RISE AND FALL OF THE SLAVE POWER
Slavery made a National Interest. — Equilibrium in the United States Senate. — Iowa and Florida united in the same bill. - Mr. Pettit's motion. - Remarks by Mr. Levy, Belser, and Hunt. - Mr. Morse's motion. - Remarks by Mr. Bayly. Mr. King's motion. - Mr. Evans's amendment on Imprisonment of Colored Seamen. - Remarks by Walker, Archer, Berrien, and Choate. Amendment lost.
In the acquisition of Texas the Slave Power had compelled the nation to adopt and proclaim the principle that slavery had become a national interest, to be cherished by national legislation, cared for by national diplomacy, and defended by national arms. Having dragooned the government into the adoption of the principles and policy involved in the act of annexation, it became, from that time onward, more pronounced and aggressive. The slave-masters used the advantage, thus gained, in defiance of the laws of God, regardless of the rights of man, reckless of consequences, and seemingly indifferent to the requirements, or even the reputation, of consistency. Everything was made to yield to the exigencies of the system. Instead of the principle of the old Roman patriotic adjuration, that the Republic should receive nothing of detriment, putting slavery in the nation's stead, they made everything bend to that.
They had long pretended that the equilibrium between the free and slave States must be preserved at all hazards, and twice had they resorted to the violent device of arbitrarily linking two measures that had nothing in common for that