The daily union., 1854-02-22
senator Douglas in reply TO sr-eo,ernor Coles
WAsmkeroN, Feb. Is, 1851.


responsibility OF aFfaignng me, n terms neither kind
nor respectful, for alleged misrepresentation OF the
fundamental laws and territorial history OF my own State
As an excuse for your attempt TO provoke contro.
yersy by making yourself voluntary witness against
the correctness OF OF the facts stated in my speech
on the Nebraska bill, you say
hope that my personal relations that State wall ex
cuse my calling your attention IN brief manner a few
oft erfoseous assertions TO which allude"
OF course your personal relations" TO the State OF
Illinois will furnish ample excuse Tor pointing out
few OF the assertions" In order that The pub
lie curiosity may be gratihed by knowing how dstn.
gushed parsonage the witness ls, will slate that yoa
were governor oi Illinois under peculiar crcum-
stances, and that you abandoned the Stale as il
was ascsrtaned that the inducements which took you
there could no longer be made available Your avowea
object TO yindcae " the truth OF history and do " us-
tce TO the conduct aud character OF Illinois"
How ar such motive is consistent with the whole
tenor OF your communications and 10 what extent you
have succeeded IN accomplishing so iaudabe purpose,
shall leave The public TO determine after CALI Ag
ton TO few facts pertinent 10 the issue you made
Referring my speech, you the following language
"No act you say had bee passed by Congress 10
prohibit slavery Ia of our Territories, and if
mped it would have been null and void, well from
tue want of power in Congress 10 pa H. as from de-
termination OF the people 10 establish and protect slavery
in defiance OF congressional enaements. If this had been
known how much lime and would have been
savedi" .. .@
Alter atlribuhng this statement to me- you proceed to
vndcae The Huh Of history by showing that slavery
had been prohibited IN The territory northwest OF the Ohio
river by the ordinance OF 1857 Having rescued this i'm
portaat historical fact from that oblivion TO which you
suppose had been consigned, YOU to congratulate
yourself upon the great achievement with as much com
placcncy ii you had not mlsquoied my speech, and
tribute a statement which mad never made, in
der 10 get opportunity OF provbg that which oil
may have heard before. In order to give you an OPP
poruny vindcaie the truth OF history from the zero
neous assertions" your own communication, will IN
yite your attention to what did say in that part OF my
speech from which you profess TO have derived your
thorlty fof the above statement:
Let AK you where have you succeeded in exclu
ding slavery by of Congress inch OF the
T S9q mny 5 s s a a @ dd Z s
you 10y the history OF the country that you did
but YOU did not exclude il IN TACT Illinois was tr Of
the Northwest Tsnitory, With the exception of lew.
French and white settlements, it Wilderness
h with hostile savages, when he ordinance Of l7s7
adopted. Ye', sir, when Illinois organized into
ora government, 1t established and protected slavery and
meina'ned 1t IN sple oil your ordinance, aud in defiance
oil its express Prohibition"
cheerfully forgive you for this "erronaous assertion"
for withoul you would not have had the opportunity of
making known 10 the present generation the important
fact that slavery prohibited by the ordinance OF 1857
in the Northwest Territory.
The next "eroneous assertion Tor which you desire
to be excused Tor calling my attention is that slavery
ually existed IN the Territory, and vas recognised in de-
hance oil the ordnance oi 1857 You admit, however,
that few slaves introduced into the Territory,
under the laws OF Virginia. before the ordinance OF 1857
and that they were held and treated slaves not only
during the entire period OF the territorial government,
but alter the State admitted ino The Union. This
fact proves the truth OF what you pleased call my
erroneous assertions, far they relate the exist
o! slavery in the Territory under the ordinance and
IN defiance OF lis prohibition. But yoa suggest that the
failure (ol the ordinance abolish and exclude the ex
ence Of slavery "mght have arisen from he ignorance
OF French slaves OF their rights under the ordnance
from their Tear OF punishment from their masters il they
claimed them or IL may have been from prejudice and
interest in The officers whose business to JUS
uce done them. Whasrsr tie ea4ss, IL local
character, and not Attributable 10 Congress-
Here the substantial fact IS distinctly admitted. 1t is
admitted that slavery did exist in the Territory, and
after 1t became State that lls existence was pepeua
Dd hu IN ii.rp upffh ria
and without the sanction and IN opposition 10 the author
i,y OF Congress, do not perceive that your excuses
aud conjeclures change the result | not that
French slaves Were any more ignofant OF their rights
under the ordinance than any other slaves, that they
any afraid Of their masters that the officers
were governed by interest prejudice IN that Territory
more than elsewhere Upon this latter point, however,
sm inclined TO yield full credit 10 your testimony, mas
much you an office holder during the whole PEE
od OF your residence IN the State, and while governor
especially charged by the constitution and your oath
10 see the laws faithfully executed BE The what
rmay, the statement IN my speech which you have pre-
sumed 10 pronounce an erroneous assertion" is
established and sdmlted-to w.t. that while Congress
prohibited slavery there BY tau did exclude II ia
fad. But, slr, perhaps sou will now be disposed 10
change the issue and say that when you auagnei me
before the public upon the charge of having missated
the facts and violated the truth of history, and made
yourself the voluntary witness to prove the charge in
consequence OF your "PeTsona relations TO the State of
Illinois,, you meant only TO deny The truth OF the other
statement ia the paragfaph-;o w.t. that the ter
rora government introduced and projected slavery and
maintained il in spite OF the ordinance and in defiance of
its express prohibition N this be the material allega.
ton M your bill OF indictment against me- will pressed
10 the trial OF the issue upon the record In accordance
with the pfosison OF the 'ae divide The territory OF
the United Saies northwest OF the Ohio into two sepa
rate governments" approved May ls00 that district OF
country nov embraced within the limits OF the States OF
Indiana Illinois, and Wscontin wes erected into a ais.
nc polical organization, under the name of the ind
ana Territory, and continued 10 be thus governed until
The further division OF the territory in 1909 and the esab
thment OF The Territory OF Illinois. BY reference 70 the
laws Of Indiana Tor the year 1907, page i23 you will
find "an act concerning the Introduction oil negroes and
mulattoes into thus Territory" signed Jesse Tho uas
speaker OF ihe h0uss OF representatives, B Chambes
president Of the council and approved September H.
1907 BY William Henry Harrison, governor uf the Ter
noty Bearing IN nina that the Territory for which this
law was enacted embraced Illinois well as Indiana and
Wisconsin,, and other pofi:ons ai tba old Nohla
west Territory, invite your special attention 10 some OF
the provisions OF the act.
$50 !. 1t shall aud may be lawful f,r any person be-
ing ihe owner or posessor of any negroes nulauoes
and above the Of fifteen years aud oing service and
labor a. sayesin my OF tho Safes or TrrruT Is OF The
Bntd Siaes, nr for citizen the said States or Ter
hores purchasing the same, hrng ae ueRroes or
mulattocs tnq CO.'S TsuiFory,"
The second provides that within tlirty days a
er bringing the slaves into the Territory The master or
owner shall take them before the clerk o the court, and
have an agreement ndenture entered Of record hc eep
The master and his slaves specifying The time which the
slave should be eUblpeed 10 serve his master vhleh
term wgs usually liked nj nnety-nine wears
The third section provides that in the event the slave
should refuse 10 eneT into sueh agreement or ndartue
Il should be lawful for the master within axty days 10
remove sGeh slave 10 any Sa'e or Territory where no
conli hold his slave as property without complying
with such conditions
ba fb4ftgp putll tra III