I ever hould , ecd v•; !>crcll a welcome lld ~tl.:t in the capita.! of my native !:5tatc. Y~u have been pleac:ecl, sir, to allude to my former servtct:t; and my p . ob:tblc cours'; rf J ~hould a~:tlu be MR. FILLMORE'S ALB.L~~·-y SPEECH, ETC. 203 ailed to the position of Chief i\11\gi~trnte of tho nation. I ~hink we wou!J suhmit to it? No, not for a moment. ~~ L1 not pleasant to ~peak of one's sel f, yet I trust th:u. Aud tlo you believe tlli\t your ::3ouLhern brdhren are les'i lbe occas ion will justify me in briefly allutling to one or J senditive on this subject than you arc, or less j e:dous of L!VO cv euti! cormect od with my tHiminiHLmtion. You all their riKhts? If you do, let me te ll you that you arc know that when 1 wa~ callecl to the Executive chair by a mi.~taken. Anti, therefore, you mu!lt sec that if this seu· bercan:mcnt which shnnlll.:d a natio11 in rnouruing. that tiona! pnny !:1UCCI!\!ils, it leads lu evltauly to the uestruc· the country wa:~ unfortunately agit.ateu from one CIHI to t ion lof tlti!:l heautiful fa.uric reared by ou1· forefather;;, cc· lite otltcr upon the a ll·e.xciting :o~ uhj ect. of , lavery. It rncu~ediJy t heir ulood, autl bequeathed to us a:l a pric(}wo.:~ tlu.'ll, sir, that 1 felt tt my duty to l'l:ie a hove e"ery lc.:~:~ IUitilntan ·r.. •ectioual prcjucl <·e, ancli•>Ok to the welfare of UHl \~hol e 1 t.e ll you. rny friend:~, thnt I feel deeply, anll therenation. 1 was comjn!ll t>tl to a certain extent~<) overcome fore I speak carnl•.:nly on th ill ::1uhject (erie.; o f · ' you'ru lonb·Chcri~hcd prejudice:~, and di:;r•!gard party chtlms. t'tl;{ltt !")for I feel that .vou arc m danger. ll\111 rleter· lluL In doing this, sir, 1 u:u 110 more thun wa~ done by tntned to lllakc a clean l>nmst or it. I will wa::,h 111y many alder nut! tH'tlet· lll l!n than myself. 1 was hy no hands of the consequencl~:l, "hat ever they may ue; and means the 11ole in~t. rum~n t, under l'rovidencc, in har- I tell you that we arc tre:.tding upon the briuk of a volmoui~ ng the:~e cltll\ c ultie::~. 'J'hcrc were at that time cano, that i:; lial>lc at aray tnon1e r1t to hurst forth and nol>lc lndl.'peutlcnt, high-so uled men in bolh ll onse::1 or ovcn~he lru the nation. lmight, by soft word:!, inspiro Oongt~c~s hclongiug to both the great p olitical parti e>~ of dclust ve hope!:!, aud thereby win votes. llnt 1 cu.n never Ur~ count ry- Whigs and Demot:r!LtH- who spurned the con>~ent to l>e ouc thiug to the 'orth and another to the, dlcttltiou of seHh;h plll'ty lcatlers, and rnllie tl arouncl my South. 1 .~ l.J()ulu de~pise myself, if I coul<l IJc guilty of administmtion in ~uppot.'t o f the gre:~t measures which ~uclt dupll~rty. .For my conscience would exclaim, wllb restored peace to an ag1tatetl nnd dtstractcd country. the draJUattc poet: g0111e of 1hesc have gone to their eternal rest, with thl• " Is there not some ehnst'D cnr~e, bles.!ings of their country on their head~, but oth e rs yet Som.~ hithh·u Lltlllllkr in th·· ,wr.,~ of lwavt~n, su rvive deserving the benediction anti h onors o f a Jted wtth llll<'<llllllWII wmlh, 1o hhl~l 1111~ mnu gmtcfui people. lly the ble~sings of Divi ne l.'rovid euce, \\' Ito OW<':i hi:~ ~; r catut·~~ w hi · c•Juntry'l! ruin Y" our ctl'orh were crowned wi1 h :s;gn:tl su cccs8, uud when In the language or the lamented, but immortal Clay 1 left the l'residentia.l chair, the whole uatiou was pro:;- "1 ha<l rather be right than b~ 1're<:Sident !" pCtOUd unll conteuted, nnd our rcla.tions with nil fcJrcign It :~ccms to me impo:;s.IJle Lltat those engaged in Lhia nation were of the mo;t amicable lcind. 'l'lte cloud that can have contemplated thl! awful consequences of suohung upou the horizon wa:> tlis.;ipalctl. llut where Itt'\! cess. 1f it. brenk<:~ asunder the boud::~ of our Union, anu we now ? Alas l threa.t,ened at home with civil w:Lr, ttn<l !lprca!ls anarchy and c1vil war through the laud, whu.t is rr·om ai.Jroad wit.h n. rupture of our· peaceful rcl1ttions. 1 it le,;~:~ thnn moml treason ? J.:Lw an<l common sense shall no~ beck to trace the cau.~es of thi:l change. 'l'hc~c hold a man responsible for the untural consequence of are the f,LCI:>, anu it is ft)t' y ou to ponder upon them or his a.cts, a.utJ 11\U::!t not tliOSe who.:;e 1\Cts teud to the Ull the JH'C~t:nt Administration l havl! n othing to Hay, for I iitruction of the UO\' CI'IliliCUL, be l!ttnally helu responsi know and can appreciate the difliculties of ltdministcring ble? till~ go 1 ernment, and if til.: present It;xecuth·c and his And let me also add, that when this Union is dissolved. 811pportero l~tw e with good intentions and honegt heart:; it wrll not bo divided into two republics, or two moll' made a. llliStl\kc, I hope God lllltY forgi vo them tu! I freely archies, but IJe IJroken imo fmgmcnt:;, und at war with do. l.lut if there be those who h ttve hrou!.!ht t bt'RC cal- each ather. amities u'pon the country for elfl:!h or ambitious objects, It i!! your duty, fellow-citizen.:!, to hold them to a strict responsibility. 