St. Charles Republican intelligencer. (St. Charles [Charles City], Iowa) 1856-1857, 1856-10-23

shall be the duty of the Judges, the
Governor, the marshal, the district at.
torneys, the sheriffs, and justices of
the peaes, to remain in Office and exc
cute those very laws in SO many
words. 1t will not do for the Senator
to shake his head. The bill is part
of the archives of this Government.
1t will remain permanent record, to
stare you in the face and convict ev-
cry man who dares to deny that the
whole Freesoil party in the House of
Representatives, with one exception,
voted for bill to recognize the valid
ity of these very laws. My object is
to prove that they are not sincere
when they pretend that they wish to
defeat this army appropriation bill be-
cause of those laws but that they
wish it for blood, murder, robbery, CIV
il war, for political effect, instead of
the repeal of those laws that they
are opposed to the repeal of those laws
in order to make political capital out
of it, at the same time that they con-
denim the laws in their political speech
es. Sir, l have said that every man of
that party, with one exception, voted
to recognize the validity of those
laws that one has published letter
in which he assigns his reason for his
vote. find the letter in the newspa-
pers. We passed bill to annul them
once, and sent it to the House of Rep
resentatives, and your majority would
not take it up and pass it. We then
sent the bill a second time, and your
majority in the House of Representa-
tives would not take it up. 1t is we'll
known that the reason why you would
not take it up was the fear that a few
of your men would join us and pass
the bill. 1t was unnecessary for us to
send a third bill twice, assuredly,
was enough. 1t is no excuse to say
that our bill contained other matter
which you did not like in connection
with that repeating section. If you
had insuperable objections to the 9TH
er matter, if it involved your conscien-
ces or your judgment, you could have
stricken out all that you objected to-,
and sent us the residue. You have
had assurances sufficient to-day that
your action would have been cOncurred
in by the Senate in moment if you
had done it and if your folks are
sincere in desiring these obnoxious
laws to be repealed, you will take up
our bill and certainly pass the repeal
ing section whether you pass the re-
mainder or not, before twelve o'clock
tomorrow. We shall now wait to see
whether you are sincere in trying to
get rid of these obnoxious laws. l be-
lieve, and it is painful for me to be
under the necessity of saying that l
have been forced to the conviction, that
you will not permit these obnoxious
laws to be swept from the statute
book until after the Presidential cleo
ton. / believe that you have dis
tinct understanding that the repeating
bill shall not pass. 1t is the main
plank in your political platform for the
pending election.
But l said l would read an extract
from letter of one member of the
Black Republican party of the House
who could not vote for your bill He
says:
Wepassed Dunn's bill for Kansas
yesterday in a very Objectionable man.
ner. 1t has many good provisions, but
extends the fugitive slave law over
Kansas and Nebraska and perpetuates
slavery there until 1858, and makes
all children born therein up to that
time of slave mothers slaves. This
was too much for me. have always
said, and now repeat my pledges, that
l will never vote to recognize slavery;
| will never vote to make any human
being slave l will never vote to
extend slavery one single foot; l will
never vote for the fugitive slave law
or it's extension over any free terrific,
ry. therefore voted against Dunn's
bill solitary and alone Of all our par
ty."
A SENATOR. Who is that
Mr.. DOUGLAS. Mr.. Letter, of Ohio.
He shows in this letter that it was
known and understood, at the time
when every member Of the Freesoil
party but himself voted for that bill,
that they were voting to perpetuate
slavery in the Territory by continuing
in force laws which are SO obnoxious
to gentlemen now. 1t also appears
from this letter that they knew that
they were voting on proposition to
make children hereafter born slaves
for life and their posterity after them,
If born of slave mothers and removed
from the Territory before 1858. The
letter shows, too, that you all knew
when you passed that bill that you
were voting to extend the fugitive
slave law over Kansas Territory, with
all it's provisions, at the same time
that the Senator from Massachusetts
in his speech to-day talks of the bar
barity of the fugitive slave law, of its
heavy and monstrous penalties in not
allowing food and raiment and water
to be furnished to the unfortunate flu
gitive. will not repeat his doleful
speech on that branch of the subject
delivered to-day ! wish him to bear
in mind that every man in his political
party in the House of Representatives,
with one exception, did every act
which he condemns, and is responsible
A. Il