The national era. [volume], June 20, 1850, Image 1

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THE NATIONAL ERA.
f %
G. BAILEY, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR; JOHN G. WHITTIER, CORRESPONDING EDITOR.
VOL. IV?NO. 25. WASHINGTON, THURSDAY, JUNE 20, 1850 WHOLE NO. 181.
*
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treat,apposite Odd Fellows' Hall.
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THE NATIONAL ERA.
washington, june 17, 1s50.
ICOPY-BIOHV sacoaiD.]
THE MOTHER-IN-LAW.
A STORY OF THE ISLAND ESTATE.
t MRS. IMMa ?. e. ROVTHWORTH.
BOOK THIRD.
in.
MARGARET.
I is dawn? within a ourUined room,
Filled to faintness with perfumtt,
A laity lies at point of doom.
'Tin morn?a child hath ?e?n the light;
Knt for the lady, fair and bright,
She aorrowa in a rayleae night.
Anonymous.
Several months passed away, and winter gave
place to spring. Again the scenery in the neighborhood
of Mont Crystal bloomed out in the perfect
glory of beauty. Again the Isle of Rays
seemed a terrestrial paradise. But still Louise
fvltyl in the light of Mont Crystal?still Louis
' withered in the sunshine of the Isle of Rays- j
..ah li oe*vivmA.
fondly attached to each other, placing implicit
faith in each other, united by the holiest tie, as
they had been, were still kept separated by the
implacable will of one determined woman? The
neighborhood had exhausted conjecture as to the
cause of the separation. Some said that Mrs
Armstrong was incensed at the marriage of the
General ; some said that a prior attachment had
been discovered to have existed between Louis
and Susan Somerville; some thought it was from
a dissatisfaction about the settlement of the property.
As usual, there were a few grains of truth
mixed up with much falsehood. At last, however;
the facts of the CAse crept out, and it was generally
known that this state of affairs existed by
the simple will of the mother-in-law ; and then
the whole party on both sides was condemned by
public sentiment; for although the weight of public
censure fell heaviest upon Mrs. Armstrong
and her daughter, yet the family at the Isle of
Rays did not escape the charge of weakness. 1
have often heard the conduct of Louise and Louis
both arraigned and judged with great severity,
and as I think with gross injustice. The full
force of public reprobation fell most heavily of all
upon Louise. In this she was cruelly wronged
No one considered her extreme youth, (barely
sixteen jeare,) her natural weakness of will and
gentleness of temper, and the almost omnipotent
sway of her mother over her?nor her peculiar
education, taught m she had been filial obedience
as a religion, ready as she was to sacrifice to
that filial sentiment her heart's most natural in- 1
stincts ana warmest affnotions?nor her physical
delicacy of organization, through which she would
hare perished in any violent conflict. No one
considered these things but Louis Stuart-Gordon,
who for her peaoe denied himself the society of
his wife, refrained from opposing the influence of
Mrs. Armstrong or importuning Louise ? thus
exposing himself to the animadversions of a neighborhood
incapable of understanding his motives
of action. I have heard Louis oalled rrtxiky timul.
Nothing could be more stupid or unjust than
this opinion. Of a high-toned sense of honor, of
fine susceptibilities, of warm temperament, Louis
Stuart-Gordon yet suffered this long estrangement
from a young and lovely wife, to whom he
was fondly attached, and braved the scorn of society
rather than give her pain by a conflict with
her unscrupulous mother. Louis was brave to
d>fy and strong to endure suffering in his own
person and reputation. Louis was not weak or
timid, except in giving pain or causing misery to
others. No? I have always wished to vindicate
the motives of Louis, whose lovely character
approached the angelic.
Four months had passed away since the ball of
the Prince's school. Every letter written from
the Isle of Rays to Mont Crystal had been cast
into the fire without being read. As has been
said. Louis had at last ceased to importune them
with letters Many times indeed poor Louise had
rebelled, as on the evening of the ball; but it was
always under nervous excitement, which, snbsi- |
ding, left her weaker and more enslaved than
before. They were mere spasms of courage and
resolution, ending in apathy?abortive struggles
ui u?*r leeme win, always to oe repemcu oi ana
atoned for as tin.
It was early in April that Louise, then nearly
seventeen years old, became the mother of a little
girl?a line, hearty child, of firm muscle, brilliant
eyes, and strong longs?who persisted in living,
despite all Mrs. Armstrong's diabolical machinations
to the contrary. Let us be exnctly just
Under existing circumstances, the expected maternity
of her daughter had been a source of great
grief and mortification to Mrs. Armstrong ? so
much so that the fact had been kept a profound
secret in the neighborhood, up to the very day
that the babe was born. Nevertheless, norr, that
the infant was laid living on her lap, she no longer
wished to smother it. By a law of nature, acting
unexpectedly upon a heart like hers, she felt the
appeal of this helpless and beautiful being,
(young babies are all beautiful, male opinion to
the contrary notwithstanding) and Mrs. Armstrong
was surprised to find in her own heart a
possibility of loving this child. This sentiment,
however, instead of softening her heart towards
its father, only gave additional force to her jealousy
of Louis, as she wondered whether he might
not wish to deprive her of the care of the babe.
The reader has already seen that the maternal
instincts were strong as they were selfish in
Um *
muinrVDg.
" A boon, nuuDmi. a boon!" cried Louise, a few
momenta efter the birth of her child, still pale and
palpitating with her recent agony; ? a boon, a
boon ! "
"Well, well, my daughter, what is it?" inquired
the lady, dieturbed with the fear that
Lonlae waa about to make nomo reqneet of which
Louie Stuart-Gordon might be the object.
" Th??, mamma; that I may name thie little girl
myeelf."
"Certainly, Louise; certainly, my daughter;
that ie the one thing with which 1 will not Intorfere?a
mother's control orer her own child," eaid
the aetute woman, nddlng mentally, " she oannot
name her Louis, or Henry fcartwrlght; she will
not oall her Britannia, and any other name U
indifferent to me. Yea, Louise," nhe repeated
alond, " that is the one thing in which 1 will not
eeh to control yon?your diapoeel of your own
child."
" She ie all mine, then, mother, all mmc," eaid
Loniee, with brigktcaiag eye*
" Aa much en yen are mine, Lenim, remember
that. The tie brf'geen a mother and child in n
chain to which all other ties are shred* of cobwebAh,
you must know it now, Louise.''
" I do think so, indeed, mother ; and yet"
u There, you have talked enough, Louise, not
another word?not ont, my daughter! you must
sleep now." And nipping the threatened controversy
in the bud, Mrs. Armstrong drew the embroidered
curtains, and retired from the bed-side.
