CONGRESS, U. 8. 



183 



men. Do not attempt to cover it up and to 

 evade it or disguise it ; meet it in full front ; 

 declare that they are in rebellion, and they are 

 to be put down ; or declare that they have the 

 right of separation, and are to be acknowledged 

 in their separation. This is my view of that 

 matter. Those States being out, having actu- 

 ally confederated, having assumed a nationality, 

 I should consider it was the bounden duty of 

 the Government, no matter what question sep- 

 arates them whether it be a slave question. 

 or a question of domestic economy, or any thing 

 else to acknowledge the separation, and to let 

 them go in peace ; but until those relations are 

 settled satisfactorily, until we know whether the 

 arm of this Government is to be raised against 

 them, by no vote of mine shall there be any 

 additions either to the naval or military service 

 of the country." 



Mr. Fessenden, of Maine, replied : " The 

 honorable Senator says this will not do ; do one 

 thing or another ; declare war against them, if 

 you please, or else declare that they are no long- 

 er a part of the United States. Sir, I do not 

 choose to<io either in the present state of affairs. 

 I propose simply to do that which is necessary 

 for our own protection and our own advantage. 

 I repeat, I am acting, as yet. as a Senator of 

 the United State?. I am legislating for the 

 United States, and not for South Carolina, or 

 for any seceded State : and as long as I sit here, 

 as I said before, I take it that is my duty. 

 "What, then, does the United States want to do t 

 It wishes to collect its own revenue, and it 

 wishes for force enough, if force is necessary. 

 to accomplish that purpose. I am not at all 

 frightened by the term ' force,' and this talk 

 about the coercion of a State. The time may 

 come when it will be necessary for us, to use 

 the language of the honorable Senator, to speak 

 plainly. I am ready to speak plainly now upon 

 that subject and I say most distinctly, if the 

 time ever does come, in my judgment I speak 

 for one when it will be necessary to use force 

 in order to execute the laws of the United 

 States under the Constitution anywhere and 

 everywhere within what is properly the United 

 States, I am perfectly ready to do it." 



Mr. King, of New York, followed and said : 

 " Mr. President, this Government cannot be 

 peaceably destroyed, or overthrown, or divided. 

 Before that should be done, the sovereigns 

 themselves would come here, if their represent- 

 atives could prove recreant in their defence of 

 it. It is well that it should be understood that 

 the people of this country will never give their 

 consent to a peaceable destruction and dissolu- 

 tion of it. Sir, I do not believe it can be de- 

 stroyed. I would use forbearance, patience ; I 

 would extend every degree of kindness, and 

 make every effort for conciliation with these 

 people ; but to admit their right to divide the 

 country, to take a State out of the Union, or to 

 destroy it ; and, last of all, that they should 

 peaceably have the right to break it up, I 

 should never agree to. 



"I do not know what these gentlemen con- 

 sider peace. They have armed themselves by 

 means which are well known to the whole 

 country. They have illegally taken the arms 

 belonging to this Government from our arse- 

 nals. Cabinet officers and members of the Sen- 

 ate have been in complicity in this treason. A 

 foul and infamous plot, I have no doubt, has 

 existed to destroy this Government. Provi- 

 dence, rather than the skill or attention of the 

 people, has arrested it. 



"I tell these gentlemen, in my judgment, 

 this treason must come to an end peacefully, 

 I hope ; but never, in my judgment, peace- 

 fully by the ignominious submission of the 

 people of this country to traitors never. I 

 desire peace, but I would amply provide means 

 for the defence of the country by war. if ne- 

 cessary." 



Mr. Green, of Missouri, answered : " To what 

 purposes are these steamers to be applied I 

 Why is it at this time, when our resources are 

 less than they have been for many years, when 

 our credit is lower than it has been for a long 

 number of years, why is it now deemed neces- 

 sary to borrow $1,200,000 to build seven new 

 steamers? This question would have been per- 

 tinent ; it is now pertinent ; it will remain per- 

 tinent ; but the purpose was disclosed in the 

 speech of the honorable Senator from New 

 York. I do not mean the thin, keen-visaged. 

 eagle-eyed Senator, but I mean the bellicose 

 Senator, (laughter,) whose voice is still for 

 war, whose object is to involve us in serious, 

 deadly conflict ; and he says he wants them to 

 coerce sovereign States." 



The other propositions which had been 

 introduced to the Senate, having in view a 

 settlement of difficulties, may be as well no- 

 ticed here. The debates occasioned by them 

 were generally different aspects of one great 

 subject, and strictly form a part of the pre- 

 ceding discussions. Other measures, such as 

 the admission of Kansas, and the organization 

 of governments for the other territories, are 

 entitled to be placed in this class, as the dis- 

 cussions upon them embraced many views re- 

 lating to the crisis in public affairs. 



Three amendments to the Constitution were 

 presented by Mr. Johnson, of Tennessee. One 

 proposed to change the mode of election of 

 President and Yice-President of the United 

 States from the electoral college to a vote sub- 

 stantially and directly by the people. The 

 second proposed that the Senators of the Unit- 

 ed States shall be elected by the people, once 

 in six years, instead of by the Legislatures of 

 the respective States. The third provided that 

 the Supreme Court shall be divided into three 

 classes : the term of the first class is to expire 

 in four years from the time that the classifica- 

 tion is made ; of the second class in eight 

 years ; and of the third class in twelve years ; 

 and as these vacancies occur they are to be filled 

 by persons chosen one-half from the slave 

 States, and the other half from the non-slave- 



