The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1858-04-24
ciOns as to wha. the result will be after L'
compton is admitted

cions as to wha. the result will be after 1t
compton is admitted.
, In the following extract Judge d. con
t ments on the new sort of democracy advt
: Gated by the ultra Lecomp,onists and tn
Washington Union:
/ In this connection there is another topi
, to which desire to allude. j seldom rcfe
to the course Of newspapers, or hotce I'll
articles which they publish in regard to my
self but the course of the Washington Un
ion has been SO extraordinary, for the las
two or three months, that think it vel
enough to make some alluSion to it. 1t ha:
read me out of the Democratic party every
eyerp other day, at least, for two or three
months, and keeps reading me out, 0augh
tcr;) and, as if it had not succeeded, still
confines to read me out, using such terms
as "trator," renegade" deserter,' and
other kind and polite epithets of that ma.
ture. Sir, have no vindcatien to make OF
my democracy against the Washington Un-
ion, or any other newspapers. am viii
ling to allow my history and action for the
last twenty years to speak for themselves
as to my political princcles, and my fidelity
to political obligations. The Washington
! Union has personal grievance. When its
editor was nominated for Public Printer, ]
/ declined to vote for him, and stated that at
some time might give my reasons for doing
SO. Since declined to give that vote, this
scmrrlous abuse, these vindlctive and con-
slant attacts have been repeated almost dai-
ly on me. There is one article in an issue
Of tina, paper which / ask my friend from
Michigan to read
Here follows long article from the Union
which we omit, its substance being sufii-
ciently indicated in the remarks that follow.
Mr. DorGLAs Mr. President, Won here
find several distinct propositions advanced
boldly by the Washington tnien edItorially
and appar ntly authoritatcly, and every man
who questions any of them is denounced a
an Aholitionist. a Free Soile-, fanatlc.-
The propositions are, first, that the pIima-
~ object Of all government at its original
institution ~ the protection of person and
property; second, that the Constitution q
the United States declares that the citizens
of each state shall he entitled 10 all the Pm
viieces and lmmuntics Of citizens IN the sev-
eral States; and that, therefore, third $. all
State laws. whether organic or otherwise,
which prohibit the citizens Oi one State
from settling in another with their slave
property, and especially declaring it Tor
feitcd, nre direct violations OF the original
intention of the Government and ConstItu-
ton of the United States; and fourth, that
the emancipation of the slaves OF the north
ern States was a gross outrage on the rights
Of property, inasmuch a. 1t was involuntari-
~ done on the part OF the owner
Remember that this article was Published
in the Union on the l7th Of November, and
on the 18th nppnared the first article giving
the adhesion OF the Union to the IecornIt
Constitution. twas in these words:
"KAxsAs AxD HER CoNsTTuuox-Thc
vexed question is settled. The problem is
solved The dread point Of danger Is pass
ed Nj serious trouble TO kansrs affairs is
over and gone
and column, nearly, Of the same sort
Then, when you come to look into the Le-
compton Constitution, you find the same
doctrine incorporated in 1T which was put
forth edilorially in the Union. What is it:
"AKricIE Z. .StcfiOn ]. The right of pro-
pcrtv is before and h cher than any consti.
,u,onal sanction; aud the right OF the own
er of a slave to such slave and its increase
is the same and as inviolable as tue right Of
the owner Of any property whatever.
Then in the schedule is provision that
the constitution may be Amended after 1864
by two thirds vote,
"But no Alteration shall be made to affect
the right of property in the ownership OF
slaves
1t will he seen by these clauses in the I.e-
compton Constitution, that they are identi-
cal il spirit with this authoritative article in
the Washington Union OF the day previous
to it's Endorsement of this constitution, and
every man is branded as Free-Soiler and
AbolitioniSt, who does not subscribe To
them. The proposition is advanced that
the emancipation acts of New ork, OF New
England, OF Pennsylvania, and ot New Jcr-
sew, were unconstitutional, were outrages
upon the right ofproperty, were violations
OF the Constitution of the United States
The proposition is advanced that southern
man oas n right to move from South Carroll
ma, with his negroes, into Illinois, to settle
there and hold them there as slaves, any
thing in the constitution and laws Of Illinois
to the contrary notwithstanding. The pro-
position is, that a citizen Of Virginia has
rights in a free State cannot himself have
We prohibit ourselves from holding slavos
within our limits; and vet, according to this
doctrine, n citizen of Kentucky can move
into our State, bring in one hundred slaves
with him, and hold them as such in defiance
Of the constitution and lavs Of our own
State. Ifthat proposition is true, the creed
of the Democratic party is false. The prin-
ciple of the Kansas Nebraska b II is, that
leach territory shall be left perfectly free
to form and regulate lis domestic institu-
tions in its ewn way, subject only to the
Constitution Of the United States l claim
that Illinois has the sovereign right to pro-
hibit slavery, a right as undenlab!c as that
the Sovereignty Of Virginia may authorize
its existence. We have the same right to
prohibit it that yon have to recognize and
protect it, Each State is sovereign within
its own sphere Of powers, sovereign in res
pect to its own domestic and local institu-
tions ind into rnal concerns. SO lorg as you
rcculat your local institutions to suit your
selves, we are cpntent; but when you claim
the right to override our laws and our con-
stitu,ion, and deny our right to form our in
stitutionS to suit ourselves, | protest against
it. The same doctrine is asserted III this
lie compton Constitution. There, it is stated
that the right of property in slaves is = be-
fore and Iii cher than any constitutional sane
ton"
Mr.. President, recognize the right of
the saveholding States to regulate their To-
cal institutions, to claim the services of their
slaves under their own State laws, and am
prepared to perform each and every one of
my obligations under the Constitution ofthe
United States in aespect to them; but do
not admit, and do not think they are safe
in asserting, that their right of property in
/ slaves is higher than and above constitution
al obligations, is independent of constitution
al obligations. When you rely upon the
Constitution and upon your own laws, you
are safe When you go beyond and above
Constitutional obligations, know not where
your safety is. If this doctrine be true,
that slavery is higher than the Constitution
and above the Constitution, it necessarily
| follows that State cannot abolish it, can
not prohibit 1t, and the doctrine OF the