For the next three days, carriage^fore coming
and going to and from Mont CrystflEpf Although
the oounty people severely censured the conduct
of the mother and daughter, and althoogh they
had entered into a sort of tacit conspiracy to mortify
them at the ball, yet few of the county ladies
could resist the attraction of the new-born baby,
the heiress of two such vast estates as Mont Crystal
and the Isle of Rays, or the temptation of calling
upon the chHdYitc mofii+i Ytvt marriage bad
been such a splendid triumph as to dazzle the
county?her separation ao sudden and unaccountable
as to shock and stun the neighborhood. Now
a babe was unexpectedly born. The Doctor had
spread the news. Doctors arc great gossips; that
is one of their methods of curing, especially hypoUK..-.
K??, t wu u.J.I
hare thought it7?she was so young?it waa kept
so close, in fine, the county ladies wished to see
how Louise looked, and how Mrs. Armstrong deported
herself under all these circumstances; and
so for three or four days carriages stood before
the gates of Mont Crystal. Like all secluded
people, they wanted a spectacle?a scene; but in
this they were disappointed. "Not at home,"
" Particularly engaged," were the words with
which the majority of the visiters were received.
A few privileged individuals were admitted to the
drawing room, and received by Mrs. Armstrong
But even with these she maintained a cold and
reserved manner ; and, in reply to their inquiries
concerning Louise, they were told that Mrs. Stuin
her apartment."
8i>me certainly sympathized with the youthful
mother, and called to ace her from a better motive
than mere curiosity. 'I'heir reception, however,
was no more favorable than that of less deserving
neighbors.
It waa about a week from the day of her ttecovektm^it
that Louise was sitting, propped up j
with pillows, in a delicate lace cap and a rosecolored
wrapper, near one of the front windows of j
her chamber. It was the same large, airy front 1
chamber called the summer room, and was fur- )
uished with the same white draperies. The winHnv
nAar wKiph 1 .nni^p wurt r.IftflPri And t.hf?
muslin curtains were drawn , and near the easy ,
chair of Louise stood the crib of her baby, all ,
draped with white. The young mother's atten- |
tion was divided between the crib and a little (
spy-glass she held in her hand, and with which,
after drawing aside the curtains from the window, (
she would contemplate the Isle of Rays. It was j
while she was thus occupied that the door was (
opened, and "Miss Somerville" was announced. ;
Susan was clothed in deep black, and very pale (
and thin, yet wearing her habitual expression of
profound serenity. She entered and advanced
quietly, and taking both the hands of Louise,
kissed her with affection. Louise received Susan
with a sorrowful tenderness, as she remembered
her former injustice. Without speaking, only
returning her caress, she made room for Susan in
the large easy chair, big enough for both. MiBS
Somervllle took the seat, ana again threw her
arms around Louise, and kissed her affectionately.
Then she inquired?
"Where is your mother, Louise?"
" Closeted with her overseer." ,
" How long shall she remain, there, Louise ? "
" l* or two or mrw nouns yti; tot; are arranging
about the crops. Bat, dear Susan, 70a bare 1
not been to Mont Crystal before ainoe my return.
Why wm that, ?niu 1"
" My lore, I might return the charge and the
question. You hare not been at the Crags."
n Ah, Susan, 1 am not my own mistress! Besides,
I have been so unhappy, dear Susan!"
"1 know it, my poor gtrl?I know it; and I
should have come to you, but that I have been
very ill, and my illness left me very feeble ; and
1 have no horse now, Louise, and the ten miles
between the Crags and Mont Crystal is too long
a walk for me. This is the first time 1 have attempted
it."
" Susan 1 you do not say that you have walked
all this distance to see me ?"
" Yes, my love."
" And you, too, have had troubles, severe
sorrows, that you do not speak of, dear and generous
Susan?strong and oourageous Susan 1"
As in tacit contradiction of her thoughts, Susan
turned a shade paler, and trembled slightly.
" And Anna is dead, Susan 7"
Susan bowed her head iu reply.
"And poor old George and Harriet, Susanbow
do they bear her death?"
14 Better than they bore her life, or rather the
uncertainty of her future "
" Are they cheerful, then 7"
"At last?yes, an old couple like them, married
in early youth, living nearly half a century
together, become ail in all to each other?but,
Louise, you are weeping. Do not weep, Louise," [
said Susan, pressing her arms around her and |
kissing her
" No matter ! Do not mind my tears. There! ,
they are gone. Tell me about Zoe. She was
somehow mixed up in all that dreadful business 7"
44 It was all a mistake, or rather a conspiracy.
Zoe is not a mulatto, never was a slave. '
Brighty knows that! so does Gertrude and Brutus;
snd they all visit her and receive her freely ,
new." j
41 Then why do they not prove it?why do tbey
not establish it?why do they not punish those ,
who have belied and persecuted her 7" ,
44 Alas, you do not know what you say, child !
She hae been under the strongest circumstantial
evidence adjudged to be a slave, and has been
I sold, bought, and enfranchised, as such. We
know better from conviction, but we have do (
mean* on earth of proving it."
" And Brntus, then, cannot marry ber ?"
u Certainly not, my love, until her true position |
la understood; but, Louise, let tne say this to you?
let me force it earnestly upon you?treat Zoe
with all the affection that is in your heart for
her?she has a claim upon yoh and upon me. And,
Louise, my love, another favor?keep what I have
said about Zoe confined to your own bosom "
"I have no secrets from mother," replied Louise.
Miss 8omerville looked troubled for sn instant
and then her countenance cleared off as she said
to herself?" It is well I told her no more."
" Who is Zoe, then, Susan 7"
" My dear Louise, I have told you enough to
enlist your respect for Zoe. 1 dare tell you no
mors"
" Yon will at least inform me how our dear old
teacher is. The dreadful shock drove him inad
for a while, but his madness subsided into a happy
dotage."
0 The schoolmaster is dead."
"Dead! dead! fie, too! Alas! everyone
can die but roe! The maiden and the old man!
Every one but me! Why cannot I die?" eiclaimed
Louise, as her pallid features contracted
violently, and relaxed as she burst into tears
This was one of the spasmodic fits of grief to
which she had been suhjeot of late
Susan Somerville had started, looked at her in
surprise; then, rising, she took the sleeping babe
from the crib, and laid it on her lap. The child
awakened, opened its eyes, and looked up. In a
moment, the quick emotions of her childish mother
changed. Wiping her eves, she looked down
at the babe with a new realisation of possession
and oonaolation. She looked in silence a long
time, seeming quite lost in the contemplation of
her treasure, while Su?an stood bending over
them and half embracing her. At last, taking the
hand nf O, hu ? k.r
wi s/uavu ovuicrtiiic) w"*""*5
J* from the bob#, ah* naked?
" What do you think of my baby. Suaan ?
" She la a Una, strong, kaarty child."
u Bat whom does aba resemble V
" Not yon, Looiaa, and not Lonla. Tha form
[ of bar hand, neck, and jaws, express the sign of
, grant atrangtb and detarminatlon. She will rasambla
Qenaral Stuart-Gordon and Mrs- Armstrong,"
rapllad Spssn, looking with grant Interi
aat on the babe. " What are tou going to call
herf"
" Margaret, after tha idolised mother of Lonla.
