“As respects the District, Mr. Timms, here is my faith. It is a territory provided for in the Constitution for a national purpose, and must be regarded as strictly national property, held exclusively for objects that call all classes of citizens within its borders. Now, two great principles, in my view, should control all legislation for this little community. As I have said already, it would be tyranny to make the notions and policy of New York or Vermont bear on the legislation of the District; but, every member is bound to act strictly as a representative of the people of the spot for whom the law is intended. If I were in Congress, I would at any time, on a respectable application, vote to refer the question of abolition to the people of the District; if they said ay, I would say ay; if no, no. Beyond this I would never go; nor do I think the man who wishes to push matters beyond this, sufficiently respects the general principles of representative government, or knows how to respect the spirit of the national compact. On the supposition that the District ask relief from the institution of slavery, great care should be observed in granting the necessary legislation. Although the man in South Carolina has no more right to insist that the District should maintain the ‘peculiar institution,’ because his particular State maintains it, than the Vermontese to insist on carrying his Green Mountain notions into the District laws; yet has the Carolinian rights in this territory that must ever he respected, let the general policy adopted be what it may. Every American has an implied right to visit the District on terms of equality. Now, there would be no equality if a law were passed excluding the domestics from any portion of the country. In the slave States, slaves exclusively perform the functions of domestics; and sweeping abolition might very easily introduce regulations that would be unjust towards the slave-holders. As respects the northern man, the existence of slavery in or out of the District is purely a speculative question; but it is not so with the southern. This should never be forgotten; and I always feel disgust when I hear a northern man swagger and make a parade of his morality on this subject.” “But the southern men swagger and make a parade of their chivalry, ’Squire, on the other hand!” “Quite true; but, with them, there is a strong provocation. It is a matter of life and death to the south; and the comity of which I spoke requires great moderation on our part. As for the threats of dissolution, of which we have had so many, like the cry of ‘wolf,’ they have worn themselves out, and are treated with indifference.” “The threat is still used, Mr. Dunscomb!”