There was a time when there was a higher and holier sentiment among the
men who represented the people of this country. As far back as the time
of the Confederation, when no narrow, miserable prejudice between
Northern and Southern men governed those who ruled the States, a
committee of three, two of whom were Northern men, reporting upon what
they considered the bad faith of Spain in Florida, in relation to
fugitive slaves, proposed that negotiations should be instituted to
require Spain to surrender, as the States did then surrender, all
fugitives escaped into their limits. Hamilton and Sedgwick from the
North, and Madison from the South, made that report--men, the loftiness
of whose purpose and genius might put to shame the puny efforts now made
to disturb that which lies at the very foundation of the Government
under which we live.
A man not knowing into what presence he was introduced, coming into this
Chamber, might, for a large part of this session, have supposed that
here stood the representatives of belligerent States, and that, instead
of men assembled here to confer together for the common welfare, for the
general good, he saw here ministers from States preparing to make war
upon each other; and then he would have felt that vain, indeed, was the
vaunting of the prowess of one to destroy another. Or if, sir, he had
known more--if he had recognized the representatives of the States of
the Union--still he would have traced through this same eternal, petty
agitation about sectional success, that limit which can not fail,
however the Senator from New York (Mr.
Pages:
825
826
827
828
829
830
831
832
833
834
835
836
837
838
839
840
841
842
843
844
845
846
847
848
849