James L. Orr
Published: 2015-07-12
Total Pages: 22
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Excerpt from Speech of the Hon. James L. Orr, of South Carolina: On the Slavery Question; Delivered in the House of Representatives, May 8, 1850 Most of the avowed abolitionists have, however, the merit of frankness at least. They seek to emancipate our slaves, it is true, but concede that it cannot be done consistently with the Constitution; they therefore declare an uncompromising war against the Constitution and the Union; while others, who intend to effect the same end, have not the candor to own it, and hypocritically profess an attachment to the Constitution which they are really seeking to destroy. Another evidence of the extent of abolition sentiment in the Northern States is, the promotion of certain gentlemen to seats in the other wing of this Capitol. I allude, sir, first to the election of Wm. H. Seward. It might be that this "faction," as the Abolitionists have been denominated, could, through their societies and conventions, create some attention, and excite the contempt of sensible, moderate men, for their fanaticism; but I would inquire, how comes it to pass that, insignificant as it is said to be, it is enabled to elect from the great State of New York - the Empire State - a man to represent it in the Senate of the United States, whose greatest distinction has been his untiring advocacy of the doctrines of abolition? Does it not show that the major part of the people of that State sympathize deeply with their Senator in his nefarious principles? Look at the recent election, by the Legislature of Ohio - a State in numbers second only to New York - of S. P. Chase, to represent that State in the Senate of the United States. He has been amongst the most zealous of all his infatuated compeers: even Wm. H. Seward was not more so, in the advocacy of radical abolition, and the Legislature of Ohio, knowing his sentiments, and representing the people of that State, have honored him with one of the highest official stations on earth. Others, too, have been elected to that body, who owe their promotion to pledges given their constituents, that they would oppose the admission of any more slave States or slave territory into the Union, and favor the application of the Wilmot proviso - that true scion from an abolition stock - to the territories acquired from Mexico. One would suppose that when a Senator avowed that, acting as a Senator, he recognized a higher obligation than his oath to support the Constitution of the United States - an obligation which requires him to violate and set aside the provisions of that sacred instrument - the Legislature of his State, then in session, would have promptly branded such a declaration with the infamy it deserves. Such a declaration, it is known to the country, was recently made in the Senate by the Senator from New York to whom I have alluded - but the Legislature of that State adopted no resolutions condemnatery of this sentiment. 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.