Saaan, tell Lonla when von tea him that there is
another Margaret Stuart-Gordon. 8nana, do yon
often see Loots 7"
"Yea, eery often He spends nearly every
evening with me at tha Crags"
" With yew, Suaan 7" exclaimed the yonng wife,
while a alight apaern of distress agitated her vloi
let pale face.
/
14 Yea, with me," replied Susan, calmly. 4- You
know I always was his friend. I am so still. He
needs me in his sorrow, and I will not fail him 1"
Louise pressed ber hknd, and said?" But people
are so oensorious, dear Susan ; and under all
the circumstances "
44 The world will make no mistakes about m-,"
answered Susan, with a gentle dignity
Louise raised her eyes to that pale but angelic
countenance, nnd acquiesced from her pgjpfoundest
soul!
44 Since you hare named Louis, will you permit
me to ask yon some questions about bim ?"'
44Yee, yee; oh, yes! Heaven bless you for
coming, since you may be said to come from Louis.
Go on."
44 Hare you ever received any letters from Louis
since your residence here ?" *
44 Not one." *
44 Yet he wrote to you many, many times, until
he abandoned it in despair of getting un answer'.
Hare you never written to him ?"
44 Oh, yes; many, many letters"
44 Yet he never received one! It is plain, Louise,
that all your letters have been intercepted."
44 Oh ! who could have been so cruel ?"
41 It is not for me to say, Louise; it is a dreadful
thing. Let Providence reveal U in his own
time and method f"
44Oh! Susan. I am so glad you are here to tell
me this! God bless you for coming! Come
again, Susan! come ofteD! and since you see
Louis, tell him, Susan, that 1 love him still, and
always?that I pray for him day and night?that
1 thank him devoutly for his forbearance towards
my mother?that I admire him more than ever?
that I would die for hlra?but that I cannot break
ray mother's heart, or dare her curse! Tell him
I hate named ray child after his mother. Tell
him that I lore this child more than life. Yet,
assure him, that if he desires it, I will press my
last kiss on this infant's lips, and send her to
him, if her presence would comfort him ! Tell
him, for my own part I feel weak, and altogether
unworthy of his thoughts! that 1 only wish to
die, as the only means of extrication from this
trouble. To die, that he may be happy. Grief
f<v? thtd is less ees?ya than sorrow for the
living!"
* ItVtLi?'
fliot between the prejudices and perversions of
your strange education and the natural and good
qualities of your heart. Yes. Louise! that is an
internal conflict worse than the controversy between
your mother and your husband's family;
and it is a suffering from which even the angelic
goodness of your Louis cannot save you! You
arc not doing well, Louise, and your heart tells
yon so, for you call yourself ' weak and unworthy!'
Resolve?return to Louis I will bear any
message to him ! I will bring him here to-morrow?to
night!"
" No! no! no! no 1 not for a thousand worlds 1"
exclaimed the imbecile girl, turning very pale.
1 Do you know my mother, that you propose
that ? Oh ! the scene would be frightful! I can
bear anything else?but 1 cannot dart a mother's
surse 1"
Louise suddenly started, and suppressed a
scream?Mrs. Armstrong stood before them ! She
had entered unperceived, while they were absorbed
in conversation. Susan Somerville arose
and curtesied, without offering her hand, or reiphhriff
KapqaIT Mpb Armtttronor hnwpl nnlrllv
and then addressing herself to Louise, asked her
how long she had been sitting up?
" Nearly two hours, but I am not tired, mamma!"
pleaded the daughter.
"Nevertheless, you must lie down!" decided
the lady, lifting the babe from her lap, and replAOtng
it In the crib. " Miss Somerville, I am
sure, will excuse us."
" 1 am about to take my leave, madam," replied
Susan.
" Mother, Susan walked here," said Louise.
"Then, Miss Somerville, you must either give
us the pleasure of your company all night, or
permit me to send you home in the carriage,"
Mid Mrs. Armstrong, who, with all her deviltries,
was a Virginian lady still; and, as suoh, a loyal
observer of all the laws of hospitality.
Miss Somerrttle thanked Mtu. Armstrong, but
informed her that she was engaged to spend the
afternoon and night at the Doveooto, with Zoe.
Susan then embraced Louise, and took her leave
Mrs. Armstrong hod apparently forgotten her
intention of putting Louise to bed, for she wheeled
an easy chair close to the crib near her daughter,
and sat down, saying?
" I am constrained to declare, that Miss Susan
Somerville is far too independent for her sex and
years! To think of her openly visiting the
Doveoote! If she oontinues to do that, the doors
of Mont Crystal shall be closed against her!"
" Oh ! but mamma," said Louise, " Zoe is not
what she has been represented to be. Susan, and
the Lions, and even Brighty, have found out
something?a conspiracy, they say?but Susan
did not tell me what it was?but mother I mother!
good heavens, mother! What is the matter7"
Mrs. Armstrong had started from her chair,
grown gbastiy pale, sunk back again, with her
face crimson, and the veins in her forehead and
temples full and distended.
" Oh ! my Heaven! mother ! mother!" exclaimed
Louise, starting forward ; "Kate! Kate!
here! here! help! my mother is dying!" and
she ran and pulled the bell violently. Several
servants ran in. Mrs. Armstrong was placed
upon the bed. The physician was seut for
Ice was placed at her head, and bottles of hot
water st her feet. Louise was frightened and
helpless as ususl.
11 Ha nnl Km alurmorl madam ami si li oia 1 n w? nue
MWfc M* ?.v. .? .v <T Miupci,
who seemed to understand the cue?" this it only
i rush of blood to the head, she will be better
toon." And, in fact, before the arrival of the
physician, Mn Armstrong was relieved.
But now came the strange part of it. As soon '
ts her senses had quite returned, she dismissed all (
Iter attendants from the room , and regardless of (
Iter own exhaustion or her daughter's feebleness, |
the summoned Louise to her bedside, and made j
Iter repeat all the conversation of which Zoe had
besn the subject. Then partially reassured, she
iismissed her to bed, and recalled her attendants, j
by means of the bell whose handle was in her
reach.
The next morning, Mrs. Armstrong was up {
Mrly, and having seen Louise made comfortable
it her favorite window, with her babe beside her (
in the crib, and having given orders that no one |
should he admitted during her absence, Mr. Arm- (
strong entered her carriage, and drove out She .
was gone all day. She returned haggard and ,
wretched in the evening. The next day she was
closeted with a lawjer, a stranger, and her over- j
sp<T ; and at the close of the conference, looked |
better satisfied. The third day, letters were ,
written, and packets sent off to the post office. (
The remainder of the week there was a great ,
bustle all through the house. ,
The 1st of May, a neighbor passing by Mont
Crystal, found the house shut op Inquiring of a
man who was superintending the working of a
contiguous field, he was told that the family _fcad
removed quite suddenly?so suddenly, that no
one had suspected their intention until they had
gone?noons knew whither?not even their relatives
at the Isle of Kays. That the house was
dosed, and ths lands leased?and the negroes
hired to the lessee; that he himself was the overseer
appointed by the planter who had taken the
Mont crystal
[TO BK COHTlHrTTTO.]
