to the South. I deny it. I say that my state is the natural
ally of Kentucky, a more powerful ally than she ever had South.

Parties are governed by certain natural laws. A party which adopts a
principle at war with the sentiments of the people may succeed for a
time by the force of party drill, but in the end it will go down. The
CALHOUN doctrine destroyed a party. Under the operation of the same
law the Democratic party has gone down. But you cannot destroy a party
before its time. The effort of Virginia now is to overthrow the
Republican party. The effort will not succeed. It is equivalent to an
attempt to overthrow the country.

I am not frightened at this idea of giving guarantees. I do not think
them of much importance. I am willing to give such as are reasonable.
We hold to a certain extent to your doctrine of State sovereignty, and
would protect it.

Our people North and South are too much alike in many respects. We are
all inclined to stand too much upon party abstractions. This is almost
the only reason why we cannot agree.

We are told that some things stated here grate harshly upon the ears
of gentlemen from the South. The converse of this is equally true. I
can take a rebuke, I trust, in a good temper, but I do not like to be
stabbed in the house of my friends. I do not like to have doctrines
and opinions imputed to me and my party which are only entertained by
a little knot of fanatical abolitionists in the neighborhood of
Boston; a few men who will not vote under the present Constitution,
and who are led and controlled by LLOYD GARRISON and WENDELL PHILLIPS.

Mr. HOUSTON:--I am strongly averse to the introduction of the subject
of party into the deliberations of the Conference. I did not intend to
allude to party at all; but since the subject has been referred to in
such impassioned terms, I feel that I must say a word about it.

Many references have been made in this debate to the opinions of
WASHINGTON. I wish his opinions were better observed and respected. I
refer to his appeal to his countrymen not to form parties with
reference to geographical lines, and asking them to frown indignantly
upon every attempt to form such parties.

What WASHINGTON foresaw, at length has come to pass. Parties have been
formed, and are now in existence, divided by geographical lines,
having no interests or opinions in common. But no such parties can
long exist without threatening the stability of the Government.