The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1851-07-17
INDIANA POLITICS.


To IN Ei-o5 sHihs Ne;so=sI Era.
The canvass for Congress in the seventh dis
trict, Indiana, has opened between f. w. Nc
Gaughey, Wing, and John G.. Davis, Democrat
The so-cailed Compromise Of 1850 in general, and
the Fugitive Slave Law 10 particular, come in for
large portion Of the discussions. And although
between the candidates the friend Of Liberty has
no choice, it would make the most inveterate stole
laugh, and, were il not too serious a matter, il
would make the heart Of the graVest Liberty man
merry, to hear them oppose and endeavor TO cir
cumvent each other on this subject Mr.. Me
Gaughey, being fully committed, has no honest
way Of escape and is obliged TO resort TO all kinds
Of twisting and turning-irst defending the Slave
Law on the ground Of its being part and parcel Of
q series Of measures adopted to save the Union, a
boon granted to shareholders in return for their
oOnsenting that the District Of Columbia shall not
hereafter be made the great mart Of slave-trading
for the Union, and then, as if suspecting the
weakness Of his position, he tacks about, and
stealing the wise and patriotic Daniels thunder
or, in other words, pulling on the Great Expound.
er's boots aud spurs, he rides forth, crying out
Justify, that the Fugitive Law Of 1850 is more IA
vorable to liberty and justice than that Of freq
forgetting that the latter position completely an
initiates or is incompatible with the former For
II the law Of $50 be more favorable than that Of
thing granted by Freedom to Slavery, for value
received, it is boon granted by Slavery to Free
dom-a boon which the friends Of Liberty never
asked, and are very unwilling to accept He is
apparently unconscious too that in this latter Do.
siuon he is exposed to the destructive fire Of a
masked battery, under which be must either
| yield at discretion, run away, as the English
did from Toulon, when the Little Corsican first
opened upon them the battery on MalbOsquet. u
is unfortunate for McGaughey that the law OF
| 1898 and that Of 1850 are before us in plain EGG
lish, and we can compare and Judge for ourselves
IL is also unfortunate for him that the facts ar,
known. We know the new law was got up, urged
and its passage demanded, by Shareholders as q
| more stringent law. As such, il WAS made thu
great question on the decision Of which the UnioI
must stand or fall. Can any sane man believ
that the great struggle in Congress, which con
sumed so much time, produced 50 much heart
burning, and heightened out the session 30 undu
ly, was begun aud carried on by Shareholders fol-
obtaining milder law than the one then il
fOrce-or that these keen, eagle-eyed, and blood
seeming slave-catchers deceived themselves anC
actually produced mlder law when they intend
! ed a more rigorous once The man who professe
to believe it is either fool or a knave, and il
either case unfit to represent enlightened Chris
| tian freemen
John G.. Davis, the opposing candidate, is a maj
who has risen from obsourity, and is noted only
as the clerk Of Parke Circuit Court, in which sta
tion he has amassed considerable wealth, and feel
! uttl> rOrsn-pEoud. In stump oratorY he is n
umatch for his competitor but in 6nshnAac6mg n
is perhaps his superior To checkmate Nc
Gsughey on the slave law, be processes to occnpl
the grounu nrst brougnt lOrwaru as a SohipsV1,is
! by Clay In this way he hopes to conciliate som
disaffected Wings who cannot support Nc
! Gaughey and his Slave Laws and certainly VI
must give him credit for his adroitness since il Il
only by the votes Of such Wings he can hope 4
succeed II anything could justify Free-Soileri
| in voting for Davis, il would be the purpose Of
administering a rebuke to MeGaughey and his
party. How the campaign will end we cannot
tell but one thing is certain--if McGaughey be
elected even in this strong Wing district, it will
not be for any love Liberty Wings bear to him
but because Of their attachment TO the party, and
the belief that they can do no better. And should
Davis succeed, il will not be because Of any Low,
they bear TO him or his principles but becaus,
they hold in adherence the course pursued by
his opponent.
1t is obvious, then, that the friends Of Freedom
in this district cannot consistently or heartily
support either of these candidates; and as it doe
not appear there will be any other brought for
ward, we have no alternative but to lose our vote
or cast them for an adversary Friends, what il
duty RAMBLER
Our correspondent, in private note, asks Oul
opinion Of the duty Of the friends of Freedom il
this district. Our advice would be, il they can
not confde in either Of the candidates alread.
nominated, to nominate a man whom they cal
trust Even If unsuccessful, the mere effort u
send to Congress man of correct principles ant
views will not be without it's uses.