Ohio Convention.?The Ohio Constitutional
Convention in Committee of the Whole has decided,
three to one, in favor of biennial sessions.
The Committee has also resolved to place the
eligibilty of Senators and Representatives, as it
reaper's age, upon the same fooling, and to restrict
the Senatorial term to two years, the same
as that of Representatives
IRKKtfTIM TO PERSONS RETIRING PASSPORTS.
Dspa*t*kvt of Stats,
Waihwfto*, June 7, 1850.
information has baon received at this Department
that blank passports, purporting to be issued
by the Department, have been forged and
sold as geaaine. Also, that some persons in the
city of New York have been engaged in aeodlng
forged certificates to tho Department of Stats, la
order to procure passport*. Notice is hereby
given, that no blank passports era aver permitted
to go ont of tho Department; and it is honed that
the name of any person engaged in the business
of SUing up blank passports, or forging eertiftentes,
to impost upon ths Department, may bo report
ed to tbo Secretary of State. No charge Is
allowed by law for passports, and no person Is
permitted to eoil them.
By order of tho Secretary of State.
W C. Rsoosll, Puuport Clerk.
SPKECI1 OP HIH. J ESSE C. DICKEY.
OK PENNSYLVANIA,
IK 1II K HOUSE or REPREftENTATIVF*,
In reference to the admission of California and the
subject of Slavery.
Made in CuBMiiU* of the Wbolt. Jun? 8,l-vK).
Mr. DICKEY Mid
Mr. Chairman: I bare not made an effort to
obtain the floor for the purpose of a display of
oratory on this all-important subject, which may
truly be said to be, not only the question of the
session, but the question of the day. Nor do I
I presume that it will be possible for one of my
limited experience in legislation to throw any
uew light upon a question whioh has been so ably
and learnedly discussed on this floor, by older
and abler men. or eren to present old ideas in
such a manner as to command the attention of the
Committee, i hare sought the floor f?r no sack
purposes; but to define my position, and designate
the course which I shall pursue in reference
to a subject which has been the occasion of so
much interest?intense excitement,! may say?
and the ehief topic of debato for the last fire
:- v.~?v v v? -# /-? t j
uiuiiviiB iu wvu iimnuiim ui \/VD|i veil. 1 nfrq
scarcely say, sir, that the subject to which I refer
is the admission of California into this Confederacy,
with a provision in her Constitution prohibiting
slavery or involuntary servitude
The application of California for admission
into the Union as a State has occasioned a strong
desire and apparent determination, on the part of
the Representatives of the South, to have settled,
at the same time, and definitely and forever, some
six^other questions involving the institution of
slavery more or less in their discussion, and each
of sufficient importance for separate and distinct
bills, and distinct action. Sir, I conceive it to be
a duty, which I owe to the intelligent as well as
numerous constituents whom I have the honor to
represent, that I should speak plainly and boldly
on a subject in which they feel such a deep and
abiding interest. My constituents are emphatically
a reading, thinking, and intellectual people.
Many of them are the descendants of the companions
and associates of the illustrious rasn who
y? w,. ?*.i. : , -.4* '-""a
ago as 16H2, and from whom the glorious "Keystone
of the Federal arch" took its name. The
opposition of the early settlers In Pennsylvania
to the institution of slavery and its further extension,
has long been proverbial. Mild and truthful,
yet firm and unwavering on this subject,
few, if any, within the limits of my district, have
ever expressed a willingness that slavery should
extend to another foot of Amerioan soil; and with
them, on this subject, 1 most heartily concur.
Mr. Chairman, my native State, at one time,
groaned under the weight of this great political
and moral evil; but, thank God, the incubus has
long sinoe been removed from oar shoulders, and
we now breathe the breath of freedom ! From
the fact that we have had slavery at one time in
our midst, and now have freedom, we are the better
able to judge of the curse of the one and to appreciate
the bleseinge of the other. We oonsider
slavery incompatible with true patriotism, justice,
or humanity ; and its extension to hitherto
free soil, and to a free people, a blight, a blast, a
mildew, a Bcourge, and a curse, which we would
disdain to receive from any of the other powers
of the earth, and which we would pour out our
treasure and exert oar strength to avert from our
land and from our ohildren! Why, then, attempt
to force it upon a people now free from its
minorico t iv wuuiu uc a tiuiovivu ui burn ^viucu
rule, by which I hare always desired to be governed
in my intercourse with my fellow men?
that is, to do unto others as I would have them do
unto me; and, consequently, I can never so far
forget that rule as to give my vote for the further
extension And propagation of slavery.
Sir, that great and eminentlv distinguished
statesman, whose statue stands in front of the
Executive Mansion, with the Constitution in
hand, has left on reoord an opinion on the subject
of slavery, whioh wall deserves to be kept in perpetual
remembrance by every tswa heeefed American.
He, la epeaklng on this subject, said: " I
tremble for my country when I remember that
God is just." He also said, as you will remember:
' So true as there is a God in heaven, ee true will
thin nation be punished for the ein of elavery I"
And that there is, Mr. Chairman, a God, to punish
and reward, is beautifully illustrated by the
quotation from the poet Thompson, made a few
weeks sinoo by my friend and colleague, |Mr.
Chandler ] which tells us that Nature proclaims
the fact through all her works. The same poet
also says that " God must delight in virtue, and
that whioh God delights in must be happy." Now
it must be apparent to all, that the great and good
men of Virginia could not have looked upon the
institution of slavery as a virtue, or as productive
of good, else why use such terms in their writings
as i have quoted from Jefferson? Mr. Jefferson
was a Southern man, in heart and soul, born and
reared in ita sunny dime, in the midst of slavery.
and no one was better qualified than he, to appreciate
the moral, political, and religion* effect* of
the Institution, on a community where it existed.
He was a statesman of learning and ability, and not
only well versed in the arts and sciences, but, as a
statesman, politician, and jurist, he bad few equals:
and it is due to his memory, that his opinions and
writings, on questions of the greatest national interests,
living when and where he did, should be
well pondered by the present generation. Hie
efforts to effect the abolition of slavery commenced
as early as 1769 As a member of the Legislature
of Virginia, he was appointed one of a committee
to revise the then oolonlal L-iws of his native
State. Before that committee, he urged and
warmly recommended the gradual abolition of
ilavcry In the colony.
