Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1856-01-01
ROY, ESD n AN AARIsYsI l, 1856.

1AAu - y ~ s1OCOs si.3ys-srf -tist.,
The struggle Of sIaveTy and Frec-
ssw esnsa . vic doui.Gs v lB.to AVIS bg
LETTER FROM FRANCIS p. BLAIR
aSlLyER, ,SPRiEG, Md. Tuesday, Dec, ls.
To Messrs. eDkNrEL r. GooDIoE and LEWIS
CLERHANr, Corresponding Committee Of The
Republican Association Of Washington City,
Id. g. '4@
!, GsETLRMEN:- Having relinqushed rolf.
icalemploymenl. and, 10 nvoid encounter.
ing peain i,s pnxie.ies, addicted mysrll To
counlrys life, i am constrained 10 decline
YpuEinyl,a.ion 70 JUN the Republican Asso-
ciati0n yaslllng.on Guy, pllhtugh lemp.,
| cd byl The honor OF becoming It's presidisa
officer. Ye. feri I, my duty 10 say, thai
lin the main ! concur in lhe nims Of The
Association. To exclude Slavery from the
Territories of the United S,ales, and 10 re-
buke the violation OF The Compromises
which were made g, stand as covenants be,
.ween the Slave, and Free States 10 effecl
atexcuslon ARE, 10 my, opinion the mos,
impor,an, movements which have engaged
the pnblc, mind since The ,RevoIu,ion. 4.
TIE extension of Slavery over The new
Territories, would prove Fa,pl 10 Ibeir pros.
peri.y;, bu, the. gfsa.est colamily 10 appre-
head from IL is ,lfe destruction Of the Con,
iederacy, on, which the welfare Of the whVla
ceunpyI. seposss. Every iconqnss, Of ,hs
eleme o. o., discord, which has so ollen
.hsea,enod i,be dissolution OF tho Union,
increases the DANGER Every surrender oi
the, Free States invites IN vnsion,b ,r..r4 -,
The cause which your organization is IN
tended 10 promote may well draw 10 It's sup
peri men Of pll parties. D,ffrencrs on
ques.iDps Of policy, on constitutional con.
4Wucuons. of modes Ct administration. may
b. merged 10 unile men who believe that
nothing bu, concen Of action on The purl o(
those who would arres, the, spread Of
Slavery. can ,resis! the rover Of The COM
bins,in now embodied 70 male Il embrace
lhe conIinen, from ocean 10, ocean. .gg !
The ,epealins clause Of the, KansUs bill
Is p,edica,ed on ,he lnulhly Of The clause 10
The Constitution which gives Congress The
powcrr,s make regulations respecting The
Tmf,ories" ;of The, Unhed States. YET
nothing is clearer 10 The history, Of our Gov
erpmeni than lhs, this pirase giving power
10 Congress, 10 make regulations respect
ing the, TerIilories," was mean. 10 give IL
The power 10 EXCLUDE Slavery from them. 7,
j MIR. Jeffslson's resolutions ol 1894 de.
clarlng ''lha. there shall be neither Slavery
nor involuntary seryilude In any Of The
Stales'' laid of in the Western Territory.
wss subsequently, renewed in The Congress
of 1885. which added "thal this regulation
shall be an article Of compact" and Il was
sovo,ed unanimously by the delegations Of
eight States out Of Twelve. 4
1t was passed by The unanimous votes Of all
the States by The Congress of 1871, (which sal
cp,emporancousy with The Convention form.
ing ahe Constitution, and that Constitution
gave Congress the power 80 make regula-
lions respecting The Territories" and more.
over affirmed The validity Of "lhe engage.
menls entered into by The coniederaIion"-
ONE OF which engagements was lha. made
by the regulation excluding Slavery from the
Territories. Thus lhe Congress Of the
confederation and ihe Constitution united in
giving double sanction to The exclusion.
III The FIRST .exened the power Of enaciing
Mr.. IeGersoh's inierdic, of slavery in the
territories then held by the United Slales,
to which il has previously gisen an imDres-
siye sanction by adding, This regulation
+shal be- an article of compact" &c; and
The Conventions guaranteed This "sngage'
meot.n entered Into under the Confedera-
lion, BY DECLARING it.:'volid." and employed
,hs same terms, .regulanon Of HE Terrific
Pries,"! 70 itansmiy the power here exerled 10
hAre. Congresses. In the face Of this his
TORY and ihe l4,,er OF ,he Constitution grant
ineshe power 10 make Whatever regulations
il deemed fl respecting lhea ierrIiories Of
the Upited Sls,es,5,he authors Of abe Kansas
faAd Nebraska, bill denylhe cons'ilulipnalily
.oi all the regulations which Aexclude Slave.
Ify from the rTerti,ories, and set at nougbt
nll ,he,precsdepts,hO' confirm them, which
have followed in uninieErup,ed suggestion,
from The foundation oiihe Government. Il,
h99Thar dolher lclauss In ,bedl Constitution,
senpowering CopgrUss ,oDpnss' lawsto pre-
ven, theLt'tmipfslinh or aiInpnrniiioh" of
slaves iaGer "A SOC; shows The Fixed purpose
o! The founders of oum unipnp ,orlimiirl The
inc,saseGnt this evil.i4TheF consequence
was an Inhibition. which prevenisa South
Caroliua planter, a,Vho hns slaves in Cub, ,
lsom bringing them 10 his home plantation;
and 10 removs this .ohsuuclion ,oo the in.
efeases sof slavery wilhin ibe dUnions and
open Africa 10 stipplyahe demand made bv
the new 0ce The Northern null6ers arc hl.
ready calledion BY their Southern niles to
lend theircaid; and cer,Anly those who en-
brace Mr.. Calhoun's doctrine. as stated by
EMr. Douglas, a,hM 'evHy citizen has an in.
ahehable right TO move into any Of the
Territories whh his properly, OF whatever
kind or descriplion," thu Constitution and
compromisrs notwithstanding, can hardly
refuse III Itwhs on,he annexaion olribe
Mex canaeIri,cries than Mr.. Calhoun assert,
led ihisgprinciple, 10 unseulo the fixed policy
of flhe nation. beginning with the era Of. the
Declata,ioa Of Independence: and,h applied
IL olike TO the compromises Of 1890 anC
1850. Mr.. Douglas thus sums up. the pos,
hion taken and the result: ef8 p
/ 10 UTInIayA ,h;s .actian ~ IN Ibp irnse of Nh