The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1858-07-31

under the law, in order that he may ap- |
proach as near perfection or an equality |
with the white man as possible. To this |
same end he quotes the Declaration of In.
dependence in these words: We hod
these truths to be self evident. that all men
are created equal and endowca byt cir Gre
ator with certain inaiierab . lights, among
which are life, liberty, rnd the pursuit OF
happiness" and goes on t argue that the
negro was included, or intended to be inclu-
dcd, in that declaration by the sighers of
the paper He says that by the Declaration
of Independence, therefore, all kinds of men,
NJ groes included, were created equal and
endowed by their Creator with certain ina
lieuab!e rights, and further, that the right
OF the negro to be on an equality with the
white man is a divine right conferred by the
Almighty, and rendered inalenable accord
ing to tie Declaration of Independence
Hence ne human law or constitution can de-
prive the negro OF that equality with the
white man to which he is entitled by divine
law. C"IIigher law.') Yes. higher law
! Now, do not question Mr.. Lincoin's sin
cerity on this point. lie believes that the
negro by the divine law is created the equal
/ OF the white man. and that no human law
! can deprive IN Of that equality thus Sc
| cured; and he contends that the negro
! ought therefore to have all the rights and
| privileges of citizenship on an equality with
the white man. In order TO accomplish this
the first thing that would have to be done
| in this State would be to blot out of our
! State Constitution that clause which prohi-
bits negroes from coming into this State and
making it an African colony, and permit
/ them 10 come and spread over these charm
ing prairies until in midday they shall look
black as night When our friend Lincoln
| gets all his colored brethren around him
here, he will then raise them to perfection
as fast as possible and place them on an
! equality with the white man, first removing
all legal restrictions, because they are oUr
! equals by divine law and there should be 10
! such restrictions. He wants them to vote.
am opposed to it. II they had vote
reckon they would all vote for him in Ire
ference to me, entertaining the views do.
(Laughter) But that matters not. The
position he has taken on this question not
only presents him as claiming for them the
right to vote, but their right under the di-
vine law and the Declaration of Indepen-
dence to be elected 10 Office, 10 become
members of the Legislature, 10 20 to Con-
gress, and to become Governors, or United
States Senators, daughter and cheers or
Judges OF the Supreme Court and sup
pose that when they control that Court that
they will probably reverse the Dred Scott
Decision. Uaushter) He is going to
bring negroes here, and give them The cht
of ci&zeushp, the nigh, OF holding Office and
sitting on juries, and what else: Why, he
would permit them TO marry, would he not
and if he gives them the right, suppose lie
will let them marry whom they please, pro-
vided they marry their equals. daughter
Ii the divine law declares that the white WaI
is the equal of the negro woman; that they
are on perfect equality: | suppose he al.
mIts the right OF the negro woman to marry
the white man. irene" ed laughter.) Ia
other words, MS doctrine that the negro by
divine law is placed on a perfect equa!i!y
with the white T:n, and that cquaiIty l,
recognized by the declaration OF Iudepend
ence, leads HIM necessarily to estau ii>n negro
equality under the law; but whether ever
then they would be so in fact would epenC
+ upon the degree of virtue and intelligence
taey possessed, and certain other qua.itie:
that are matters OF taste rather than OF law
Daughter do not understand Mr.. LIN
coin as saying that he expects 20 make then
our equals socially, or by intelligence, noi
: in fact as citizens, but that he wishes L
{ make them equal under the law, and thei
I say to them, las your master in Heaven il
: perfect, be We also perfect" Well, ! con
= fess to you, my fcl!ow-citizeRs, that | an
4 utterly opposed to that system Of abolition
/; philosophy. csc am !, and cheers
! do not believe that the sIgne:s OF the Dec
$ laration c! Independence had any lie creme
r to negroes when they used Tie e&pr- ssior
| that all men wrre created EQUAL, Or that the,
: had any reference To the Chinese CT Coolies
: the Indians, the japanese, or any other in
tsrn of
I white race, the European race on this CONT
/ nent and their descendants and emigrant
n who should come here. They were speak
I ing only of the white race, and never dr,ame
: that their language would bc constr ued t
n include the negro. (CheerS) And now TO
! the evidence of that fact At the lime til
t Declaration of independence was put forth
declaring the equality OF all men, every on
r Of the thirteen colonies was 4 Slayeho,dIn
+ Co,oni, aud every man VINO signed TIA Dec
), lar"tIon represented asavehol!iug const!tu
J ency. DID they intend " lien they put thci
n signatures TO that iustI u,n ut 10 declare tina
their own slaves were on an equality will
{ them, that they were made ther equals by
r divine law, and that any human law reduc
= ing them 20 an inferior position was void a
t being in violation OF divine la, Was tha
[ the meaning of the signers Of the Declara
tiUli Cl ia y Iii EEsO-' ailt
HENRY ard LEE-did any Of the signers o
J that instrument, or all OF them, on the da.
, they signed it give their slaves freedom 2
, History records that they did not. DIG the,
, 20 further and put tie negro on al EQUALITY
Q with the white man throughout the countr,
5 They did rot And yet If they bad under
r stood that Declaration as including the ne
. gro. which Mr.. Lincoln holds they did, the,
!, would have been bound, as consideration
5 men, to have restored the negro to TIA
{ equality which he Thinks the Almighty in
4 tended they should occupy with the whit
e man. They did not 90 II. Slavery wa
{ abolished III only one State before lhe adoP
t lion Of the Coustltut.~ Il II 1883, and ;h.n Il
: others gradually down 10 the time this alto
e lIiion agitation began, AID it has not beer
5 abolished in one since. The history of tn
country shows that neither the signCyS o
= tho Drciaratio or the f. amers of the Con
e stitation ever supposed l. possible that thci
e language would be used in an attempt +
s make this nation a mixed nation of Indians
! negroes, whites and u.ongrcs. | repeat
= that our Whole history confirus the propC
n sition that from the earliest settlement {
4. the colonies dewn TO the Dec ara,,on Of lr
t dependence and the adoption of the Const
: tuition of the United States, our fathers Pre-
t cccdcd on the white bass making the whit
r people the governing race, but conccdjng t
t the Indian and negro and all inferior race:
= all the rights and all the privileges the
9 ,uld enjoy consistent with the safety of tn
= society IN which they lived. c'That'
If right.'O That is my opinion now. cit
/, right."o | told you that humanity, phiar
= thropy, justice and sound policy require
e that we should give the negro every ligh
C every privilege, every immunity consister
S with the safety and welfare of the State
i The question then naturally arises what ar
n those rights and privileges and what is tn
It nature and extent of them. NV answer i.
i that that is question which each State, an
e each "erritRSy must decide for Itself. "
, E.y Io,iIe1 that W. k.v n;