Mr. Chairman, having thus spoken of slavery
u suggested by the question of the admission of
California into the Union as a free State, I will
now prooeed to give a few reasons why she should
be admitted with the Constitution which her people
have so unanimously adopted, and with her
preeoribed boundaries, and her population as
it is
The Mexican Province of California, named as
tuch in the treaty of Quadalupe Hid.dgo, is situated
upon the Paciflo ocean, between 32? and
12? north latitude, and 30? and 47? west longitude
from Washington. It contains some 700
miles of sea coast, and an area of some 14.1,000
?uare miles, bounded on the north by the Oregon
erritorr, east by the Sierra Nevada, or great
Snowy Mountains, and west by the Paeifio
rhough the sea ooast is so extensive, yet her
harbors are but few, the principal one being the
bey of San Franoisoo. This bay is loo*ted near
the centre of the sea coast, and is said to be one
if the most oapacious and safe harbors in the
world, affording moorage for at least five hundred
vessels. This, Mr. Chairman, la ail I desire to
say at present in regard to ita geography.
Of the many reasons which may be ur^ed in
favor of her speedy admission into the Union, an
important one is, the great distance she is from
the frontier settlements and the seat of the National
Government?it being from the western
settlements, by the Rocky Mountain routs, 1,100
miles, and, by the way or the Isthmus of Panama,
tome forty-five dayr journey from New York.
When, eir, we consider this great distance from
the capital of the oountry, in connection witn cue
varied character of her population, being a representation
of almont every nation on the faoe of
the earth, one would readily suppose that her interests,
as well as the interests of our Government,
would demand her immediate admission as
a State. If we look to former preoedente in the
admission of States, we have no excuse for this
delay. The population of California, at present,
consists probably of at least 140,000. This population,
owing to the peculiar and vary extraordinary
circumstances which have brought them
suddenly into such close proximity, have made
them call loudlr, and with earnestness, upon us
to sdmit them into the Union, snd thus to efford
them that protection and tboee rights which our
respective States possess, in order that they may
form a Government under the Constitution which
they have sent here for our inspection, and whioh
may be said to be entirely unexceptionable, exoept
to a few bigoted alavery-propegandiste.
It ie more than probable, Mr. Chairman, that
there is not an instance on record where a oolnny
has increased so rapidly in numbers, in the earns
length of lima, aa in tha east af California, and
the question naturally arises, what has been the
eanse of this immense increase la soeh a short
period of time? This question is answered by
the fact, that the mineral wealth of the eeustry
hss attracted men of every dime to thWGeloonda.
Thousands npoa thousands have gone, and art
daily going thorn, la search of the gold with wUleh
the eeeatry abounds; and ws are ail wall avars
that, among thsao vast a amber of adventurers,
these are assay held and bed man. New, past
history warns ns, is many s pegs, that this goldhunting
has rather n tendency to corrupt than to
improve the morals of a community Haass the
necessity of having ths strong arm of a eivil Gov
will amount to n jt less than $25,000,000. Here
is an opening into 'one of the most important markets
of the world, for the introduction of our surplus
produce, and one which ought most assuredly
to receive the im nediate attention of Congress It
is a market wher e the mere products of our gardens
command si wh prices as would almost enrich
us Take some ex uinpleo of the prices of article*, as
now selling in C tiifornia Potatoes bring sixteen
fl, and
cents to sixty-two* cents each, while coal commands
from sixty dollar n to one hnndred dollars per ton,
and lumber from seventy-five dollars to one hundred
dollars per* thousand, and almost all other
articles in propc rt on Huch a state of things well
merits the atteni ion and foetering oare of the Government.
There is anot' ker consideration, Mr. Chairman,
which should w ugh in favor of the admission of
California. Tb sre has been a calculation made,
by thoee who h twe been there, that some 15,000
foreigners, who i nme in armed bands, have carrit d
away, already, nr (Ore than twenjy millions worth
of gold dust, i would inquire, why we should so
long delay her a dtuisaion, at the loss of such vast
treasures, while oeir Government is so deeply Involved
in debt? As well might we suffer the
agricultural prodlnets of the rich and teeming valleys
of Pennsyh ftania to be carried off without re.An......
.. ?- .11.- Ik. .r >1 :-v
wmpcuac, an ?u ?uun tuo pivuuuuuua ui uir ricu
mines of Califor Die to be thus spirited away?productions
which hive caused this nation so vast an
expenditure of b lood and treasure. The character
of those brave m en who are knocking at our doors
with the Califoimia Constitution in their hands,
entitles their cas e to a speedy consideration. One
of them (Colonel Pkkmont) is a bold and chivalric
pioneer, who, in the spirit of Columbus, made his
trackless way aoi hiss the snow-bounded wilderness.
and he is now a', raiting the action of Congress, at
this most momentous issue, in order to present the
wishes and want s of our brethren in his far-distant
home. He has high claims upon his oountry, and
his friends are n o doubt anxiously anticipating bis
taking his seat i n the other House, as one of their
Senators. 1 tru at that he will not be detained
much longer from, the seat to which he is so justly
entitled.
Having thus, Mr. Chairman, stated some of the
considerations which favor the admission of California,
I *?ttl bviwdly aotuv of the olfactions
wnicto have r?ia*i ag*?st her admissUn.
Some persons ha ve pretended to argue, as an objection,
that tbepe sple of California were not authorized
by an act <?f Congress to form a State Constitution.
True, Congress has not posseJ suoh au
act, yet it must be remembered that Congress mny
admit Stated without such an authorization , nod
we have the precedents of eight States which have
been brought into the Union without the preface
of any such law. They stand as follows:
Vermont in 17i>i, Kentucky in 1792, Tennessee
in 1796, Maine is 1820, Arkansas in 1836, Michigan
in 1837, Florida in 184.1, and Iowa in 1846.
This objection, Mr. Chairman, is, we see, entirely
destroyed by the legislation of our predecessors.
and the intluenoe of preoedents.
Others have, argued, as an objection, that aliens
assisted in th o formation of the Constitution of
California, an.d were allowed to vote for it. But,
sir, this has occurred In the formation of every
State Constitution since-the Confederacy was created.
In the ease of Texas, all who voted were
foreigners, in their relations to the United States;
yet, in 1841, she was brought into the Union.
This objection is, therefore, entirely removed. It
is also objected that her population is entirely insufficient
to entitle her to two members of Congress.
But, Mr. Chairman, it must be retneinbored
that the inhabitants of California are the heads
and representatives of families, whiob, If they
were with bheir fathers and husbands in that distant
land, would swell the population to-day to
[ more thau 100 000 souls. Sir, 1 feel perfeotly
willing to leave it to the honest and candid mind,
whnth?r id anv wpicrht. or fnrnn in tiiAM? oh
jecfions, and pan on to auother.
It ia a aid further, Mr. Chairman, in objeotion
to the admission of California, that her boundaries
are too great. True, there ia within her limits on
stent of territory oovering aome 145,000 square
milea , yet, when the weatern alope of the Hierra
Nevada, and the varioua deaert apote with which
ahe ia covered, are abatraoted, there ia not aa much
arable bind left aa there ia in theStateofNew York
or Ohio. California preaenta a long narrow atrip
of ahou 1150 milea in width, her natural and principal
b jundariea being, aa I before mentioned, the
Sierra Nevada and the Pacific Ocean , and, aa the
expert enoed Senator from Misaoori [Mr. Bsim>a]
baa beautifully aaid, her heart ia the Bay of San
Francutco. and her arteriee, the rivere Sacramento
and San Joaquin, and their tributaries.
