Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1848-12-27
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Wed acsday, 2s, ISIS,
Admitting 81 Dactriae.

Admitting Ctriae.
t Ii will be rememd ahsi the late Pres
idential contest, the aocratic party viii
fsiie gallant standard-be Sers tookihe groaine
,ha. Congress was ppthoriized. by liz
Constitution to legissl ttEse subject q
slavery in the tsr2 ye css,nilena
tssa and ws zikffnK dshonslFa:isd tffal m
triumph Of that doctrine must inevitabl,
preserve the territories free from the curse
of human slavery. We were met .upor
that issue. and upon that issue alone, botf
in the North and in the South, and upon i
we were defeated. Every doubtful South
ern State went against US, and in all thu
rest our usu4l vote was greatly diminished
while at the North we were overcome with
factional division in our own ranks, ant
the, democratic party was defeated and the
: doctrine which it had asserted condemned
The result is the instruction of the Ameri
can people to their representatives in Con
gress, and there is but one course for then
TO pursue, and thai. is to represent the feel
ings and wishes Of their constituents upor
the bare question of slavery; and on thai
question there can be but one voice among
the ,,fr eemen of the North. RI 81: .., ..s4e.
The position taken by Gen. Cass was
violently attacked and most bitterly de-
nounced by the pretended friends Of free.
dom at the North, and by none more SC
than by those who advocated the election
of Gen. Taylor. They contended, and in
thousands of instances made people believe
that the doctri inc contended for by General
Cass was dangerous to the cause Of free
dom, while such dasnterested patriots as
Corwin, Delano, Ewing, Granger, and q
host of other stars of a like magnitude, TO-
gether with an innumerable train of satel-
lites who followed in their wake, traversed
the Northern States, and upon the stump,
assured the people that General Taylors
were the only safe hands to which the great
question could be entrusted, and that with
him the Wilmot Prosiso was safe. With
such deceptive assurances they triumphed,
and ere their President elect has assumed
the robes of office, the people are begin
ming to see how basely they have been de-
ceived, and many of the northern whig Dc.
pers are beginning to show their true COL
ors. Some are going in for compromise,
while others are striving to obtain foot
hold upon the platform of Gen. Cass, and,
at this late day, when the storm of public
condemnation is just upon them, acIsnowl-
edge that TO be the safe ground; but it won't
do; they have spoken too late. As an III
stance OF the latter class, take tine following
from the Buffalo Express: s...s.
The free soilers are perpetually haunt
ed by a phantom which they seem 10 re-
gard as the genius Of freedom, but which in
reality is nothing but their own selfish de-
sire for power and place. The prompt
ings of this p ssion stimulates them to gra
tuitous assaults upon men whose regard for
human freedom has been attesed by years
Of steady devotion to the canse and who
are now earnest ard determined in resist
ing the further encroachments OF the slave
power. But while standing in this attitude,
aoe are not prepared to put at hazard the
tranquility Of the country, merely to as
sert and uindicate an abstract proposition.
We look to the securing Of freedom in the
new territories, and care little for the mode
in which it is accomplished. Take the ter
ritory of California, for example. The peo-
pile are said to be anconapronusing an their
opposition to slarery. This being the case
the whole. power OF the general govern
ment is inadequate 10 its permanent estab.
lishment there. Suppose, for u moment,
what is impossible, that Congress should
legalize involuntary servitude in Calfor-
MIA. Public sentiment being against it, the
moment the people came TO act independ-
emily Of the home government in the man.
agement oftheir domestic concerns, it wou,l
be abolished. But there is no danger OF
slavery eve1 existing an, that territory. Py
the laa0 Of nature all men are free; sza.
rery can only erist By special enactment.
and Congress will never pass law extend.
ing slavery to California. In England there
is no enactm ent prohibiting slavery, nei
there in Canada. Yet slavery cannot es
ist there or an any other country, unles.
by special Ian. The ground we take IA
this matter as occupied ty every great ia
rtst IN the civiliSed aoorid, and cannot b
} co,atrouerted. Those who believe slavery
E. can be extended over free territory, with
out special enactment, must, we suppose
; believe that slavery is the natural condi
. ton of the human race, because, all ou
natural rights we enjoy in full, unless a
bridged by law.
It must be admitted that there is nuc
> of the rational in oil that, and it will
Q quite familiar to Democratic ears, but it
very different doctrine from that advt
= Gated by the wings before the election.
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