if a division should take place. Continual
civil war must therefore ensue, unless slavery
shall be entirely wiped out. That it is the
cause of this great rebellion, I most sincerely
believe. This may be clearly seen from the
speeches and extracts of Southern orators,
and from Southern papers.
Mr. Stephens speaks of it as the very
"corner-stone" of their edifice.
Preston Brooks, before his constituents,
in justification of his attempt to assassinate
Charles Sumner, said: "The issue is upon
us, how can we sustain, perpetuate and ex-
tend slavery? The only way to meet this
issue is, just to tear the Constitution to shreds,
trample it under our feet, and form a South-
ern Confederacy, every State of which shall
be a slaveholding States. Our only hope in
the support of slavery is in the destruction of
the Federal Government. I would not have
an officer in our new Confederacy who would
not swear that shivery is right. Let the
slaveholders of the South rise above the Con-
stitution and laws, take the power into their
own hands and lay their strong arm upon the
treasury and archives of the Federal Govern-
ment,"
Alexander H. Stephens, in March, 1854,
said of the North in the House of Representa-
tives, in a debale in regard to Kansas; " Well,
gentlemen, you make a good deal of clamor
over this Kansas affair, but it don't alarm us,
You have often threatened but you have never
performed. You always caved in and you
will do so again. We have got you in our
power. You must submit to the yoke. Don't
be so impatient as to complain: you will only
be slapped in. the face. Don't resist: you will
only be lashed into obedience."
Rev. Mr. Prentiss, in a sermon preached
at St. Peter's Church, Charleston, S. C., Dec.,
1860, said: "The United States Government
is about to be destroyed and another is to be
built upon its ruins. That slavery is a Chris-
tian institution and the slave trade a Chris-
tian duty, is the one idea that underlies our
secession and revolutionary movement, and
the sooner the whole people, North and South,
understand this fact, the better for us all. No
compromise, no adjustment will satisfy the
South which does not secure absolute protection
and permanence to slavery and the slave
trade, and permit its unlimited expansion.
These Southern leaders had therefore deter-mined
that slavery must rule, and that they
would "rather rule in hell than serve in
heaven,"
But I thank God that I believe a brighter
'day is dawning upon the nation and State—
the day of freedom and redemption. And
freedom is indeed advancing throughout the
civilized world. Since this cruel war has
been raging here, the Czar of Russia has libe-
rated 23,000,000 of serfs the good effects of
which are already visible. And on the 8th
of August, 1862, Holland proclaimed eman- |
cipation throughout its American Colonies.
Already the prospect of it here has prevented
foreign intervention, the aristocracy of Eng-
land and France both greatly desiring our
destruction, but when freedom was proclaim-
ed to be one of the objects of the war hence-
forth, (all other means having failed,) we
struck a sympathetic cord in the breasts of
the masses of our trans-Atlantic brethren,
who then rose up and said to their leaders,
hitherto shall thoud go and no further. And
soon a mighty reaction took place.
in conclusion, I sincerely believe Maryland
will start forth upon a new career of pros-
perity and glory from the inauguration of
this measure. I give it most cheerfully my
heart and my humble efforts, because I be-
lieve it is imperatively demanded by the
eternal principles of justice and right to a
long, much injured and oppressed people. I
feel it to be one of the proudest days of my
life, that whilst acknowledging that humility
and deep self-abasement becometh us as a State
and people, to be able to give a helping hand
to the removal of this great incubus and
curse. I rejoice at the prospect that the day
is at hand when every man henceforth that
inhabits or treads Maryland's soil, can stand
erect in God's bright sunlight and say, I am
a freeman.
Mr. DENNIS. If the people of this State, as
has been asserted, are dissatisfied with the
progress this Convention is making in form-
ing a new Constitution, the spirit of Theo-
dore Parker or Lucy Stone, Lloyd Garrison,
"et id omne genus," can at least rejoice at
the progress of the peculiar notions, for
really their disciples are making rapid pro-
gress in this Convention. The institution of
slavery which has existed in this State for
more than three-quarters of a century under
the Constitution and laws of the land, and
which fourteen years ago was declared by the
unanimous voice of the Convention then as-
sembled to make a new Constitution, should
continue unchanged, not only finds oppo-
nents here to-day, but we have heard an-
nounced and advocated, in all their length
and breadth, the doctrines of "the higher
law," that slavery is "the covenant with
death and league with hell," and this with
an air and manner of earnest sincerity,
amongst others, by the gentleman from
Baltimore (Mr. Daniel) who, a few years ago,
if not actually a slaveholder, certainly put
them upon the block and exposed them for
sale and sold them. And this day, " as a
Christian man," his conscience is so troubled
be cannot even tolerate "the institution" in
the State. And he thanks God "that he has
lived to give his vote to abolish it."
Mr. DANIEL, I sold them as trustee, and
I do not recollect that one of them ever went
out of the county.
Mr. DENNIS. He sold them "to the high-
est and best bidder"—true, he sold them as |