No neturaliat, or atateaman, could make a division
of California, without a violation of natural
boundaries. But why discuss so plain a case?
Congress baa fully removed this objection in aiza,
in the admission of Texas, with her immense
prairies and her rich soil, stretching 325,000
square miles?nearly three times as large as California
1
Mr. Chairman, in conclusion of what I have to <
aay with referenoe to California, I would remark,
that the various arguments and considerations
which have been urgad in behalf of her admission
into the Union have been moat formidable and
oonolusive?more to than anv that have ever been
advanoed in favor of the admission of any other
8tat#; and the objections which have been urged
against her, the most futile that statesmen ever
seriously advanoed. Thie is my deliberate opinion.
Mr. Chairman, we have beard much, since the
meetina of Conarees in Deoernber lest, about the
North hiving aggresaed open the South. But,
ir, how dooe the oaae really stand, when we ootne
to examine fully tad fairly 7 Wnet do we learn
from an examination of hiatorioal facte connected
with the piet and preeent hletory of our Government?
When the Union waa first organized, it
confuted of thirteen States, seven of which were
free, or prospectively free States, and six were
slave States. At present, lbs Union consists of
thirty States? fifteen of which are free, and fifteen
lave States. Thus, tbtrs has been one more slave
State added to the Union than the fair share of
the South, sines the Union was formed, taking
her own claim to equal division as well founded.
This e eohoolboy ten years old would scarcely
consider an aggression on the pert of the North I
Again it is universally oonoeded among honest
and business men, that when a business association
is farmed, each member of the association contributing
an equal share of capital, and each devoting
an equal portion of bis time to advance the interest
of Abe association, and baring no other eouroa
of revenue, that those members of the firm who,
by some rale of boons poous or legerdemain, have
bees able to secure to themselves a much larger
hare of the profits and proceeds then their partners,
here violated the articles of the partnership 1
This I oonsider n fair iUnstration of tha oonduot
of the Southern part of the Government. Although
the slave States numbered one less In the beginning
of the Government, we see how stands the oase In
regard to territory, aad whioh portion has the larger
amount The following table will show the
extent of territory of each, la square miles
Eitent of tkatu M Stpntrt Mile*.
Maine - 23,MM) Delaware i,tfifi
Vermont - . 8,000 Maryland ? 11,000
eminent to protect then, rather than that of an
obnoxious military role. The selfishness of mankind
has ever made it n eci esaary for the people to
create Governments for their protection against
Its baneful influence. Q overnroent is the soul
of society; and, where a j eople have been attracted
together by the oobodvenets of the "root of
all evil," there must be. evidently, a greater necessity
for the inestim'thiie blessings of s Government.
than under any ot uer circumstances imaginable.
From what 1 have b earned, sir, tnd have the
beet reason to believe nr je. a more bold and patriotic
people than our 1* ethren in California have
never sought a home its a wild and trackless wilderness
But another rer-son for her speady admission
is, the evidcn't deficencies in her land
I. 1 ' *
tiwrs n is suppose-1 Dy many persons, mat t'*e
Jesuits, who were the first missionaries. and the i
Franciscans, their si i<* essors, hold titles from the
Spanish Crown to tl e lands which the settlers j
occupy. By delay in the investigation of these
titles, they may bee on ,e exceedingly difficult and
tronbleness for adju<ji< wtion These are subjects
fi>r judicial eiamiwt ion; and hence arises the
great necessity of C alifornia being placed in a
position where ahe ? uld hare legally organised
courts to settle these perplexing questions which
are already arising, s mong her people.
Why, sir, the mount of revenue which this
Government has derived from California, for the
first year, is sor it $600,000; and the amount
which it is suppoe e?.l will be received the ensuing
year will probal ly reach $2,000,000. This in
it+elf is an argum rat for her admission, as jiowerful
as the gold its elf. The Hon. T. B. King, in
his late able repoi rt, has furnished us with an estimate
of the value of tra?le between California and
the States of the tT'aion. Ho Bays, (and no one is
better able to foimr a correct estimate,) that it
1 N. Hampshire - 8,030 Virginia- - - 61,352
Massachusetts 7,250 North Carolina 45 500
Khod? Island - 1,250 South Carolina 28,000
Connecticut - 4,750 Georgia - - - 58,000
New York - 46 000 Kentucky - - 37,680
New Jersey- - 6 850 Tennessee - - 44,000
Pennsylvania - 47,000 Louisiana - - 46.431
Ohio .... 39.964 Mississippi - - 47,147
Indiana ... 33,809 Alabama- - - 50,722
Illinois ... 55,405 Missouri- - 67,380
Miohigan - - 56,234 Arkansas - - 52,198
Iowa .... 50,914 Florida - - - 59,268
Wisconsin - - 53,924
Total slave 610,798
Total free - 454,340 Texas - - 325.520
California - - 145,000
936,318
509,340 District of Col. 50
936.368
Free States 599,340
Balance In favor of slavery - - - 337,028
Now, Mr. Chairman, from these statistics we
have the fact that, even after California shall have
been admitted into the Union, the slave States will
have nearly 350.000 square miles of territory
more than the free States?a sufficiency to form
seven Statea ah large aa the State of New York!
If this is not an insUnoe of the very reverse of
what is charged?expansion of the South at the
expense of the North, and of Southern aggression?I
know not what aggression means!
Hat. perhaps, one of the most striking instances
of inequality (and I leave it to be determined
whether it is in favor of the North or South) is
the manner in which the Supreme Court of the
United States has been organiied. That Court
consists of nine circuits. Four of theee are within
the limits of the free States, and five within
the slave States The following table will show,
at a glance, the different circuits, the locations,
and the aggregate free population of sach
FREE STATES.
Circuit. States composing It. Frss population
I Fi?/ Maine. New Jtaiansbirc. Maasarbo1
a.tf ,, # , . ... ^
Ssnr.r.d Verin' iit, Connection*, and New York 3,(t*>,84?
Third New Jera^y anil Pennsylvania . 2,09*,339
Seventh Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan 2,893,783
KI.AVK STATES
Circuit States composing if. Fr?c pop
I ulation.
Fourth Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia 1,440,572
Fifth Alabama and t/julsiena - 521,283
Sixth North Carotins, South Carolina, and :
Georgia 1,187,4111
Eighth Kentucky, Tenneesce, and Missouri l/O'.l.lfVJ
Niuth Mississippi and Arkansas 258,(1711
From the above table, Mr. Chairman, we arrive
at the feet, that though the slave States embrace
something less than half the aggregate free population.
they have the circuits so arranged that
they have five out of the nine Judges ! Thisissuch
a very plain case that 1 would suppose that even
my honorable colleague I Mr. Rons] would join
with me in concluding that tb? South has controlled
this matter with much adroitness, and at
least secured their rights in the organisation ol
this Court, and that th%i is, at any rate, not an instance
of aggression on the part of the North!
