The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1858-10-20


the other from the miry soil Of a South
Carolina cotton field. The antagonsm
between Liberty and Slavery has drawn
in its whirl the current ofhuman thought
and the reasoning faculties of the human
mind. Bat if such is the case even with
the Federal Constitution, of which Mad
ison said that it should contain nothing
which might remind coming generations
that such an abomination as slavery exis-
ted in this Republic, what will be the fate
of such measures, which are nothing but
a new embodiment of tho old contradc-
ton and antagonism between Democracy
and Slavery? As soon as such meas
ure is enacted, both principles and both
sections of the country representing them,
will seize upon it and try to mono lolizo
its construction. and what is Construed
to mean slavery there; will mean Liberty
here, for to the STAKEHOLDER the principal
meaning of Liberty is that man shall
have the right t, hold his fellow man as
property. sa SIS
Was it not so with the Kansas Nebras-
ka bill! No sooner was that measure
passed by Congress than the slaveholding
interest succeeded in monopolzing its
construction, and while our poor Demo-
Gratis in the Northern States were dcscal t.
ing on the beauties of territorial selfgo,-
ernment, the South put down Squattor
Sovereignty with sneer, and II that
remained Of the "great principle" was,
that the Shareholders acquired the abso-
lutte right to hold their slaves as property
in. all the territories of the United States
"by virtue of the Federal Constitution"
What means the Nebraska bill now2---
All, look at Mr.. Douglas himself, how
he is futtering between the Norshernand
the Southern construction of the "great.
principle" how that happy father is hard
ly able to tell his own child, which is white
to-day and black to-morrow-how he
bows to the bred Scott decision with his
face towards Charleston, and then to
Territorial Squatter Sovereignty with his
face towards Springfield. Look at that
disgusting, pitiable exhibition of q man
who boasts of his greatness as a states
man with the laundering voice of a brass
cannon, and who is too short-sighted
to see that he, like boy, has fallen into
the meshes of that eternal contradiction
from which his pettifogging sophissries
Will never extricate him. sn "a ro.g
Such has been the fate of Sguattcr
Sovereignty and of the man who invented
it.. Aud such will be the fate of al mea-
sures which at the same time concode TO
slavery the right to spread, and Liberty
the right to restrict it, So long as our
natl onal laws countenance slavery in any
way beyond that measure of right which
it derives from the local legislation of the
States in which it exists, the contradictions
in our institutions will be the same, the
antagonism will be the same, the agita-
ton and the war will be the same, and no
compromises and no mock popular sover-l
eighty will allay the struggle. 1t will be
repeated over and o er again as often and
Whenever slavery has the slightest chance!
to intrude. All such measures, which
embody both the antagonistic prime pies,
are like railroad train 10 which two lor
comotivcs have been attached, one at each
end. The name of one is Liberty, tho
name of the other, Slavery. II the two
locomotives pull in different directions,
what will be the consequence? Either
the superior power of one will Iull the,
train, together with the other locomotive.
in its direction, or the strength of both
being equal, will tear the train to pieces
And | tell you all measures like the Me-
braska bill will be torn to pieces by tho
different constructions put upon tLen.1 2
What else, tl-erefore, is Douglas
"great principle" but wild delusions
What else is his policy, bnt y dangerous
impositionl 1t speaks Of harmony, and
yet it preserves the elements OF strife aud
conflict. 1t speaks of peace, ard vet it
keeps alive the elements of war. Where
is it's safety where its blessings? 1a1s
There is the same struggle, everywhere,
at all times. You must make up Your
minds to fight it out. etg,. moo AZ
| Since the compromise measures and
/ Mr.. Douglas "great principle" will not
do it, what will Let US lean from our
opponents. m a sfs5.a d g5.al
| The clcarest heads of the veholding
States tell you openly that Slavery cannot
thrive unless It be allowed to expand.
| And common sense must tell you, that
| the slave power cannot rule, unless you
! submit to its dictation with cowardly obe-
4 dience. 6 s6rsg
| Well, then. in the name of all that 10
good and great, if Slavery cannot thrive
unless it be allowed to expapd--pen it
up If the slave power cannot rule UNI
less you lie PROSTATE on your knees-risc !.
I know, Mr.. Douglas will call this reso-
| lutionary doctrine, but Jet him remember
that he himself was called revolutionist,
| when by one of the strangest mistakes Of
his life he opposed the Leco,nptvI, Con-
! stitutiop. .te .e,, e.tfe-
/ In order to restrict slavery, you have
! but TO return to the principles which die
tated the ordinance Of 1887, and which
governed the policy of the greatest patri-
OTIS American history can boast of. ys.a.
In order to throw off the yoke Of the
slave power, you have but to hold up
your heads as men. If they will cali this
revolutionary, let them call it so. It is
the revolutionary spirit to which thus Re
public owes its existence. a.1 eiss..
viii not waste your time By demon
strating that the power Of Congress TO
| exclude slavery from the national Terri
tories stood, almost above all doubt and
: =, n.fx05.d on cJsrti Pos.