The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1858-10-07
senator Doaxias and the bred scott De.
cist0W.

that the W ashingtOn Cnhn recently varied
" the monotony Of its vification. by bold
attempt at forgery, 10 garbing one Of Judge
DocoLAs speeches TO prove that be had re.
pudiated the DRIED Scorr decision." As 1
do not at present, take the Washington
Union, il is not probable that have seen
the article TO which you allude. Hence,
could not take up the cudgel in its defence,
even were 40 disposed But with your
permission will briefly state what con.
slider the position recently assumed by Judge
DoUGLAs, relative to one Of the doctrines
enunciated 10 the bred Scott decision.
by this decision several important points
have been settled. One Is -1hat Narery
may eria IN a Territory under The teieral
Constitution. As suppose that this will
not be disputed, ! merely add, that it was
on this ground that the Supreme Court, in
that decision, held that the Missouri Com
promise was unconstitutional and void and
Il was on the ground that "tie right Of prop.
erty IN a dare rs d,a,nciiy and expressly If
| frmed in the federal Constitution, that the
/ Court decided that neither bred Scott
| himself, nor any Of his family. were made
free by being carried" to Fort Smelling,
"even If they had been carried there by the
owner with the intention Of becoming a
permanent resident
On the 9th Of last month a debate oc.
Cured between Douglas and !. ncoln in
| Freeport, Illinois Ia the course Of Senator
Douglas reply TO Lincoln, he made the sub
| joined remarks
! THE next question pr0pounded 10 me by
Mr.. Lincoln Il, Can the people N n territory
| IN any lawful way, against the wishes Of any
| citizen OF the United states, exclude slavery
| from their limits prior TO the formation Of a
/ State Constitution" Iauswer emphatically. a.
Mr.. Lincoln has heard me answer a hundred
| times, from every stump IN Illinois, that, In my
| opinion, the people Of a territory can by lawful
means exclude slavery from their limits prior
to the formation Of "A state Constitution. En-
! thnsia'tic applause. Mr. Lincoln knew that I
had answered that question over and over
again. He heard me argue the Nebraska bill
| on that principle all over the state in 1854, in
/ 1855 aud 1866, aud he has now no excuse for
| pretending to be IN doubt AS to my position on
/ that question. IL matters not what way the
Supreme Court may hereafter decide AS to the
abstract question whether slavery may or may
! not 90 into a territory under the Consultation,
/ the people have the lawful means 10 introG uce
[ It or exclude II "a they please, for the reason
that slavery cannot exist a day or an hour any
where unless It Is supported by local police
regulations. fright, right Those police regu-
latons can only be established by the local leg
islature. And If the people are opposed to sla
very, they will elect representatives to that
body who will by nnirendy legislation prevent
| the introduction OF 1t into their midst II, on
the contrary, they are for IT, their legislation
will favor its extension. Hence. no matter
what the decision of the Supreme Court may
be on that abstract question, still the right Of
tho people 10 make u Slave Territory or "a
/ Free Territory, il perfect and complete under
! the Nebraska bill. | hope Mr.. Lincoln deems
my answer satisfactory on that point
This extract from Senator Douglas.
speech is copied from the Chicago Times,
his acknowledged organ. II must, there.
fore, be correct, and, that his views as above
set forth, have not been hastily adopted. is
evident from the fact that he says he had re-
pcatcdy expressed the same sentiments be-
lore on every stump in Illinois. let Us
look ut its main feature again. Senator
Douglas tells us very plainly that the PEG.
pie OF Territory edn, by lawful means, et.
dude darsry from Their hmHs PRIOR to the
in direct conflict with the doctrine enunciat.
ed by the Supreme Court in the bred Scott
decision. For. If it be true that slavery
may exist in Territory under the federal
| constitution, 1t follows that the people OF
Territory cannot exclude slavery from their
limits prior to the formation Of State con.
stitation. And. II it be true that slavery
may exist in u Territory under the federal
constitution. 1t follows that its inhabitants
do not possess any ta,efM means where
with to effect its removal prior to the lorna.
ton Of State constitution, They have 20
such right. and cannot have until the federal
constitution shall have been abrogated
1t will be seen that for one, dissent IN
toto from the doctrine above promulgated
by Judge Douglas believe that slavery
may exist, in Territory, under the Federal
Constitution. do not believe, and never
did that the people of u Territory can tx.
clude slavery from their limits PRIOR to the
formation OF State Constitution. be-
lievc that the right time for them TO exclude
slavery from their limits, is when they form
and ratiiy their State Constitution and
such, think, was Judge Douglas opinion
when he introduced hts X ansss. \ cbraska
bill. In his Kansas Nebraska Report. pre-
sentcd 10 the Senate, March ~, ls56. the
following sentence occurs
Conforming to the cardinal principles 81
State equality aud self government, IN cbedi.
sacs % the Coasi,fst,oa, the Kansas Nebraska
act declared, in the precise language, Of the
Compromise Measures Of lSSo that ,rAss al
pnftsd a. STATE the said, Territory, or ANY
portion of the same, shalt be received into the
Union, with or without slavery. as fisu Con.
9 1st'oa Nay pre'cr.he al tas riss ~ rHsis Ar
MISSION
II, when Judge Douglas pennei the Ne
braska bill. No believed that the people OF
Territory can exclude slavery from their
limits pr,or o. the formation OF State
Constitution. why did he not say 50 ? Why
did he, instead designate ne tine Of ftrr
adm,s0on. as the RICH, tue 10 exclude
slavery from their limits Why did be not
say then, as he said a, Frecpor,, " iha, sia-
very cannot exist II day or an hour any
a, - "A hv LII