Sir, this is not so much a plea against this law as it is in favor of blotting our territory with slavery. They say that slavery does not exist here, and that this measure is useless. This excuse will not now hold good, for a president's message has just reached us, in which it is declared, and in this opinion he is backed by a powerful party, that men have the right to bring slaves here, and to hold them as such, and that this is slave territory ...
Sir, this is not so much a defense of this law as it is in support of allowing our territory to be infested with slavery. They claim that slavery does not exist here, and that this measure is futile. This justification will no longer be valid, as a president's message has recently arrived, stating that individuals have the right to bring slaves into this territory and hold them as property, and that this is indeed a slave territory.