'l'he n~-:itatio n which disturheu the p eace of the coun~ ry in JojO, was unavoidable. It was brought upon us by the aCt[ui~ition of new territor.r1 for tl1c ~ovcrnmcnt of which it was necessary to prov1de territorial ot·ganization. Hut it i~ for y ou to say whether the present agi· ~tlon,w ltich distracts the country and threatens w:l with civil war, has uot been r eckl e:;s ly un<l wantonly produced, by the adopt.ion of a measure to nl<l per::sona.l aduncemcut rather than In any public gootl. Sir, you httve been pleased. to say, that I hn.ve the Union of these States at heart; thi~, ~ir, is most true, for If there be one object dca.rer to me than any other, it is the unity, prospel"ity, anu glory of this great republic; and I confess frankly, sir, that I fear it io In d;wger. I say nothing of nny pa.rticuhtr section, much lcs~ of the several cantJidatcs b efore the peo ple. I pres uu1c they are all houorable men. nut, sir, what Llo we ~ec "? Au exasperated feeling betweeu the North nnd the i:!outh, o rt the most exciting of all t opic::~ , resulting in uloods l.etl and organized military array. But this is not nil, sir. We sec a political party presenting candidates for the Presidency and Vice- l're~idency, selected for the first time fi'(HII the J<'ree 'tatcs alone, wllh the avowed purpose of electing the!le catHlidates by suffrages of one part of the Union only, to rule ever the whole United States. Cun it be pos:;ible that those who nrc eng:~geu in such a measure can have sel'!ously reflected upon the consequences which mu:;t iucvl· Lably follow, In case of success? Can they have the madness or the folly to believe that our Soul hern breth· reo would submit to be governed by such a Chief Mttgis· ~ate? Would he be required to follow the same rula prescribed by those who elected him, in making his appointments? If a. man living soul h of Mason ru1t1 Dixon's line be not wo1'thy to be !'resilient or Vicc-l're:iident, would it be proper to select one from the sa.me quarter as one o~ his cabinet council or to reprcscu~ the nation In a foret~n country ? Or, indeed, to collect t.he revenue, or admhuster the laws of the United States? It not, what ~ew rule Is the !'resident to adopt in selecting men ~oimr office, that the people themselves discard in selecting 1 'l'hese are serious, but practical questions, and in order to appreciate them fully, it is only necessl\l"Y to \urn the tallies upon ourselves. Suppose U1at the South, :-vlng a majority of the electoral votes, should declare !r~ ,~ hey would only have slaveholders for President Ice-President., and should elect such by their exua. ve S'4tfra~ret~ to rule over w at the North. Do you MR. Jo' ll.J.~Oi t~:'s !.Jo: TT~:R TO A ~EW-YOHK U~lON ~tt:ETlNG IN 1t!50. The following i~ flll e'i:trnct from a letter of ~Ir. Fillnrorc, (datt~ d Dec. 16, 1 5\1), iu reply to tlll invitation LO atte nd tt Union ~1eeting at Cooper ln:-Lit ute, New-York. But it set•mt~ to me thnt if my opinions are of any importance to my countrymen, they now baTe them In a much 111ore respousihlc ancl sat.sfactory form thnn I COUld give the111 IJy participating in tlte proceedings Of any nt eeting. lily t!Cntiments on this uurortunute question of slavery, and the constitutional rights of tire tiouth in r egard to rt, have not changeu since they were macle manifest to the whole country by the performance <1f a painful duty in approving and enforcing tltc Fugi1ivo :-\lave Law. What tlae Uon~titutiou give I woul•l con· cede :at every Hacriliee. 1 woultl not ~eck 10 eujll,V tt-!:1 bcnclit.-; wrthout sharing its bunlens and i tt~ r .:,,pon-ihilitic.~ . 1 know of no other rule of political r gilt or expuliencv. 'fhose were my !:!Cnti tn cnt:~ then-they arc my scntirnents now. I :,tunu by the Uonstitution of my country at every h a:mrd, aud am prepat·ed to ma.iuta1n it at every sacrifice. Here I might stop; but since I ha,·c yieldc!l to the Impulse to write, I will not hesitate to expre~~. very brietly 1 my views on one or two eve11ts which have occurrcu since I retired from ofiicc, and which, in all probabilit.v, ltave given rise to your meeting. Thi::l I cannot do intelligibly without a bri ef reference to some event.:; which occul'l'~d during my administration. All must r emember that in 1 49 and 1850, the country wn.s scvet ely agitated on thi~ disturbing question of Slavery. 'l'hat contest grew out of the acquisition or new territo1·y from Mexico, and a conte~t between the North ami South as to whether Slavery should be toler aterl in any part of that Territory. 1\lixed up with this, was a claim on the part of the slaveholding ~tntes, thM the provision or the Constitution for the .rendrtion or fugitives fr·om service should b~ mnde available,, as the law of 1793 on that subject, wh1ch depended clnelly on St.a.to officer~ for its execution, had become inoperative, because State officers were not obliged to perforw that dnty. . . After a severe struggle, which threatened tho JDtcgrtty of the Union, Congres~ finally pnsseu laws sett.ing these questions· and the Government auu the people for a time scem'eu to acquiesce in that comp?·omiiJll as n final settlement of Utls o.xclting que11tion; auu it is excecuin~y |