Sir, it must be painful to the ear and sickening
to the soul of every true friend of liberty, to sec
Northern men crouch and cringe so low at the
foot of the Slave Power, as to proclaim, on this
floor, that the South has never aggressed upon
the North I 1 do not mean to be personal, but it
is time the proper rebuke should be given.
Again, Mr. Chairman, if any one should make
the inquiry in whose hand has resided the practical
control of this Government for the post sixty
years, he need but look at the facts. At the close
of the present Presidential term, the South will
have held the Presidency fifty-two years, while
the North have only had it for twelve years. Of
Ihi- 3i-i.ri-'*Hw of Htntc t?r (k* ?iu pcrtwl.
fourteen have oome from the slate S la ten, while
hut flte of them were from the North. Thirteen
Judges of the Supreme Court hate been appointed
from the South, and but twelre from the
North. As I before stated, the slate States hate
always had a majority of the Judges of the Supreme
Court, and the Chief Justioe continually
during the nineteenth century. But, to render
the charge still more clear, that the South hate
managed to oontrol the National Qoternment, I
will gite, for the benefit of my colleague, an extract
from a leading Southern paper, written during
the Presidential campaign of 1844. I quote the
Charlrston Courwr of October .'<0 in that year:
"Our past experience has shown that the
weight of the South has been heatily felt in the
political balance, and has almost always monopoliiod
high federal office.
" The Southern or ulaveholding States have
given six out of ten Presidents to the Union.
The Northern or non-slaveholding States have
given hut four; and, out of these four, the two
last were chosen by a large majority of Southern
votes, and the last was a native Virginian, filially
devoted to the rights aDd interests of the land of
his birth; and even tho two first enlisted a strong
Southern support.
" Again?of the six Southern Presidents, five
were reileoted to their high offices, and each occupied
it fcr eight years, and only one will have
occupied it but four years, giving in all to the
nlaveholding interest the possession and oontrol
of the Presidency for forty-four years out of flfty'
six, while of the four non-slaveholding Presidents,
three occupied the Presidency but four years
each, and one only a little month, giving in all to
the non-slaveholding interest the possession and
control of the Presidency for only twelve years
out of fifty-six.
" Ho of the Chief Justices of the Union. The
South has hod three, and the North but two, out
of the five incumbent* of that august judicial
eat."
Another item of Southern admission, which
goes to prove that the South has controlled the
Government, is the very frank conf( union which, a
short time since, was made by the honorable member
from Virginia, |Mr. Meads,| who boaatingly
said in his speech, " Though the South have been in
a numerical minority for the lait fifty yean, rre have
managed to control the Government /'' Could my
colleague require more to arouse his sense of juslice
and hi* jcaloiiH pride as a Peniisylvanian
Hut, sir, f believe one of the most cruel end
selfish demands ever made by the institution of
slavery and Its propagandists, was the removal of
some of the peaceful tribes of the aborigines of
the soil, with whom the Government was in treaty,
while, on various occasions, making appropria
tioruB for their improvement in agricultural and
the mechanic arts In some instances, these simple
Children of the Forest had mad* n>*ny improvements
in their manner of living. They
were increasing in civilization, and enjoying oomfort
and happiness. Rut the mandate went forth
from the Slave Power, and thslr behests were to
be obeyed I The North, as nana!, hastened to
the assistance of their oppressors, and these poor
Indians were driven from their homes, and all
I they held most dear, beyond the Father of Wa!
ters, and slavery was extended over the soil that
I Ik. I W.I- I
wttji 1HT7 uvum v* iutur imurin .
Again, we ma, by the aots of Congreas of 1830,
that slavery demanded a slip of free territory
north of 36" 30', to be added to the clave State
of MiHeouri, and that, too, in direet violation of
the Corapromlee of 1820. The North, like spaniels,
came into the arrangement, and the objeet of
the Booth wae aooomplwhed. Thue six of the
most beautiful counties in the Platte ooontry
ihitherto free territory) were added to a slave
Itate I This, Mr. Chairman, is another instance
of Despotism's victory over Freedom, whereby
the black flag of Nlavery wae made to wave over
lands which national law had declared should
ever be free!
The purchaaeaof Louisiana in lH03,and Florida
in 1810, and the annexation of Texas in 184.1,
(all darling objects of the South,) are so m*uy instances
of the aggressions of the Slave Power,
which has managed to extend the curses, and
orimas, and cmeities of slavery, by its last consummated
plot, more than 300,000 square miles i
Sir, when we remember that the Anti-Slavery
feeling found a home in the 8outh, and s warm
and devoted friend in the Sage of Montloallo, so
early as the year 17W , and when we farther remember,
that in the same sunny South, there was
a general and prevailing opinion, at that tarly day,
that It ahould not only go no farther, bat that the
Southern people themselves wore tven considering
the propriety and expediency of ita abolition,
as well ss that of the slave trade, It cannot
be a subject of surprise, that. In the year 1787,
Congroaadid, without a single dissenting State,
paas an Ordinance prohibiting the extension of
slavery into the Northweatern Territory?from
which Territory has since sprung the flee great
Btetee of Ohio. Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and
Wlsoonaln. Methluhs, sir, that no one oan re
I
fleet, for a moment. on the million* of freemen
who now inhabit those States, with their present
wealth, prosperity, moral advancement, and proet
pective greatness without feeling gratitude-in
hia soul to Almighty God, that our wise fore/atherx
prohibited the withering curse of slavery
from touching that gloriously prosperous region!
Again, Mr. Chairman, it should be remembered,
that, when that memorable Congress was
in session at New York, the Convention which
framed the present Constitution of the United
States was also in session in Philadelphia, and
that, nnder the prevailing public sentiment of
that day, which was that slavery should extend
no further, the Conven'ion presented this Constitution,
which was finally aocepted by all the
States of the Union.
This fact has made it clear, to my mind, that
the framers of that Constitution, from every portion
of the country, did not anticipate that slavery
would ever be further extended under it.
No, sir, no! And 1 am further corrvYavvd.Voa\
the letter and spirit of the Declaration of Independence,
as well as of the Constitution, is direotly
opposed to the further ex'?Hon of Blavery.
Consequently, as an honest, and, I trust, a conscientious
man, I shall always feel it my duty to
exert all the powers of mind ami influence which
God has given me, to prevent the lurther eiten
sion of that foul leprosy, which the great Jifferson
himself called such a vast " mural and political
evil."
