The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1848-09-15
The Darnburncr Meeting.


In common with a number Of our citizens
of both the democratic and wing faith, we
took the privilege of attending the barnbur-
ner meeting at the court house on Tuesday
evening as spectator.
The attendance was undoubtedly respcc'
table as to numbers, but il will not be di>pu'
ted that, if not more than half, at least
very large proportion Of these present were
not barnburnerS.
The meeting had gone through the cere-
mony Of organizing when we entered, aid
about the first word we heard was "Free
Trader" So we pyickcd up our ears, and
soon found we were catching it right anA
left from our friend Esq. Cotton, to whom
had been assigned the duty Of explaining
the object Of the meeting. lie said the OBJ
iect was to form club Of the free soil men,
so that they could meet together frequently,
interchange views, and disseminate their
doctrines; and that this was the more nee
essary as the Conslitutionalist and Free
Trader, the only papers in the place, were
against them, and refused to publish any.
thing in favor Of their party, 1--WE have
never refused when asked, and having
thus mentioned the Free Trader, and fer
getting the Cons;tutionalst, probably as
too insignificant, and by way of compliment
to u.s. he went on 10 show up our misrep.
reservations and inconsistencies OF which
presently.
After Mr.. Cotton, Z. s. Leland, ESD
took the floor, and we must confess that he
made very able speech. 1t had been
well conned, and was well delivered. We
never heard better argument, not even
from St. Clair or Codding, in favor Of the
tenets of the new party, and it was suili
ciently spced with wit, 10 relieve the dull
ness Of mere augmentation. We were Ia.
ken by surprise, for we never thought MI.
l.. could make so good speech.
We must refer orr readers to the proceed
ings in another column for further paricu
lars, while we take a little more notice Of
the speech of Mr.. Cotton, which, as it was
almost exclusively devoted to US, deserves
this at our hands.
To prove that we miSrepreSenied the
principles and character Of the barnburnerS,
Mr.. Cotton read, first, our article in refer
ence to the Buffalo convention, in which
we called that large body Of pure, and con.
sistent, and patriotic politicians Stunning
together Of barnburners, aboltionists, Fou.
rierists, and disaiIeced and broken down
hacks of all parties" Well, whether this
is true or not, our readers must judge. /,
is matter which every body has right to
discuss.-And, secondly, Mr.. c. read from
our last paper, where we stated one article
of the barnburner creed to be, "That New
Mexico and California are now open to the
admission of slavery" This, he said, is
not true. We know the barnburners do not
admit it, but we showed last week, and we
will show again before we are through, that
such must DC their belief, or their doctrine
is without the slightest foundation.
And TO prove our Inconsistency, Mr.. c.
first read an article in which we urged the
people Of the north TO discuss boldly, and
TO adopt the free soil doctrine, and to
elect no man TO the legislature, or con.
gress, or the L. s. Senate, that was not 4
free soil man. next he read an article in
which we argued that there was no neceS-
sity for legislation by congress to keep
slavery out of New Mexico and California
and then he read another article in which
we rejoiccd at the passage Of the Oregon
bill with the Wilmot provision 1t; aud these
three articles he contended were all at va
rance with each other.
We deny the assertion. We will under
take to prove that they harmonze perfect.
ly and II we do not succeed, we will &C.
Knowledge ourselves as ignorant Of what
we are writing about as we contend Mr.
Cotton was of what he was talking abou,
when he made the assertion.
This is our ground:
/. Congress has the power and It is thei'
duty to exercise it whenever occasion oil!
iers, to exclude slavery from the terrific
ries.
= Oregon being without laws, and hav,
ing begged Of congress for years to organ
ize government there, /, was the duty o
congress in organizing such government, ,c
exclude slavery from the territory.
3. Bat California and New Mexico arc
free by their own laws, and for the purpos,
of excluding slavery from those territories
legislation by congress is supererogator.
aud unnecessary.
The first two positions are undispuicd
and If we show that the third is correct, W,
establish our consistency.
is il necessary, in order to show tt,t III,