Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1858-07-01
hf SPEECH OF
GOVERNOR LINCOLN.

HI, hepuOiIcan Stafe convention, becaus
it Is the best exposition Of the effect of til
Drcd Scott decision we have seen.
should be peruSed and pondered upon b
every true lover of his country. There
no doubt in our mind that it is the inten
tion of the Democratic party to make slave
ry a universal institution in this countr,
They declare that the Missouri Compro
mise was unconstitutional, and of cours
the next decision will be That the Ordnanc
of 17S7 was also unconStitutional, whlc
will legalize slavery In the Northwestern
States, in spite ofall the State laws. Rca
Gov. Lincoln's unanswerable argument
and, as You love free institutions, csche,
bogus Democracy, whose fair profession
are only made to deceive: .ea, ao
The new year Of 1854 foml slavery OK
clutlcl from moro than one hall the State
by State Constitutions, aud from most o
the national territory 10y Congressional pro
! hibition. Four days later, commenced th
struggle, which ended I'm lepcaling tha
Congressional prohibition. This opene,
all the national territory to slavery, an,
was the first point gaincd. te i'-.ts
But, so far, Congress only, had acted
and an Endorsement by the people, real o
apparent was Indispensable. to save tho
point already gained, and give chance fo
more. tH uai8 efI SIS
This necessity hs not been overlooked
but had been provided for, as well as Nigh
be, III the notable argument of "squatte
sovereignty" otherwise called "sacred
| right of self-goverrnment, which latter
phrase. though expressive OF the only right
tul basis oi any government was SO pervert
ell in this attempted use OF its to amount
to Just this. That if any one man, choose
TO cnslave another, no nirR nan man shall
be allowed to oblert. That argument was
incorporated into the Nebraska bill itself.
in the language which follows: ''It being
the trne intent arl meaning of this act not
TO legislste slavery into any Territory or
State, nor to exclude it tllcrcirom, but to
leave the people thereof perfectly free to
form aud regulate their domestic institutions
III their own way, subject only TO the Con-
stitution of the United States Then o.
Pencd the roar of loose defamation in ia
vor OF "oluattcr Sovereignty" ami ''Sa
cred right OF government" but"
said opposition members. 'lef Us amend
the bill SO as to expressly declare that
the people of the Territory may exclude
slavery" Not We sai,l the friends OF
the measure. AMI down b. votcl the a
meDlinent.
While the Nebraska bill was passing
through congress. lsO-ease involving the
question OF negros freedom, by reason
of his owner having voluntarily taken him
inst INTO a free State and then into Ter
rtory covcrciby congressional prohibition.
and held him as a slave, for long time in
each, was passing through the L. 5. Cir
cult Court for the District of Missouri; and
both Nebraska bill AMI law suit were
brought TO decision in the same month of
May. 1881. The negro ) name was .sDred
Scott which name now designates the de-
cision finally made in the "a Sc. Before the
then next Presidential election, the law
case came to. and was argued in, the Su-
premc Court of the United States; but the
decision of it was deferred rntI after the
election. Still before the election. Senator
Frumbull, on the floor of the Senate, re-
quests the leading advocate of ths Nebraska
bill TO state his opinion whether the pcople
oi Territory can constitutionally exclude
slavery from their limits; and the latter an
swcrs. That Is question forthe Supreme
Court"
The election came Mr.. Buchanan was
elected, AMI the Endorsement, such as it
was, secured. That was the second point
gained The Endorsement, however, fell
short Of clear popular majority by near
-four hundred Thousand votes, and so. per
haPs, was not overwhelmingly reliable and
satisfactory The out going President. in
his last annual message, as impressiveIy as
possible echoed back upon the people the
weight AMI authority OF the indo, sement
The Supreme Court met again; did not an
nounce their decision. but ordered rear
gument. The Presidential Inauguration
came, and still no decision of the court:
but the incoming President in his inaugu
raj address, fervently cxhorted, the people
to abide by the Forthcoming decision, what
ever 1t might be- Then, in few davs.
came the decision The reputed author of
the Nebraska bill finds an early occasion
to make speech in this capital indol sing
the Dred Scott decision, and vehemsntly
denoancing all opposition to it, The new
President, too. sclzes the early occasion of
the Sillilnan letter to indorse aud strongly
that decision, and to express hi. !
that any different Wow had
ever been entertained =
AT length a squabble springs up between
the President and the author of the Nebras
ka bill, on the mere question Of fyet wheth
sr the Lecompton Constitution was or was
not. in any just sense, made by the people
Of Kansas; aud in that quarrel the latter de-
clares that all he wants is a fair vote for the
people, and that he cares not whether slave
~ be voted dorm or voted APP / do not !
his declaration that he cares not
whether slavery be voted down or voted !
up, to be intended by him other than as
an apt definition of the policy he would i'm
press npou the public mind-the principle !
Tor which he declares he has suffered so
much. and is ready to suffer to the end. +
Aud well may he cling to that principle. |
Il he has any parental feeling, well may he /
cling to It, That principle is the only !