Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1857-10-02
AN OLD DOCUMENT.

cano'oatee iot too supreme Oencus Wss
candidate for Congress. Il will be seen
that the Judge sang = very different tune
then, from that now sung BY bis party
He vas not only Wilmot proviso then,
but claimed himself to be the originator
Of the principle embodied in that Proviso,
thus contestiDg the honor Of its paternity
with Wilmot. Judged by this letter, he
is rapid Black Republican. Surely while
he thus stands indicted before the public,
it does not become the so,called Demo
cracy to make any serioas objection to
Black Republicans. They must either
abandon Thompson, or cease to mako war
upon Black Republicanism, if they mean
to adhere to him. But to the correspon-
dence.
WARREN, August q, 1s47.
Hon. James Thompson-Dear Str-As
you have been placed before the people of
this district as a candidate for Represen.
tative in Congress, the undersigned Dem.
ocratic voters of Warren take the Liberty
to ask an exposition Of your opinions on
the subjects presented in the following
questions:
Do you believe Congress has power to
prohibit slavery in the Territories belong.
ing to the United States?
If elected to Congress will you vote on
all occasions when the subject is presented
to exclude slavery from oil territories now
free belonging to the United States, by
extending over it the Ordinance Of 1877 !?
Would you sanction any compromise by
which any territory now free belonging to
the United States, would be given up to
Slavery?
An early reply to the above interrogs.
tions is most respectfully solicited.
Yours, respectfully,
So. Goodrich, G. W. Sco6eld, ]. D.
james, G. Merrill, T. Clcmons, Lewis
Arnett.
THOMPSON'S REPLY.
ERIE, Sept. l, 1S47.
Gentlemen-Yours Of the 9Th ult., has
just reached me, and as l entirely recog-
nize your right to make the inquiries there.
in contained, l hasten to reply.
When the first territorial bill for Oregon
that passed, was reported, l offered as a
minority report the following as an amen.
dment to the 18th section of the bill:
crowded that neither slavery nor in.
voluntary servitudc shall ever exist in said
territory, except for crime whereof the
party shall have been duly convicted"
Journals of the Goth Con-, pages 1910
and l245]
This proviso, I, of course voted for it
was carried in the House but did not pass
the Senate. In February, lS47, the same
bill being under consideration, containing
a section re-enacting the Ordinance Of
1877, which prohibited slavery in the Ter.
ritory, l voted against the Clayton Com
promise, and also sgainst the Missouri
Compromise, and for inserting aud retain
ing the clause re-enacting the Ordinance
of 1887, and making it applicable to the
You will therefore see that have shown
by my votes, my belief in the power of
Congress to prohibit slavery in the Terri.
tories. have no doubt whatever of the
power and the right of Congress to do SO.
l have on all occasions voted to exclude
slavery from territories belonging to the
United States now frec, and shall continue
TO do so. Convinced that no compromise
is necessary, either to preserve the Union,
or required by any Constitutional mandate,
l shall as have already done, vote against
all compromise by which territory now free
shall become slave territory. may add
that this is not new doctrine to me. /
have uniformly so voted on all territorial
bills, and shall continue to do so. and |
shall vote for the Ordinance Of 1887 to be
made applicable to the territories of the
United States, or any other words Of pro-
hibition that may be equivalent thereto.
This doctrine of prohibiting slavery in ter.
ritories was first introduced by me after
the acquisition of the new territory, and
applied directly to the territory; yet others
do not hesitate to claim much for adopting
a principle they never suggested, and for.
get those who did SO.
Yours, very respectfully,
JAMES THOMPSON.
To Messrs. 8 j. Goodrich, G. w. Scn6eld,
j. ID. James, G. Merrill, T. Clemons
and Lewis Arnett.
1t will be noticed that Judge Thomp-
son expressly states his belief to be, that
Congress has power to prohibit Slavery in
the Territories. 81 hare no doubt rhat.
erer Of the po,cer and the right Of Congress
to do So" is the language used by him !;
and he not only boasts that "this doctrine"
was "frst introduced" by him, and com.
plains that Wilmot has stolen his political
thunder, by adding, that "yet others do
not now hesitate to claim much for prin.
ciplc they never suggested, and forget those
that do so." This doctrine is in strange
contrast with that now held by Judge
Thompson's party, and shows that either
his views now do not coincide with it, or
that he is quite as great q demagogue, as
the Packer papers term Wilmot, whom be
charged with stealing his thunder.
s@- Such ras good Democracy in 1s47 !;
is 1t not good Democracy for 1857?