New-York daily tribune., 1858-10-18
MR. GIDDINGS TO GOV. CORJVIN
From The Ohio State Journal.
JEFFERsoS, Ohio, Oct. /;

JEFFERsoS, Ohio Oct I3, 1853.
Hos. THosAs CoRwIy: Dear Sir: The election
of Yesterday constitutes you Member ofthe XXXYIth
Congress and restores Inc to the privilege OF private
citizen. Among those privileges, none is more im-
portant than that Ofrespectfuy and frankly addressing
public servants on matters pert aiming to polt
cal interests.
In speech, at Xenia, you reported say
ing, that if We bought Slave Territory-say Cuba
under such treaty as that by which We obtained
" Louisiana, were bound to respect their rights Of
property and admit the Territory as Slave State if
" it wished to come in Is such."
can give to this declaration no other construction
than an assurance that if the Executive shall negotiate
treaty for the purchase Of Cuba and obtain its ra-
cation by the Senate you will feel bound to respect The
right II property rhich the Spanish masters bolf IN
Melr sGres and, on account OF such right, you will
vote for the admission OF Cuba a. Slave State If her
people ask il.
Coming from one TO whom the question will prob.
ably be submitted, this declaration, il certainly i'm
portart. The admission Of Cuba a. Slave State must
greatly affect the interests the rights and the honor
OF our people. You will permit to suggest that this
doctrine If - property az human fesh' has ever been
repudiated 10y the people OF Ohio even while we
Territory In both our first and present Constitu-
tions il is most unequiyocey rejected. In all
legislation, by the decision Of all our Cours il has
with perfect unsniniiy been discarded When il was
rrst presented 10 the supreme court oi the uitci
States for decision eminent Jurist If Ohio Judge
Mclean boldly denied its existence under the Fser0
Constitution; and exposed its absurdty with such
powers Of logic and Of eloquencc that Sayeholdng
Judge was then willing 10 meet DENY hi doctrine.
When in 1885 was presented TO the House Of Rep.
resentGtiyes in Congress- and referred t. the Commit
tee on Claims, my predecessor, the Hon. r. White
sey, another Of Ohio, met il ably and in report
rejecting honor upon himself ard the State which lie
represented, showed from official records that the doe
time which you assert had up 10 that time ever been
repudlsted by Congress. In accordance with these
pIeeedents, have, during my service in that body,
opposed il as often pretened for considerations and
10 has day, as oteH asRk has teen aeaef IN Congress
u has hem rc;octcd.
At the formation of orr Federal Co.s.ittf,ion Mr
Madison declared il would be wrong TO admit In that
instrument that ''maR can hold property IN nsoa"-
to which every member Of the convention yielded
tacit admission. But the people were not satisfied
with silent negatiOn Of such doctrine aud two years
afterwards Congress proposed to amend the Constitu.
ton by declaring, " 1HGt persoa shaN Be deprlred
"of Hfe, herfy or property, ritt0R due process Of
iar?' that Is without trial and conviction before
some tribunal having jurisdiction Of the ofense and
this proposition was adopted by the States, and now
forms part Of the Constitution. need not say that
the Republicans of l776 and those VI 1850 declared /.
to be seif-erident trufh, that all men nciuline
slayes well az their massersl endowed By their
Creator with the innenable right To liberty and that
our Federal Government founded for the express
purpose of securing 10 every human being within i,s
exclusive jurisdiction the enjoyment Of this right.
And should Cuba be am exed TO the United States
and thereby brought under our jurisdiction the Re-
publcans VII be bound 70 respect the right Of eeery