, 1854-09-02
For the Pioneer and Democrat
Position of Sam'I. James, Esq,
on the Free Soil Doctrine.

The following letter from Mr.. SAMUEL
JAMES, one of the Free Soil nominees for
representative of Thurston County, was re-
ceiVed last week too late for insertion.--
For comments thereon see inside. r. d
Ma Wiley: 90 'aaa .ff-f 1fi p
Sir:---At our late convention for franz
ing Free Soil ticket, you honored US with
your company, and claimed the privilege Of
a free discussion, which was frankly and
unanimously accorded; and, IN return, ]
would beg Of you the same courtesy briefly
to be extended to myself through the mkdi-
um of your and our, only public Journal
Named a candidate for representing public
opinion and action, it is highly desirable to
me to be able to inform the public before
hand of my own opinions, chiefly with res
pect to my position as afree soil candidate.
The great principle of natural law ap-
plicable to man in Q state Of society, ap-
pears to me to. be, clearly divisible, in,the
first instahca into two grand fundamental
heads or divisions: Firstly, Requiring one
man tb do 10 iajWryto GhoEley;d Secondly,
Repairing every nun, to ths1 utmost 5f his
posoer, 70. prsrent tie commission of injNyy
BY one man, tOtoards another, dgd 10 Tsader
all practicable assisting to erery one in cir
ctmstaacs Of legitimate dtstfess. Each Of
these two grand primary divisions or axi-
oms may be clearly subdiYided into lst-.l
Laws regarding a za1fs person; 2dr-Hs
property; 3d-HIs character. Under these
three grand Subdivisions all civil laws ore
rightly and clearly e0mprehended,H For
instance, with respect to mans person,
every effence will be embraced, from the
least degree of detention, assault and
manning, to the greatest degree of impris-
onhient,s Violence, and murder; and q. scale
Of offences, with the appropriate and Justly
proporti6ned punishmehts, should be clearly
set forth to view, for the certain infotma-
ton of the public and guidance Of the ju-
dietary. Without further enlargement, let
us see how the foregoing will apply to the
subject of slavery, and to the state Of paB-
lic sentiment thereon at the present time 2
Every man deprived of his personal liber-
| ty, Except by way Of just punishment, }
and, in addition thereto, made the entire
slave Of another, suffers one Of the great
est, most complicated aud entire wrongs,
that it is possible for human being TO en-
dure. He has nothing left to him of oil
the inalienable rights with which his
Creator endowed him. His body serves no
other purpose than what his tyranical mas
ter wills; property he is robbed Of the pow
er of acquiring and holding for himself,
and character he cannot be said to have any
to be defended. Reduced, as nearly as il
is possible to reduce human being to the
state of the brute creation, he is regarded
as creature shut out from oil the benefits
and enjoyments of common law aud com
mon society; until at length his unfeelipe
tyrants would try to persuade themselves
ndothers that he is no longer human, bui
is indeed the very brute that they have &c
nearly reduced him to, And how does th,
public sentiment in the free states Of ouI
country regard this most enormous evil
and most outrageous violation Of all tn,
rights of man? Unhappily, il has too lonI
beheld it, for, as the celebrated poet Pop,
says,