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Remarks Of Mr. Calhoun

Remarks Of Mr. Calhoun image
Parent Issue
Day
10
Month
April
Year
1847
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

YVp took copioiH notes last night of Mr. Calhoim's speech, but will not give them at lengih. as it is Mr. Calhoun's intention to prppaie his speech liimself fur publicntion. But we cnnnot rofrain from gntifyir.g the csires of such of our readers as were unable to get inta-iht densely crowded thealre 1 'St nig'.it, by offei ing them a brief summary of the subetanoo of bis remaras. Mr. Calhaun said tliaf, in cotnplyir.g wiih tho requestof his fellovr-citizens toaddrpss ttiem on tho pre3ent occasion, he shoüld restrict h'mself to the consideration of thpse questions which more immcdiaíely concerned them, nnd which ?ere coMained in the report which had just been rend, and which to us, vei parnmoont to every othcr that could be brached. He declared that he cordially concurrod in every sentiment expressed in that repor!, in poitit of fact, nnd believed that it-? deductions were irresislibly trne. On the subject of the Mexican war, hc drclined snying anything, as he had alreadv fully and explicilly declaradh's opinionsonihatsubjftci. Heentered, thorefore, simpiy on tho subject of the Wilmot proviso, and, in relation to that subject, adniittedhis belief, that there was n largo majority of the non-slaveh'olding States whowere opposed to tho further extensión of slavery in our territorios. - On this subject, he said he would confine himselfto pointing out the danger that thrca'encd us, and the means of avoidne it.The first question he would nsk wa?, tfhetherthe non-slavchol Jing States had the power of enibrcingthe provisión, that slavery should not exiond into any ne.wly acquired territories. To this quesiion the answer was, Yos; they had tho power, so far as numerical fitrength was concerned. In the next Consress, the non-slaveholding States would have a majority n every department of goverment. By the addition of Iowaand Wisconsin, there would be a nvtjoritv of four in the Senate. In theelectoral college and ihe House of Represent ïtives, the n-njori:y wo.ild be overwheJming. If under these circumstancs the Soul!) should not be truo to itself, and should iorget the advantages of its position, we would be compelled lo submir. But f we desired safely, all e had to do was to be true to ourselves, and to depend on theso adrantages. The advnntnges which wo possessed Mr. C. then endravored toset forth. The fir?t advaniagc we had was, that ihe Constitución was on our sido. Weare partners in the federal compact - a unión of States standing on an cqual footing- and, until the Constituiion was cestroyed, we were snfe. Mr. Calhoun now alverted to thu memorable reaelutions proposed by him in the Senate. as the exponent of bis views on tho constitutional question. But, said Mr. C. what avails the Constitution on this subject, when there U a large mftjority holding a different theory? We have however, hecontinued, onc furthor ndvantnge in the power of iruth. - II has airead y secured us many friends in the non-slavehülding States, and heknew.from a long experience iu public Ufe, that truth must eventually prevail, and that if the South were faiihful to itself, decisive and prompt, it must prevail. The North, Mr. C. said, had no interest in the destruction of our insiitution of slavery. "It doos not nflect its wcalth, or its numbers, but on the contrary, it derives from it as much prosperity as we ourseives do. Wil hout the rice, colton and tobáceo of the South, what would become of the commorce and navigationof the North, its expensive machinery and extensivo faetones, and lts mses congrogated in towns and villagesi The revenue of the government would be leduced to $8,000,000, anJ the towns of Ihe North to one-fourth of their size. - Henee, the self-interest of the North would be a proteclion to us. Mr. C. now took a brief view of the constituency of the non-slaveholding States. The votes of the non-slaveholding States were divided into three part?. 1 The Abolitionists. This is the par ty which are fanatios on the snbjoct of slavery, believing it to be a crime, nnd to be put down at every hazard. Drawing bis cakulation from the voto given Ín the Stnteof New York, which niight be considered as a very good example f thnother States. Mr. C. sunpnsed th.itthe aboliüon party amounted in the North to about 5 per oent. of the wholc voting population. The sccond party consMs of the sober, quiet cilizens of li.e North ; mor who believe slavery to be an e vil, atid nre Wijlinglosce t abolishe-i, hut will not consent for tho nccumplishment of this purposc to ovorlhrow the Conslitution. - This is the real conservntivc pariy of the North, and constitutes about seven-tenths of the votcrs.The remainder of the voters, Mr. L. eaid, which cohsisted of 25 per cent. niight bodivided into two parts. The one is n biehly talented and i-espectable portion, nmouniing, boweér, toonly 5 per cent. xv ho aympathiae with th South, while ♦he other 20 per cent, consista of what hasbren cnl'od the spoils party - men caring for no principie, butgoing in every eleo tion for the spoils. Mr. Calhoun now entered into an e.amina'ion of the causes whiqh have led to the present posture of nffrirs. The abolitionist piriy he describod 03 holding the balap.ee of power ; because, though sma'l in numhers, they were of importo'ice in every election, from the vey equnl división of the Democrnts and Whigs. Henee, they wero courled by boih those parties. Mr. Cnlhoun here pointcd out thedanger to the South, should any party uniting wïih the abolitionists become dominant. We wonld then become, in the federal elections, ut'.erly insignificaüt. And if we ourelves co-operate wiih nny party at the North which has allied itself to the abolitionists, the necessary consequence would be that we would stand in the npparent po6ition of hnving abandoned our own principies ; nnd the rospectable portion of our northern friends, so supposing, would abandon us, and become contaminatod like the rest.Mr. Calhoun herc adverled, with sentíments of reprobntion, (o the cour.e of some outhern men in Congress, in endeavoring to keep the vital question of slavery out of the way. He did not he said, nccuso these gentlemen of deserting the South in her hour of danger. On the contrary, he believed that if they could foresee the danger which isnow npproaching, tbcy wouid stand firm to the cause of their constituent?, and be with us side by side. But he thought that they were blinded to the real posture of affairs, and were ccncaling the question that they might conciliate the northern wing of their party in the Presidential alection. - The con?equence was, that these men woulu go to Baltimore, unite with the northern wing on the Presidential canvass, leaving the question out of view ; and, the northem men being stronger, would this succeed in gelting nominated a man unsound on this question, so vital to the South. Mr. C. declared that, if this course was pursued, our ruin was inevitable. - The question must be made, he said, a fundamental one in the Presidcntial election. Mr. C. expresseJ himselfns thoroughly opposed to all conventions for the notninaiion ofcandidates for the Presidency. Ble believed them to be unknown to the Constituí ion, corrupt iri their nature, and not a fair representation of thewishes and opinions of the peoplc. Finally, Mr. Calhoun urged upon the South the necessity of being united on this great questton. We wero rarned, he said, by the present posture of affairs, to raise our voices. U the Souih would unile at once, rally, ond form a great party in which the question of the rights of the South should bc predominan we would receive recruits from both parties at the North. Mr. Calhoun e.xpre6sed hisdeep regard f.r the Union, and henee il was that he urged the South to bo true to itself. If we were not true to ourselves, the Union he knew must be inevitably sacrificed. The course, he said, which leads to the safetv of the South, will lead to the safetyof the Union, for the two were insepa rably connected. Mr. C. expatinlpd on the advantnges of the South to the Union, and yet we asked for nothing more ihan justice and equality of right. We have demanded (saá he) nothing more than our own, and he hoped we would never detnand less. Mr. C. concluded hy invuking Heaven to open our minds, that we might be er.a bied to taken just view of this trying juncture of afiairs, and opon our heaits that we might be prepared lo meet it like men.

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Subjects
Signal of Liberty
Old News