Boon's Lick times. [volume] (Fayette, Mo.) 1840-1848, 1840-07-04
RY CYRIL e.. CADY.

1 holding State. Gen. Harrison voted for her ad
mission as slave State, with five other member,
| from free States, not one Of whom was from Ohio
thus prelerring the discharge Of his duty to his
country and his conscience, to the enjoyment oil
unmerited popular applause-for that applause is
always ummerited which is bestowed for viola.
ton of the Injunction Of the solemn obligation to
support the constitution Of our country-and, en-
tertaining these views, he could not, and did not,
| hesitate for a moment, between a sense Of duty
and selfish devotion to undeserved popularity.
| The consequence to him was, that the popular
current at the next election in his district over d.
whelmed him for time, and he was defeated.
But it was defeat full Of honor and glory; de-
feat the result of his noble self sacrifice to the
rights Of Missouri, and the perpe'uity Of our Union
under the Federal Constitution; defeat which he
knew awaited him when he took his stand for her
admission on the ramparts Of the Constitution but
one which duty and patriotism called upon him
to sustain.
Again, in 1922, he was a candidate for Con.
gress in Ohio, and he was assaled with his votes
in favor of Missouri, and in reference to the Ter.
ritory OF Arkansas. In vndcation of his views
and opinions on that subject, and the question of
slavery generally, he published the following
Address to his former constituents.
"Being called suddenly home to attend my sick
family, have but moment to answer q few of
the caumnies which are in circulation concerning
me.
II am accused OF being friendly to slavery. From
my earliest youth to the present moment, l have
been the ardent friend Of human Libertg At the
age of eighteen, became member Of an Addition
Society established at Richmond, Virginia the OBJ
ect Ct which was to ameliorate the condition of
slaves and procure their freedom By erery lega' means
My venerable friend, Judge Catch Of Clermont
county, was also member of this society, and mas
lately given me a certificate that | was one. The
obligations whtch Then came under hare tdithfNEy
performed | have been the means of liberatinr
many slaves, but nerer placed one an bondage. |
deny that my votes in Congress in relation to Mis-
souri, and Arkansas, are in the least incompatible
with these principles, Congress had more legal
or constitutional right to emancipate the negroes in
those sections of Louisiana without the consent of
their owners, than they have to free those of Ken
lucky. These people secured in their prop
erty by a solemn covenant with France when the
country was purchased from that power. To pro-
hbit the emigration of citizens of the Southern
States to the part of the country, the situation and
climate of winch was peculiarly suited to them.
would have been highly unjust as it had been pur
chased out Of the common fund. Particularly, too,
when it is recolected that all the immense territory
to the northwest of the Ohio, had been coded by
Virginia, and with unexampled liberality, she
had herself proposed, by excluding slavery from it.,
to secure it for the emigration OF those States
which had no slaves. Was it proper, then, when
her reserved territory in great filled
up, to exclude her citizens from every part of the
territory purchased out Of the common fund I! /
oaS the first person 10 introduce into Congress the
proposition that all the country above the Missouri
(Which having no inhabitants free from the OBJ
lection made to Missouri and Arkansas) should
nerer hare Slarery admitted into IT, | repeat what
m va bpfn hat ne mi uroS nnly Of
ected by mutual concession, so only can it be pre-
served.
My vote against the restriction of Missouri in
forming her constitution was not conclusive ono :;
there would have been time enough Ind continued
to be n member, before the question decided,
for my constituents to have instructed me-, and
should have rejoiced in an opportunity OF sacrlc-
ing my seat to my principles, if they had instructed
me in opposition to my construction of tie cousti-
tuition. Like many others from the nOn-Savehcid-
ing States, of whom mention Shaw, Holmes, Ma
son of Massachusetts, Lanman Of Connecticut, and
Baldwin Of Pennsylvania, ! could sec nothing in
the constitution which had sworn to support, to
warrant such an interference with the rights of the
States and which had never before been attempted.
And where is the crime in one set of men not being
able to interpret the constitution as other men in
terpre it As we had oil to support it, the
crime would have been in giving it construction
which our conscences would not sanction. And
et me ask, lur Wntt SOOu Is lNlS question again
brought up 1t has been settled, as all our family
differences have been settled, the firm basis of
mutual compromise. And patriotism, well as
prudence, devoted the effects of that awful discus
sion 10 eternal oblivion. Is it not known, that
from that cause the great fabric of our Union
shaken to its foundation Is it not known that
Missouri would not have subm tied to the restric-
ton, and that the other save-hodng States had de-
termned to support her But for this compromise,
the probability is, that at this moment we might
look upon the opposite shore of Ohio, not for an
affectonate sister State, but on armed and impa
cable rival. What patriotic man would not join the
gallant Eaton in execrating the head and the hand
that could devise and execute scheme productive
Of a calamity SO awful
upon the whole, fellow-citizens, our path is a
plain one; it is that marked out well by human
ity as duty. We cannot emancpate the slaves of
the other States with out their consent, but by pro-
ducing CONFUSION which would undo US all. For
this much to be desired event, we must wait the
slow but certain progress of those good principles
which are every where gaining ground, and which
assuredly will ultimately prevail
With lack of candor and fairness characters.
tic of the address of the Democratic Central
Committee, they attempt to prove Gen Harrison
an Aboltionst by extracting the Fl st few lines
Of this Address, and fixing his name to it thus:
"FELLow CITIZENS; Being called suddenly home
to attend my sick family have but moment to
answer few calumnies which are in circulation
concerning me.
am accused of being friendly to slavery. From
my earliest youth to the present moment, have
been the ardent friend Of Human Liberty. AT the
age of eighteen, became member OF an Abolition
Society established at Richmond; the object OF
which was to ameorate the condition OF slaves,
and procure their freedom by every legal means.
| Ind nf