8ir, another and a strong reason why I am opposed
to the extension of slavery is, that wo have
convincing proof, that, in those States where slavery
does not exist, the people are much more
prosperous, in a civil, moral, and political point
of view, than they are in the slave States. Be
sides, every man of ordinary observation most
know. and. knowing, should bear in mind, thia
fact, that those portions of slave States which lie
contiguous to or border upon free States, though
they receive nothing but the shadotc of Freedom
for example, as it is thrown across Mason and
Dixon's line, or the Ohio, are far in advance of
other portions of the same States, in agriculture,
manufactures, education, the mechanic arts, and
evt/Tj vthtr interest which makes a State prat* v
perous and happy. ^ few instances will show
'inehe tacts ' YT?.r VuelMate'Ci y.ft&awre
we have a State containing three counties?Newcastle,
Kent, and Sussex. Newcastle, on the
north, lies contiguous to Pennsylvanians, a free
people. Thia county contains but little more
than one fourth of the area of the State; yet, when
we come to examine her manufactures and agri
culture, and her mechanical products, we find that
they surpass those of the whole State besides. In
this same county, compared, in an intclleotual
point of view, with the other two counties, which
1 lie more contiguous to slavery, we find the ful,
lowing results By the census of 1840, we find in
Newcastle oounty, with a population of 33,120,
.'>29 Tiprannu over twpntv vpurs of airp who can
1 neither rwl nor write; while Kent, in a popula1
tion of 19872, has 1913; unil Sussex, with a
' population of 2f>,093, ban '2,390 persons of that
age in the same deplorable condition.
1 But, sir, we will not confine ourselves to little
Delaware. We will extend our glanoe further.
1 Take, as another example, the counties of Cecil,
Harford, Baltimore, Carroll, Frederick, Washington,
and Alleghany, in the .State of Maryland,
r all joining free territory, and compare them with
the southern counties of the same State, and see
' how much they are in advauoe of their sisters in
J everything that is desirable?in intelligence, ag?
riculture, wealth, and prosperity.
1 But, sir, I will go further?ay, even into the
1 "Old Dominion" Take the border counties
1 along the Ohio, and oompare them with the counties
more remote from the example and influence
of free principles. Take, for instance, the district
1 represented by my friend near me, [Mr. Maymond.
j which oonaiste of the oounties in the vicinity
of Wheeling, and is supposed to contain a
population of some 1 '20,000. There are hut few
slaves among them, and evidently the people do
not feel any interest in the extension of slavery,
more than those of the counties of Lancaster and
i Chester. In Transylvania. They have learned its
> disadvantages. Also take the counties composing
1 the fifteenth district of the same State, represent
ed by the gentleman over the way, [Mr. Bkalk,]
1 all of whioh are contiguous to the Ohio river.
They are at this day enjoying a degree of prosperity
whioh is the result of their locality, being
more or less influenced by the free institutions of
the great State of Ohio. ihesc two districts, it
ie supposed, contain nearly one fifth of the white
population of Virginia. Compare them with the
southern counties, in wealth, enterprise, intelligence,
and every other thing that should make a
people contented, and you will at once come to
the conclusion that where even the trnmulu of
Freedom is felt, there will be prosperity and happiness
; and, on the contrary, that where the dark
spirit of Slavery broods, there will be idleness,
poverty, ignorance, and misery.
Mr. Chairman, before I conclude, I. shall give
another reason why 1 am opposed to the extension
of slavery; and that is, because it has the
effect to bring into disrepute, and render dishonorable,
manual labor. Although this country is
styled the asylum of the oppressed and the home
of all, not one out of every hundred of the emiCrants
who flock to our shores, ventures to make
is home in the slave States. They shun the
soil of slavery as the upas tree of the desert.
The reason is palpable. They know well, that
they cannot oompete with slave labor. Tbey infer
that the slave's master must necessarily grow
aristocratic, and oome to treat with contempt the
poor white man, who is compelled to gain his
bread by the sweat of his brew. And tbey judge
trnly; for that the institution of slavery is an
aristocracy, and one of the wont upon which tho
[ light of Heaven ever has shone, is susceptible of
the clearest and most satisfactory proof. Consequently,
It must be at war with the spirit of our
free institutions. In the dominions of the Autoorat
of Russia, the Sultan of Turkey, or the Em
peror of the Oerman States, the characteristics
of government cannot be freely investigated,
either by publio writings or publio discissions.
Why is this? Simply, beoause they are aristocraticnl
Qovernmenta 80, precisely, is it with
the institutions of slavery. Tbey oannot be
trusted to free investigation, either by written or
orsl discussion. No, sir. no! The man who
would undertake suoh an investigation might be
1. 1 1 . v. >.1 1
nurcr iu r^wiTC i?v ivut uruini lum^uivirn, nuu
most probably the lose of life itself! Such being
the case, it is reasonable and just to conclude that
It is one of the most aristocraticnl institutions in
existence, and therefor* should he prevented from
further extending ita Insolent power.
Mr. Chairman, I sincerely trust that, whenever
a vote on any branch of this question is taken,
we shall show to the world, by a decisive
voioe, that we are not only freemen in name, but
freemen in our acts, and that our Declaration of
Independence was not a mere matter of form, but
a living principle, whose spirit utterly forbids the
expansion of the dark and gloomy area of slavery
over another acre of American soil, wherever
found.
Again, sir: I shall oppose the extension of slavery,
because the " peculiar Institution " is not
satisfied with the African race, which it holds,
coutrary to justice, in its iron gre*P< but it invades
the Cauoaslan ranks, and brings, within
the precincte of its domain, the descendants of
eveyy dime, and holds, to-day, in abject bondage,
many who, flrom complexion or intellectual appearance,
would oompar* with their masters. No
intelligent physiologist would pretend to class
them with the descendants of the African race.
It la but a few weeks sinoe, that my observation
was drawn to this faot, in this city. While sauntering
around these public groonds, with a friend,
we were met by a large oonoourae of slaves and
their associates, probably more than a thousand
in all. I was forcibly struck by the different
shades of oolor among them. Many of them appeared
to be entirely whlto, and a large proportion
tinctured with Caucasian blood.
Mr. Mel.A NE at MtrvUml tVill Iks rrvillr.
man from Penneylvania allow m? to askrhim a
question ?
Mr. DICKEY: Certainly, sir.
Mr. MoLANE: Are there no mnlattoee in
Pennsylvania 1
Mr. DICKEY: There are mulattoee in Peonvrlraaia;
hot they mostly oome from Maryland,
the State which the gentleman represents In
part. [ Laughter J
Mr. Chairman: When i beheld this motler
crowd, the question naturally aroee in my mind,
by what known rule of logic, not to any or juetloe
or oonaletenoy, are thoee persona held In bondage
whose color is as near white aa nine hundred and
ninety-nine in a thousand i The only response
which 1 eon get to eeoh aa inanity from history,
and Southern law, is this: If the mother la a
1 slave, the children most be doomed to perpetual
bondage. No exceptions are mads on aseount of
eomplexion Thus we ess that, nssmding to the
showing of their own rules, the absence of tho
African oolor is no bar to slavery, talk aa they