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CONGRESS, U. S 



of the Constitution of the United States differ- 

 ing from ours ? we following the old beaten 

 track of every department of the Government 

 for more than seventy years, and you switching 

 off, as it were, upon another track, and setting 

 up yours as orthodox that is all. You say 

 that we must follow you. "We choose to follow 

 the old landmarks. That is the complaint 

 against us. 



" Sir, I am one of those who went forth with 

 zeal to maintain the principles of the great Re- 

 publican party. In a constitutional way we 

 met, as you met. We nominated our candi- 

 dates for President and Vice-President, and 

 you did the same for yourselves. The issue 

 was made up ; and we went to the people upon 

 it. Although we have been usually in the 

 minority, although we have been generally 

 beaten ; yet, this time, the justice of our princi- 

 ples, and the maladministration of the Govern- 

 ment in your hands, convinced the people that 

 a change ought to be wrought ; and after you 

 had tried your utmost, and we had tried our 

 utmost, we beat you ; and we beat you upon 

 the plainest and most palpable issue that ever 

 was presented to the American people, and one 

 that they understood the best. There is no 

 mistaking it ; and now, when we come to the 

 Capitol, I tell you that our President and our 

 Viee-President must be inaugurated, and ad- 

 minister the Government as all their predeces- 

 sors have done. Sir, it would be humiliating 

 and dishonorable to us if we were to listen to a 

 compromise by which he who has the verdict 

 of the people in his pocket, should make his 

 way to the presidential chair. When it comes 

 to that, you have no Government ; anarchy in- 

 tervenes ; civil war may follow it ; all the evils 

 that may come to the human imagination may 

 be consequent upon such a course as that. The 

 moment the American people cut loose from 

 the sheet-anchor of free government and liberty 

 that is, whenever it is denied in this Govern- 

 ment that a majority fairly given shall rule 

 the people are unworthy of free government. 

 Sir, I know not what others may do ; but I tell 

 you that, with the verdict of the people given 

 ia favor of the platform upon which our candi- 

 dates have been elected, so far as I am con- 

 cerned, I would suffer any thing to come before 

 I would compromise that away. I regard it as 

 a case where I have no right to extend comity 

 or generosity. A right, an absolute right, the 

 most sacred that a free people can ever bestow 

 on any man, is their undisguised, fair verdict, 

 that gives him a title to the office that he is 

 chosen to fill ; and he is recreant to the prin- 

 ciple of free government who will ask a question 

 beyond the fact whether a man has the verdict 

 of the people, or if he will entertain for a 

 moment a proposition in addition to that. It 

 is all I want. If we cannot stand there, we can- 

 not stand anywhere. Any other principle than 

 that would be as fatal to you, my friends, as to 

 us. On any other principle, anarchy must im- 

 mediately ensue." 



Mr. Crittenden then addressed the Senate for 

 the purpose of presenting joint resolutions, pro- 

 posing certain amendments to the Constitution. 

 In explanation of them he referred to the ques- 

 Wms of an alarming character that had grown 

 out of the controversy between the Northern 

 and Southern sections of the country, in relation 

 to the rights of the slaveholding States in the 

 territories of the United States, and in relation 

 to the rights of the citizens in the slavehold- 

 ing States. His object was to meet all these 

 questions and causes of discontent by amend- 

 ments to the Constitution, so that the settle- 

 ment may be permanent, and leave no cause 

 for future controversy. He proposed that the 

 Constitution should be so amended as to declare 

 that Congress shall have no power to abolish 

 slavery in the District of Columbia so long as 

 slavery exists in the States of Maryland and 

 Virginia; and that it shall have no power 

 to abolish slavery in any of the places under 

 its special jurisdiction within the Southern 

 States. 



" These are the constitutional amendments 

 which I propose, and embrace the whole of 

 them in regard to the questions of territory and 

 slavery. There are other propositions in rela- 

 tion to grievances, and in relation to contro- 

 versies, which I suppose are within the juris- 

 diction of Congress, and may be removed by 

 the action of Congress. I propose, in regard 

 to legislative action, that the fugitive slave law, 

 as it is commonly called, shall be declared by 

 the Senate to be a constitutional act, in strict 

 pursuance of the Constitution. I propose to 

 declare, that it has been decided by the Supreme 

 Court of the United States to be constitutional, 

 and that the Southern States are entitled to a 

 faithful and complete execution of that law, and 

 that no amendment shall be made hereafter to 

 it which will impair its efficiency. But, think- 

 ing that it would not impair its efficiency, I 

 have proposed amendments to it in two par- 

 ticulars. I have understood from gentlemen 

 of the North that there is objection to the pro- 

 vision giving a different fee where the commis- 

 sioner decides to deliver the slave to the claim- 

 ant, from that which is given where he decides 

 to discharge the alleged slave ; the law declares 

 that in the latter case he shall have but five 

 dollars, while in the other he shall have ten 

 dollars twice the amount in one case than in 

 the other. The reason for this is very obvious. 

 In case he delivers the servant to his claimant, 

 he is required to draw out a lengthy certificate, 

 stating the principal and substantial grounds on 

 which his decision rests, and to return him 

 either to the marshal or to the claimant to re- 

 move him to the State from which he escaped. 

 It was for that reason that a larger fee was 

 given to the commissioner, where he had the 

 largest service to perform. But, sir, the act 

 being viewed unfavorably and with great preju- 

 dice, in a certain portion of our country, this 

 was regarded as very obnoxious, because it 

 seemed to give an inducement to the coinmis- 



