The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1856-10-18

Q. Congress can prohibit slavery in the
territories.
8. But, says Banks for Fremont, "the
territories shall decide the subject Of slavery
for themselves" S.
4. And lastly, Of course the fusion party |
admit that the supreme court must decide
the question involving the right OF the South
to take their slaves into the territory under
the constitution.
Here, then, is the difference, and the only
difference between the two parties at pre-
sent on the slavery question as defined 10y
the highest authority on both sides The
democrats say Congress haze not, and FIRE.
mont and Banks say Congress haze the pow
er to prohibit slavery in the territories-but
both agree that the better way is to let the
peopl settle the question for themselves!
Now this, We are free to admit, is not
correct statement of the position Of Greeley,
Seward, Hale, Chase, Lovejoy, nor indeed
of the mass of the Northern fanatical aboli-
ton party on the slavery question But
taking the party as whole. and referring
to Fremont as the head, this is what they
come down to. That such is the true posi-
ton of Fremont, we have more authority
than Mr.. Speaker Banks. The New York
Herald, which has from the beginning shown
signs of being peculiarly in the confidence
of Fremont, has said repeatedly, that Mr.
Fremont had no sympathy or feeling in COM
mon with the mass of the abolition republl-
cans of the North, but that he was only
I" using the black republican raseas" to Sc
cure his election; and of Mr.: Banks speech
the Herald says distinctly that "in regard
to southern rights he Banks defines the true
policy of Fremont, and the great party .up-
porting him, as policy inuolring not the
slightest interference Nth the institutions Of
the southern States, sectional, local, or tradi-
tional." Speaker Banks lays down congress
sional non-intervention and popular SOW
ereignty as the only policy of his party ioI
the Territories, and Mr.. Bennett speaks far
/ Co.. Fremont, and says that, too, is his poll.
ey. Upon the authority of Speaker Banks,
then, the Herald spoke the truth when it
announced, some months ago, that Colonel
Fremont would cheat the "black republican
rascals."
The vital question in the present political
contest, then, concerns no issue involved in
reference to the slavery question; for not.
withstanding all their lofty pretensions at
first, the fusion party themselves have been,
in the end, obliged TO come down to and en-
dorse and adopt the democratic Doctrine
But the question is, shall We elect sectional
president, a sectional Congress- shall We
elect such sectional agitators and brawlers
as Codding, Farnsworth, Trumbull, Hale,
Seward, &C., to excite and keep up bad feel
ing in Congress, to weaken the bands of the
| Union BY alternating, with bitter and intern
perate speech, one portion Of the country
from another, when Mtss very fanatical agi-
| tators themselves can agree on no measures
no plan for settling the slavery question
! but that which the democratic party-tte
Union party of the country-propose. The
success Of Fremont fusionism viii bring no
danger so far as any measures are concerned.
which that party can force through Congress,
for they can agree on nothing and will pass
nothing; but the danger will arise from the
power that party will have, if once in pos
session Of the executive, to keep up and fan
the sectional hostility and strife already too
rife in the land, ard which, under such Il
new and tremendous impulse, must ineyita
Div lead to sectional collisions and ultimate
disunion, while nothing but disnnion-whici
all parties still affect at least TO believe would
be the direst Of ca,amities-can be accom-
pi,hed by electing such sectional pres
dent