The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1857-01-01
THE REPUBLICAN PLATFORM.

THE REPUBLICAN PLATFORM.
| A correspondent at Jacksonville, Illinois
says that some of the Buchanan leaders, du
ring the late canvass, made use of the Repub
lican platform, as at first published, to throw
doubt on the position of the Republican party
and when they were pointed to the corrected
document, they quoted our remark, to the
effect that the errors were only verbal inaccu
| racies.
Let US straighten out this matter. The par
of the platform referred to, is the closing por
ton of the second resolution, which, as frs
reported by telegraph, and printed in the news
papers, was as follows:
"That as our Republican fathers, when they
had abolished Slavery in all our National Ter
ritory, ordained that no person should be de
prived of life, liberty, or property, without due
process of law, it becomes our duty to main
tain this provision of the Constitution against
all attempts to violate it for the purpose OF
establishing Slavery in the United states oy
positive legislation, prob lCs eAlstehce
or extension therein that we oeny the autnor-
;tv of Congress, of Territorial Legislature, sf
any Sldividual or association of individuals, %
give legal assistance to Slavery in any Terri
tory of the United States, while the present
Constitution shall be maintained"
This ia obscure, and, owing to the wrong pune
tuation seems to affirm that Slavery should
not be established in the Territories by posi-
tive legislation, nor should its existence or ex-
tension therein be prohibited, although such
an affirmation would be utterly illogical and
absurd, directly repugnant to the purpose for
IL Al haA of
Trajectory to the third resolution, which ex
pressly declares that it is the right and duty Of
Congress to prohibit Slavery in the Territories
All that is needed to restore sense to the reso
luton, make it logical and consistent with the
third resolution, is, to insert a semicolon be
tween United States" and "by POSITIVE LIZ
GIsLATIoN," so as to make the latter phrase
qualify the clause, prohibiting its existence
or extension therein" With this understand
ing, we remarked, when the corrected resolu.
ton was handed to us by Mr.. GiddiEgs, (who
was the author of it, that the inaccuracies in
the former one were "verbal." The corrected
resolution was printed in the same number oil
the Era that contained the spurious one, and
is as follows. We mark in italics the portions
in which the correction is made:
"2. Resolced, That, with our Republican
fathers, we hold it to be self.evdent truth
that all men are endowed with the unalienable
right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happi-
ness and that the primary object and Interior
design Of our Federal Government were to
secure those rights to all persons within its ex-
elusive jurisdiction that as our Republican
fathers. when they had abolished Slavery in all
our National Territory, ordained that no per-
son should be deprived Of life, liberty, or prop
erty, without due process of law, it becomes
our duty to maintain this provision of the Con-
stitutior against all attempts to violate it, TO
prGcent tie establishment Of iS0oery in t.
Territories Of the United States, by s,,ottloe
legislation prohibiting ats eristp~oe therein
And we deny the authority o. Congress, OF
Territorial Legislature, vi any individual or
association of individuals, to give legal exist
ence to Slavery in any Territory of the United
States, VIII lie the present Constitution shall be
maintained"
| AS ii stands, the resolution affirms that it is
the purpose of the Federal Government to
secure the rights Of all persons within its juris-
diction:
That as the Constitution declares no person
shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property
without due process of law, it becomes our duty
to maintain that provision against all attempt.
to violate it:
That the establishment of Slavery in the
| Territories ought to be prevented:
That its existence therein ought to be pro
hibited by positive legislation:
That neither Congress, nor Territorial LIE
| gislature, nor any association of individuals
can give legal existence % Slavery in any Ter
ritOry of the United States, under the presen
| Constitution.
If there is any fault about the resolution, i
is that, in its effort to be explicit, it multiple
words needlessly