Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1848-07-26
For the Portage Sentinel.
The Cincinnati Signal 4 the Presidency

olSnal, on winch are paraQeQ Conspicuous
y in large capitals, Gree Soil Free Labor
Free Speech!" aFor President, MARTA an
Buren, Martin Van Buren and Freedom"
and conspicuously addressed in separate
to "Catizens Of Ohiog' "Dens-
ocrats Of Hamilton County!" democrats
Of Ohio!' and to @Independent men of all
parties" calling on all to rally to the sup
port of Martin Van Buren, for President of
the United States, in preference to any and
all others. And from the display in the ex-
ira, hand bill, or circular they send, and as
they say, "This circular will be forwarded
to every township in the several States" and
several are received in this town and con-
spiculously posted up, it is presumed that
great efforts are to be made to circulate the
paper and to obtain the confirmation of the
nomination and election of Mr. Van Buren,
expecting to induce even democrats as well !
as wings, to desert their regular nominees
and go for Van. The writer of this article
has received their Circular, with a request |
to act as agent. He will therefore offer
some remarks for the perusal of Mr.. Taylor
of the Signal, and for the public, and will
endeavor to treat the subject with all the
CanQOr IL OBSERVES.
AS the emphatic terms sFree Soil! Free
Labor! and Free Speechp' are no where ex-
planned we must presume something is meant
different from what has been heretofore,
when the soil Of the country has been seized
and monopolized by the existing Cavern
ment and sold to those only who have mon
ey to pay to other monopolists principally.
That by free labor is meant the labor of
freemen, as contra distinguished from Col
ored Slaves. That by Free Speech is meant
Il know not what, different from what we
now enjoy and practice. 1t is probably
mere catch-words.
The circular says: @The great question
of free soil for free labor must now be de-
cided. Our only safety our
only assurance that the will of the people
will be respected and carried out, is in the
election of Martin Van Buren," The
Editor supposes that Gen. Taylor is identi-
fed with the Slavery policy of Calhoun,
and says that @Gen. Cass is equally ..obnox-
ious to the Free Democracy" and cites his
Nicholson letter as proof.
Now Mr.. Signal, let us examine this part
of the subject a little. Mr.. Calhoun, as
you say, holds, that 'SThe Constitution Sc
cures to the South the right to hold Slaves
in. all the territories of the Union"
Gen. Cass's Nicholson letter, the resolu-'
ton of the Baltimore Convention, and
Cass's letter of acceptance, deny to Con-
! gress the right to interfere in the domestic
institutions of the States or Territories of the
Union; either to authorize the establishment
of Slavery in the territories, or to prohibitit
That to the people of the territory only, be-
longs the right to establish their own mu.
nicipal regulations.
This 1 should say is natural right-the
right of the people of each separate State
or Territory, to make laws for their OWL
government. If some of these laws are un
Just, experience must correct them; and the
people only, have right to change their
own government, to alter their laws. This
is the ground that Judge Mclean takes in
his communication to the National Intelli-
gencer., He takes the'same ground as Cass
and the Democratic Cow ention.
Van Buren's ground is, "No interference
with Slavery in the State where it exists
and he claims that Congress has the right
to prohibit the extension of Slavery into
territories now free. And he avows his op-
position to the abolition of Slavery in the dis
trict of Columbia without the consent of the
Slaveholding States.
Now, Mr.. Signal, where is the practical
difference in favor of Mr.. Van Buren's
ground? Which is most Democratic?-
Which the most safe for the Union? Dc
you fear, does any person in his senses
fear, that now, in the middle of the nine
teenth century, in this enlightened age and
country, that the people Of free territories
of this Republic, will pass laws to establish
to re-estabish Slavery? Is there not equal
danger that New York or Pennsylvania, OF
even old Massachusetts, will re-establish
slavery? In some parts of the new terri
tories Slavery has heretofore existed land has
been abolished many years-and the color
ed population are now voters. Will they
vote to re-establish Slavery? I trust far
from it. I believe all who have been in
Mexico, and have written or spoken on the
subject, agree, that Slavery cannot be made
profitable in any part of that country
That the Almighty has put Wilmot Pro
viso on it that cannot be repealed. Now it
appears to me, that much of this talk about
the danger of extending Slavery is but mere
demagoguism. Slavery can be extended
no further, but is destined to be soon abol-
ished in some of the States where it now
exists. Not however, by the influence of
the -Aboitionists, but because of the
evils it engenders in the States where it ex-
lists. -,
You say 'sthe Cass faction is doomed,
and appear to expect that Democrats will
generally desert Cass and go for Van Bu-
rem. Such are not the present indications
of public sentiment in this region, nor be-
lieve in any of the States adjoining. 1t is
in this region, only those who have been the
most Jealous opposers Of Van Buren form
erly, that are now attempting to get him
out before us. In New York it may be
different. But Mr.. V. B. has declined as
well as he could, in his letter to the Utica
convention. And in former letter to the
Indiana Democratic State Convention
which is copied in another column OF thus
paper, he in strong TERMS denies the use OF
his name to divide the democracy.
The Democracy of all the States,as far as
we can learn, except New York and South
Carolina, are united for Cass & Butler; and
we have still strong hopes of those States,
for our opponents are as much divided as