applause, hisses, hooting, and cries of “Bravo!"]—­a slave territory exclusively,—­[cries of “No, no!” and laughter]—­and the North a free territory,—­what will be the final result?  You will lay the foundation for carrying the slave population clear through to the Pacific Ocean.  This is the first step.  There is not a man that has been a leader of the South any time within these twenty years, that has not had this for a plan.  It was for this that Texas was invaded, first by colonists, next by marauders, until it was wrested from Mexico.  It was for this that they engaged in the Mexican War itself, by which the vast territory reaching to the Pacific was added to the Union.  Never for a moment have they given up the plan of spreading the American institutions, as they call them, straight through toward the West, until the slave, who has washed his feet in the Atlantic, shall be carried to wash them in the Pacific. [Cries of “Question,” and up-roar.] There!  I have got that statement out, and you cannot put it back. [Laughter and applause.] Now, let us consider the prospect.  If the South becomes a slave empire, what relation will it have to you as a customer? [A voice:  “Or any other man.”  Laughter.] It would be an empire of 12,000,000 of people.  Now, of these, 8,000,000 are white, and 4,000,000 black. [A voice:  “How many have you got?” Applause and laughter.  Another voice:  “Free your own slaves.”] Consider that one third of the whole are the miserably poor, unbuying blacks. [Cries of “No, no!” “Yes, yes!” and interruption.] You do not manufacture much for them. [Hisses, “Oh!” “No.”] You have not got machinery coarse enough. [Laughter, and “No.”] Your labor is too skilled by far to manufacture bagging and linsey-woolsey. [A Southerner:  “We are going to free them, every one.”] Then you and I agree exactly. [Laughter.] One other third consists of a poor, unskilled, degraded white population; and the remaining one third, which is a large allowance, we will say, intelligent and rich.

Now here are twelve million of people, and only one third of them are customers that can afford to buy the kind of goods that you bring to market. [Interruption and uproar.] My friends, I saw a man once, who was a little late at a railway station, chase an express train.  He did not catch it. [Laughter.] If you are going to stop this meeting, you have got to stop it before I speak; for after I have got the things out, you may chase as long as you please—­you would not catch them. [Laughter and interruption.] But there is luck in leisure; I ’m going to take it easy. [Laughter.] Two thirds of the population of the Southern States to-day are non-purchasers of English goods. [A voice:  “No, they are not”; “No, no!” and uproar.] Now you must recollect another fact—­namely, that this is going on clear through to the Pacific Ocean; and if by sympathy or help you establish a slave empire, you sagacious Britons—­["Oh, oh!” and hooting]—­if you like it better, then, I will leave the adjective out—­[laughter, Hear! and applause]—­are busy in favoring the establishment of an empire from ocean to ocean that should have fewest customers and the largest non-buying population. [Applause, “No, no!” A voice:  “I thought it was the happy people that populated fastest.”] `