Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1856-11-25
To ne Ilepnp.lcnns u ono.

Two wears $40 he seor'le of the United
States were surprised and astounded by
the announcement that Conrfess had mass,
cd law rspsalln6 tie time -honored Mis-
seuri Prohibition. bv which slavery was
forever excluded lron All our terrltory north
| Of Sc degrees and 80 minutes. BY the
Kansas and Nebraska bill, the most OBJ
noxious Of The pfo.slayery views Of John
| G. Calhoun were virtually recognized and
Incorporated mo a law Of the land. The
oft repeated opinions of Jefferson. embod-
led IN the Ordinance Of 1887, and acted
uuou by him al varipus periods Of his Ad-
ministration, on the power Of Congress
over the subject Of slavery in the terpito-
ries were ignored, and the doctrine was
boldly announced that the Constitution de-
MED 70 Congress the power toprohibit this
institution in the territories The declared
opinions OF all our eminent public men;
\ the uniform action Of Congress in the ex-.
lercise Of this right, and the repeated decis-
ions Of the Supreme Court Of the United
States were fepudiated, and the entire pol
Iicy for slavery extension, as advocated by
the Calhoun school, was adopted, and pro-
'Iclaimed as the future pohcyof the country.
i This change, On 50 vitality important q
\ question, astonished and alarmed the free
men of the non-slaveholdlng States.--
\ Without regard to old party associations,
the people Fsembled to consult upon the
course ot action % De pursued to check
II and reDake tnis arrogant ana Startling pol
cy. hitherto slavery .had been regarded
as sectional as an instltution dependent
upon ota'e ieSy's'As,on ,cr eAls'ence anu
continuance within otate limits, and clearly
subject 70 exclusion Dy Congress from ma
tlonal territories Freedom mas hereto
fore been regarded as NATIONAL, 70 secure
which the Consntution nad Deen formed
and adopted by the American people.
These fundamental prnclples, upon which
our Government had been formed ana ad-
minlstered, could not be rellnqulshed With
out protest and struggle.
A long series OF slayeholding aggres-
sions upon the rights and interests sol
iEreemen and Free States had already well
nigh exhausted popular torbearance, when
| this browning wrong called the Republican
party in existence. Patriotic, hberty-loy-
7 ing men, from all the existing political or
. ganizations, moved by a common impulse,
united for the defense OF liberty, and the
overthrow Of the Slave Power. Their del
egates met in National Convention at Phil
! adelpbia, on the nth of June, 1856; ant
. adopted the following great national prin,
: cipites as the platform Of their politica
faith:
Resolucd, That the maintenance of the
principles promulgated in the Declaration
0 of Independence and embodied in the Fed
n eral Constitution is essential to the pres
: eryation of our Republican Institutions
!, and that the Federal Constitution. tn,
n rights of the States, and the Union of the
States, shahbe preserved.
Rssotued, That with our Republican
\ fathers we hold it to be self-evident trutl
that all men are endowed with inalienabl
y rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit Q
It happiness, and that the primary object ant
6 Iulterior design Of our Federal Government
It were to secure those rights 70 all person
IS within Its exclusive jurisdiction; that q
Q our Republican fathers, when they ma
abolished slavery IN al our National Ier
] lritory, ordained that no person should ?
z deprived Of he liberty. Or property With
out due professor law. y becomes our anI
4 Lamalnealn sh,s losls'o, y .ns uol's''.u y
s,on M sgalns' g, a'.eIplS y s,0la.e - :
3 m sne putposs !, Z, esDs TT;.a 81 s'a'vsy : ~
If Ae.i,Oo 4 ~ ''' ~ PoS's.' q
! iegisialion prohiD'iIs ~ eAselsl0n ~ :,
a issence .heleill, anu weueny sne auIilori' .I.
re- ol oongfess =: : : siiivlal Ies,sla'ul'
,e orany assoclAson y lnuisiuuals; . - ~ ~
% legai e1ls.encs q slavery u any lerrlOol
,S =, u she onlseu Ssa'es, ~ anne sne presel
q q oonstltuslon snail y De loalnsaineu.
I'll Resolged, That the Constitution col
= fers upon Congress sovereign power oy'
the Territories Of the United for their go'
ernment, and that in the exercise Of tn
s. power it is both the right and the duty
Congress to prohibitin the Territories tho'
a twin relics Of barbarism-Polyga ar
u Slavery.
10 Resotged, That we invite the affiliatic
and cooperation Of men Of al parties, nov
ever dlnerlng irom US IN other respects,
IL support OF the principles herein declare
H. and believing that the spirit OF our lns'
orE tufons as well as the coristltution Of o.