The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1858-10-27
Governor wise ON Anti-Lecompton-


ism.
! Gov. Wise having been invited by tft
Democratic State Committee to visit Hi
nciS and help in the election of Senator
reply defines what he understands to be the
nature of the conflict and the principles in
volved; from which, it will appear, that in
1 his views, Lecomptonism and auti-Lecomp-
tonism arc not dead issues, but living ques-
tions, involving all that is dear in free gov
ernments. He says:
Your position is grand one, and in some
respects unexampled. In the face of doubt
and distrust attempted to be thrown upon
your Democracy, and its gallant leader, by
the pretext of pretcnders that you were CIV
ing aid and comfort to the arch enemy OF
our country, peace and safety, and our par
ty integrity, | see you standing alone,--iso-
lated by tyTannical prescription, which
would, alike foolishly and wiekedly, lop off
one of the most vigorous limbs of national
Democracy, the limb of glorious Illinois 3
| see you, in spite of this imputation, firmly
fronting the foe, and battling to maintain
and impracticabte ectionaism-constitutio
al rights, operating propria gigore, and every
way against all unequaEan unjust federal
or territorial legislation: @
The right of the people to govern them
selves against all force or fraud
The right of the sovereign people to look
at the "returns," and behindsthe "returnS
OF all their representative bodies agents
trustees or servants
The responsibility of all governors, rep
resentatives trustees, agents and servants,
to their principals, the people, who are " the
governed and the source of all political
power
Utter opposition to the detestable doc
trlne of the absolutism of conventions to
prescribe and proclaim fundamental forms
of government at their will, without sub
mission to the sovereign pcople-a doctrine
tit only for slaves and claimed only by le-
gitimists and despots of the old world
Powers Of any sort not expressly deegat-
ed to any man, or body of men, are rx-
pressly reserved to the people !"
No absolute or dictatorial authority au-
thority in representative bodies The re-
preventative principles as claiming submits
sion and obedience to the will of the con-
stituents
The sovereignty of the organized people,
supreme above all mere representative
bodies, conventions, or Legislatures, to de-
eide, vote upon, and determine what shall
be their sumpreme law;
Justice and equality between States and
their citizens, and between voters to elect
their agents and representatives, and to
ratify or reject any proposed system of gov
ernment
Submission to the Constitution and laws
of the Federal Union, and strict observance
of all the rights of the States and their cit
izens, but resistance to the dictation or
bribcs of Congress or any other power to
yield the inalienable right of self-govern-
ment;
Protection in the territories, and every
where, to all rights of persons and of prop
erty, i'll accordance with the rights OF the
States, and with the Constitution and laws
of the Union;
Equity and uniformity in the mode of ad-
mtting new States into the Mon, making
the same rules and ratios to apply to all
alike;
The rejection of all compromises, condi-
tiouS or terms which would discriminate
between forms of republican constitutions,
admitting one with one number of popula-
ton, and requiring three times that number
for another form equally republican;
The great law of settlement of the public
domain of the United States, free, equal and
just, never to be ''temporzed' or ''localized"
by temporary or partial expedients, but to
be adjusted by permanent uniform and uni
versal rules Of right and Justice;
Maintaining these and the like principles
deem to be the aim of the struggle of tie
devoted Democracry in this signal contest.
And so understanding them, glory in their
declaration and defence. ] would sacrifice
much aud go far TO uphold your arms in
this battle. | would most gladly visit the
people, address them and invoke them to
stand fast by the standard of their faith aud
freedom, and never let go the truths for
which they contend, for they are vital and
cardinal, and essential, and can never be
yielded without yielding liberty itself.
But, sir, am like tied man, bound to
my duty here; and, if my Office would allow
me to leave it, could not depart from Il
bedside of iilDess in my family, which would
probably recall me before could reach Hi
nois; and my own state of health admonish-
es me that | ought not to undertake a cam
paign as arduous as that you propose.
know what the labors Of the stump are, and
am not yet done suffering bodily from my
efforts for Democracy in 1855. For these
reasons l cannot obey your call; but permit
me to add Fight on fight on fight on
never yield but in death or victory Aud
oh that was unbound and could do more
than look on, throbbing with every pulse of
your glorious strugglc-with its every blow
and brcath-chcered with its hopes, and
chafed by its doubts. You have my pray
ers, and | am, Yours truly,
HENRY A. WISE.