Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1857-07-30

exclude Slavery! The whole contrnvers
/ is about Slavery in the Territories Of th
United States, and not in the States of tn
/ Union, and what mockery it is FOR men t
( harp about the great principle of popula
sovereignty being guaranteed to the peopl
o. a Territory, when they deny them th
the right to act for themselves so long a
the Territory lasts, even if it be thirty year;
as was the case with Michigan. The Re
publican party differ with Mr.. Buchanan 8
to the importance of keeping Slavery out G
the Territories. The poet tells US that, 'a
the twig is bent the tree is Inclined
wiser than be has said, "train up child il
the way he should 60, and when he is old h
will not depart from it." We believe
Slavery is tolerated in Territory it vii
most likely be continued into the State
When the people of slaveholding Terri
tory form State Government, what is II
be done with the slaves among them!
would be unjust to deprive their owners o
them without compensation, which it MAJ
be inconvenient for the people to provide
free negroes are Objectionable: it is alway:
difficult TO change existing Institutions
All these considerations combined will bt
very apt to make Slave States out of Slave
Territories.
How many of the self-styled Democratic
party in the North would have sanctioned
the repeal of the Missouri Compromise, hat
it been candidly avowed at the time thai
the consequence would be what we now
see! Many good men deulored the repeal
who subsequently acquiesced in the meas
ure, under the belief that the people Of the
Territory had the power, and would exercise
it, tc keep Slavery out; and had they then
been told that the authors of the repea
would eventually deny them that right. and
insist upon the doctrine that Slavery could
be taken into Territory in spite of the
wishes of its inhs bitants to the contrary
they would never have sanctioned the deed
call upon all such to come out from this
Pro-Slavery party now they see whittier ii
is lending them.
But the extension of Slavery into Kansas
bad as it is, is not the worst of the conse-
quences which have followed the repeal oi
the Missouri Compromise. That measure
has led to others which are subversTe oI
the Constitution, of the principle of self
government and the rights of the people,
and which must speedily lead to the des-
,ruction of the Government, unless the peo-
pie, seeing the dagger, shall rouse in their
strength before it is too late and rescue the
Government from the hands of those who
are now using it, not merely TO spread Ne
gro Slavery, but to trample under foot the
dearest rights of Free White Men.
With many Of the professed principles of
The selfstyled Democracy, as enunciated in
their platform, + concur. They consist
cniefy of declaration of those general
PRINCIPLES which distinguish the Democracy
in the days when the name Democrat mean;
something different from an advocate of the
expansion Of Slavery. But their professions
and their acts are quite different things.
They professed in repeating theaa Missouri
Compromise, to confer upon the people OF
Kansas, while in Territorial condition the
right to regulate their own domestic affairs
through Territorial Legislature to be cho-
sen by themselves; practically they have! de
MED them the right to elect legislature at
all, and now openly repudiate the idea that
a Territorial Legislature has any right to
regulate the domestic affairs OF the Terrific
ry by excluding Slavery. Processing to
love and revere the Constitution, they 'hove
trampled under foot its most sacred prcvis-
ions; protesting to be observers of law and
the order party, they have repeatedly viola
ted all law, and inagurated a reign of anar-
chy and TYRANNY in one portion of the couE.
try; protesting devotion to the Union, by
their, ,acts they have put to hazard its exist
ence, and manv of their most distinguished
leaders have threatened dissolution, if a ma
jority Of the people, in the constitutional
mode, should elect the President Of their
choice; protesting to place their trust in the
intelligence. patriotism and discriminating
justice of the American people, they have
not only hung out false colors by which to
conceal their own actions and deceive the
people, but they malign and misrepresent
their political opponents, and appeal to the
bad passions and p-ejudices of the ignorant, /,
that they may enlist them in their service;
protesting not TO cherish the interests of
one portion of the country above another,
they have built mp a sectional interest which
now controls all the patronage and power
of this great Government; protesting to af-
ford an equality of rights to every citizen of
every section of the Union, and to protect
his person and property from domestic vio-
lence, they have refused, when in power, 10
afford that protection, and have actually
aided and abetted, through their officers, in
assaults upon both; protesting to practice
economy in our public affairs, the Admins
tration OF Franklin Pierce expended more
money than was ever before expended DUR
ing the same period by any Administration,
even in time of war; protesting to regard
as cardinal principles of their faith the lib
eral principles embodied by Jefferson in the
Declaration OF Independence, they assai
that instrument, attempt to explain away
its plain words, and hoot at those who quote
them. falsely attrbutng to them tes ire
lot lne aEldISdlEdtlOn OI lBe Nnile anu OiaCk
races, and to place them upon terms of So
cial and political equality.
This, my friends, is no fancy sketch. 1t
is all "A sad reality. Every one of the charges
upon which have arraigned the self-styled
Democracy here tonight, is susceptible of
demonstration Do you ask when it violat-
ed the Constitution! Ipoint you to Kansas
ruled over by the self-styled Democracy,
through Legislature forced upon its in
habitants in violation of the proiessed prin-
ciple o: se!fgovernment and of law pass
ing and enforcing laws abridging the free
dom of speech and of the press, by making
it Penitentiary ofiense to speak or publish
anything denying the right to hold slaves in
that Territory. Witness the disarming of
the people of Kansas, when assembled in
seli-defense against invaders, and their dis.
persion by Federal troops when peaceaoly
assembled for redress of grievances, in
direct violation of those clauses of the Com
stItution which declare that the right of the
people to keep and bear arms shall not be
Il. Al