Speech Of Hon Wd Harriman Of Placer On The Resolutions Upon The State Of The Union

Author : John H. Reagan
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781331334033
Total Pages : 20 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (34 download)

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Download or read book State of the Union written by John H. Reagan and published by . This book was released on 2015-07-13 with total page 20 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from State of the Union: Speech of the Hon. John H. Reagan, of Texas What justice is there in that? Let us, for one moment, revert to the history of the Government to know whether it is just in it to assume the responsibility of so grave an act. I need hardly say that, at the date of the Declaration of Independence, each of the thirteen colonies of the Union was slaveholding. At the date of the formation of the Federal Constitutien, twelve years after that, twelve of the thirteen States of the Union were slaveholding States. Is it to be presumed that twelve out of thirteen States made a Constitution which was intended to recognize slaves as freemen and equals? It would be asking too much of human credulity to believe such a proposition. If anything were necessary to repel the idea, it is supplied by the bare fact that the convention which framed this Constitution, and gave it to us as the charter of our rights and liberties, provided in it for keeping open the African slave trade for twenty years after the formation of that Constitution, so that the white race might go on under authority of the Constitution and acquire a larger amount of property in negro slaves. The interests of a portion of the States were found not to require African slaver; and these States disposed of their negroes, not so numerous then, it is true, as they were in some of the more southern States. Then they made their States what they call free States. The southern States raised no objection, and had no right to raise any objection, that these States has chosen for themselves to exclude negro slavery; but they had rights under the Federal Constitution - the right to protection and security - which it was their duty to insist upon. That is all they have done. But, Mr. Chairman, I cannot dwell longer upon this portion of our history;but I will ask attention to another feature of this question. I invoke the attention of Republicans for a moment, to what would be the result of the success of their doctrines if they will not cease this agitation until they can rest in the belief that negro slaver is put in process of extinction. But, before I do it, I wish to make one remark, not altogether connected with ray argument, but which may not be unserviceable. We.have for years back heard of what is termed the irrepressible conflict. It has emanated from men who have been eulogized for their statesmanship and their learning. It rested on the idea of irrepressible hostility between the interests and institutions of States of the Union. It has been invoked for partisan success and for sectional prejudice. It has culminated too soon for its authors. And here, to-day, behold the fruits of the irrepressible conflict. Every man who looks forward with an eye to the interests and hopes of the country, has foreseen what the irrepressible conflict meant - that it meant subjugation and humiliation to the South, or the dissolution of the Union. You have reached now its logical end. Are you, then, longer prepared to eulogize a doctrine, and eulogize its authors, which has brought upon us so precipitately such fruits as these? But to the point to which I was calling attention. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.