The daily union., 1856-12-12
THE EQUALITY on THE STATES.

otnec aS otatesl was inc great issue ia the
election However successful its leaders were in some Of
the States in keeping out Of view this fundamental ques
ton during the canvass the time has now come when ths
truth longer be suppressed For this reason we do
not sympathze with those of contemporaries who seem
regard the pending discussions in Congress useless
of the public time During the excitement of the late
contest the truth partially obsructed by
the facility with which passion inclined the minds of thou
sands listen to Misrepresentation and false reasoning
The way clear for the progress Of truthful nvest
CATION and have to regret that the republican
leaders have provoked the debate which is going in
both houses.
The whole controversy may be reduced to single prop
oson Did not the baek-repubcan position in the late
violate the fundamental principle that govern
ment is confederation compact, union of equal
Statesequa we of mean, in political rights If
it did it follows necessarily that the blackrepublican
party an organization with the fundamental struc
of federal government Without stopping now to
adduce the entire evidence to the position occupied by
the republicans in the contest shall bring forward the
testimony of of the leaders which will be readily
ceved by every member of the party as conclusive In
book containing the recent speeches of Charles Sumner
published Boston, s delivered in Faneu Hall on the
I'd of November 1885, which states the object and position
OF the republican party as follows:
"The object to which, party, pledged, is all
contained in the acceptance of the issue which the slave
ogarchy tenders To its repeal OF the Missouri Compro-
mise and its mperious demand that Kansas shall be
dered to slavery reply, that freedom shall be made the
uersat of all the national domain, hou compromise,
and that hereafter slave State shall be admitted into the
| Union"
Mr. Sumner here lays down two distinct propositions
constituting the programme of the blackrepubcan party
first that there shall be slavery in any Territory sec
ond that slave States shall be admitted into the
Union These are the objects which it deemed polite
designate the issues to be first tried We do not sup
pose that any candid member of that party would main
tain that has other and uerior Objects which look
to the iual abolition of slavery the States where
exists But without entering upon that view of the sub
ec is enough for present purpose that we have the
highest authority for assuming that opposition to the ad
mission of any slave States is the present great prom
inent and paramount idea of black republicanism The
question then Is not this position inconsistent
with the equality of the States If So it follows
sary that the back-republican organization is at
with the fundamental structure of our government
| We are that any black republican denies
the right of any and every State in the Union to es
tablish saveryunless Mr. Hale meant to assume such
position when he made the emphatic declaration in the
Senate the other day that the ordinance of 1887 is still in
full force presume further that with the possible ex
cepton named, black republican will deny that if Kan
sas or Nebraska was admitted State tomorrow with
constitution prohibiting slavery tine people would have
the right the day alter that constitution and esab-
lish slavery The new States TO be equal with the old
ones must have the rights The position of the black
republicans then amounts this that in order to obtain
admission State the people applying must incorporate
into their fundamental law prohibition of slavery and
vet they concede that the moment after such admission the
people of the State have the right to annu the conditional
prohibition and egaze slavery In other words the black
republican position is that the people of Territory may
apply for admission State but they have not the right
to form their constitution they peasethat Congress
may prescribe conditions which the State after its admis-
son has the undoubted right to annu We may illustrate
the position Suppose Kansas and Nebraska should apply
at the time for admission Staesthe constitution
Of Kansas toeratng and that Of Nebraska prohibiting
slavery The black republicans would admit Nebraska
and reject Kansas-and for the that the people Of
the one State had made constitution to suit black repub-
cans and the people of the other had made constitution
to suit themselves The rights of the people of the two
Territories were in all respects equal whilst in territorial
condition but when they forward to assume their po
son as States this equality Of rights denied and the
one is rejected whilst the other is admitted 1t follows
that whilst the black republicans concede that they have
no power to prevent the people Of State after admission
from egaizing slavery they insist that they can by
indirect means effect that object by denying to them
Territory the right TO choose their institutions The
denial Of this right palpabe and fragrant violation Of
the equality Of rights which belongs every State 1t s
an attempt to evade the great principle which is at the
bottom Of our ederave system, and to defeat by ind
rect means the enjoyment of that equality of rights to
which all the States under the constitution entitled
When therefore the republican party declares that
more slave States shall be admitted into the Unon 1t de-
cares war upon the fundamental of govern
ment II is papable nonsense say that the people of
State after admission into the Union, have the right TO
adopt or reject slavery but that tley have not that right
uhea they ask admission To sustain fragrant out
rage on sense the black republicans forced to
advocate the despoc doctrine that during the territorial
existence Of people Congress exercise sovereign power
over them and deny to them the planes rights OF free
men The democratic party the other hand recognises
the right of the people Of Territory to determine for
themselves the character Of their local institutions and
thereby nsures them perfect equality when they adj
mitted as States into the Union.
The contract for the iron work for the Alexandria (vir-
gnia customhouse and pest Office has been awarded by
the Secretary of the Treasury to Mesrs Hayward Bart