Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1858-07-16
Mr.. Blair ON the Stump...His Views
3s On Enamel patton. ~


Mr.. Blair ON the stump---His Views
On emancipation.
At Florisant, Mo-, on Saturday last, Mr.
} Blair held discussion with his Democratic
and American competitors for Congress,
Messrs. Barrett and Breckinridge, he making
the'opening and closing speech. Mr.. Barrett
resorted to the old dodge of attempting to
identify the Free Democracy of Missouri
with the Garrison Abolitionists of the East,
and was conclusively answered by Mr.. Blair,
as may be seen by the following extract from
his response to the charge:
MIR. Barret knew as we'll as any man of
tn It large audience that Mr.. Blair's senti-
} ments did not agree with those men who
have Been palmed of upon the people as his
political kindred. MIR. Barret knew when
be was reading these partial extracts from
the most radical speeches of abolition ora
tors, that they were not his sentiments, and
that he had notNhe least sympathy with them
He knew fulluEell that they cannot possibly
become his sentiments, and he must say that
there is species of low demagogism to
which his competitor has resorted, which i'll
becomes him as a candidate for the high
honors of the people, and which, for its very
shamefulness, should never be resorted to by
anybody. He knows that when l advocate
emancipation, but reiterate the sentiments
of Washington, Of Jefferson, and the best
men of the olden time. He knows but give
utterance to the opinions of such men as st.
John Sinclair, who declared that the best
interest of the Union is bound up in the
project of getting rid Of the negro slaves.
Washington, Jefferson, Madison, all favored
emancipation. have drawn my sentiments
from the patriots of our early history
of enlarged experience, Of profound intellect,
of thorough knowledge themselves slave
holders, but having the destiny of their
country uppermost in their minds. They
were the sentiments of MIR. Clay. He desired
it for Kentucky, and thought slavery bur
then upon the prosperity of the State.
though that to be the case in Missouri, and
1 believe so now. l openly advocate these
sentiments, and have never yet disavowed
them, and am surprised at my antagonist,
who, after hearing that our slaves can be
a single dollar-and knowing that the best
interests of the State would be promoted
thereby, and knowing such to be our senti
|
slaves loose upon society-thus attempts the
to such contemplate methods of endeavoring
to excite against us the prejudices and
passions of any class of our people.
A STAKEHOLDER myself-devoted to the
prosperity of Missouri as much as any man
who treads the soil-proud of my State
proud of the white race, and studying their
interests, l shall not allow myself to be
branded by such assertions. All who know
me know them to be false; and he who
attributes to me such sentiments as were
read to you, deserves to be met in no other
way than that in which always meet such
calumny.
Mr.. Blair said his friend Breckinridge was
mistaken when he said that slavery had never
passed away as the result of a political
movement. All the States at one time tol-
Grated slavery. Massachusetts, came in as a
free State under the Constitution. John
Jay, in New York, and Benjamin Franklin,
in Pennsylvania, accomplished the emanci-
patton of slaves in those States on the ground
of interest. | would like to hear Of any
man in that day denouncing Jay and Frank
lin as Aholitionists. Why, he would have
descended into infamy.
| And now what are the re ults of this pol
iicy Of emancipation in New Y York and Penn
sylvania. Virginia was the first State in
the Union. But when New York stripped
the letters from her limbs, she out-ran her
competitors. Who should be thanked for
this? Mr.. Jay or those who opposed his
policy? Had Virginia adopted the advice
of Madison, Of Jefferson, of Geo. Mason and
of many other Of her gifted sons, what
would have been the result, With the finest
fields to be found on the round earth-with
mountains crammed full of ore with fine
harbors upon her sea coast, containing with
in her limits every element necessary for a
great and prosperous State-with a mild and
healthy climate Astounding in natural scene
ry unsurpassed for its magnifcence, what
should be her position? In the face of all
these facts, shall we be denounced for advo->
eating the policy of such men as have
named? If we believe emancipation will
be conducive to the growth, development
and prosperity of the State, we should labor
to achieve it. do not believe in sitting
still and doing nothing. Believing it will
benefit the condition Of those who by the
benefcence of our laws are made citizens
with US in the enjoyment Of this princely
heritage, believing something would be done
which shall place Missouri on the line of
progress, and in the work of rapid develop
ment, no terror, no threat, no epithet, can
deter me from marching right straight to
the mark for the accomplishment Of the
glory and prosperity Of this State which l
love, and Of this people who have SO gener
ously supported me. Look at Iowa-the
other dag wilderness--a naked prairie :
noao she almost outstrips Missouri, and in
the nert Congress acill send asmany represen-
| E..
clue to this prosperity? Why, is the vast
superiority Of white labor over forced labor,
and believing this shall not stand here and
cry out, "Don't agitate," s'Don't agitate"
In all the States where emancipation has
No one has q vested right in property not in
emancipate, but we have the right to say
that all born after certain date shall be
free, and besides we can legislate them out
of the State, so that we can have homoge
neous white population.
What BECOMES OF THE PRINTING PLUNDER.
The Washington Union of the I'd inst,
publishes letter addressed to the Patent
Office, on agricultural matters, from which
we make the following extract:
4 I" As to the Patent Office reports, l am
inclined to think the fault has been in try
\ ing to do too much, to embrace too many
things in one volume of which could
inttrest but rery fsso people. l think, how
ever, you have made great Improvement;
but in what has added to the unpopularity,
or rather want OF appreciation, Of the Pat
ent Office reports, is the mode of distribu-l
tion generally adopted. There are hun-
dreds-yes, thousands of copies If past years
lying in the post Offices OF the country now,