Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1859-07-19

special report In the Cincinnati Commercially
ne n .nad met fellow citizens with a yiew
70 sette ms relations withthe Republican party,
ana TO define his position before his 8consfiti,.
ents. lie had been the subject OF nisreDresen. {
tatlons, and wash purpose to correct them s
lts mad been saldso him, nay some Of his ar-E
dlence had heard him say, that in srespect Of
party operations, he. did not know whethersor
not not ne belonged to any of the great political
parties OF the country. He{Was not evensnoyvf
sure that his principles, except in one Tesbect
wefe feYtnosesotsanys spaltYsnows in existence:9 but
upon the subject OF. slavery be agreed Yentifelv5
with the Republican party. Upon that subject
ne was confident he sconcurred in sentiment
@lthsnlneteentht ntieths of those menFin the
state, OF ONO who vote the u6lcan5tickct-
But there were o:her important principles BE-
torezthe country, upon which the Republican
party had never clearly defined itself, and il
might be that he did not concur upon those
questions with that party.
In relation to Slavery, he had during forty
years maintained the position occupied by the
would prove it, and. the record of his future
life would show that be was with#them.earnest
upon anti-.slavery principles.
Upon the subject the power of Congress
nsretation to legislation for Territories it was
his liked opinion that Congress had the right,
and tits its duty, toprohibit slayeryin them.
But with those who contend that Congress has
fugitive slaves, he could not5and did not agree
BE agreed with the Republicans that slavery is
very lnlschievous-more injurious to the white
than to the black man, and he could establish
by historical proof that wherever slavery has
founda place, the slave has suffered less than :,
the master.
He had said, and would repeat the remark,
that the Republican party was organized upon
the single question of.slayery; and when he had !.
sal6 that he belonged to5no party, it was with
the qualification expressed or$implied thatthere
were other great questions interesting to the
people of the United States, upon which the
Republican party had not been explicit, and It
was to these questions he had addressed hitn-
sell. 1t was his deliberate opinion that Con.
gress has the power to make proper and suit.
able law to recapture fugitive slaves as we'll as
tugitves from justice, and he could not agree
with those persons of extreme views5who main
tanned 1T to be the duty Of citizens conscien-
to law TO resist its enforce.
mcnt and he believed that Observation-Disclosures
otthe Republican party Of. Ohio agree with him.
Just before coming upon the stand, n note had
been slipped into his hand by some person un-
known to him, which he would read, viz:
Hon; Tuos. GoRw1N:-Tn your speech here,
last fall, you denounced as bad citizens those
who would not and could not conscicnti0usIy
aid in executing this fugitive slave law. Now
sir, 1 wish to know how any man who believes
to be immoral, can aidin the exe-
cutlon of said Law, unless heundertakes to fight
both against God and his own conscence-
Swearing to support the Constitution lays no
one under any obligation to support or aid IN
executing said law, for you know, and every
unprGjudlced man knows that5it is unconstitu-
ti0nal i'll several of its features
Csigned) AC1rrzES
Alr. Corwin remarked upon the note at length,
the substance of his sentiments being that he
did not mean to denounce any man as a bad
manAwho refused to obey the law, but that he
regarded it the sacred duty. Of every citizen to Z
obey the, law whensit should have been decided
as such by the legislative and judicial depart
mentS OF the country. He who would not, s.
could not be a good citizen. It was rather ab-
surd; and the principle carried.out tllatone man
should presume to say9a lawis unconstitutional,
and condemn all ofhis fellow citizens ms igno-
rant, especially where every court in the United
States had declared the law constitutional
This Fugitive slave Law, Judge Mclean, an
earnest anti-savery man, had declared conSti.
totional in so many words. Can any man say
ne is right, and all theworld-wronS? Hewould
not countenance any man to do "a n net which
his conscience would notjustify. He would
admire man who would sacrifice himself for
principle, because he would guarantee his hon.
cSty. Yet he would say the law.must be obey
ed and d5lfyou don0t like it, repeal. Suppose
brigham Young should come here with his /
forty-two women, and be arraigned how would
SOA II uS StlOulG SCI Tue pI61I
and the Word of God, as i read in
the book of Mormon, tells me / am right2n He
CHR. Corwin) would have men obey the law,
and if they disobeyed, he would bring their
headssto the block, if5the law required it. He
dislikcd the fugitive slave law. It's a bad law,
and an unjust law. He would not have voted q.
for ritifhe had been#in the Senate Bdtit.is
the law, and must be obcyed, till the principle
Of obedience to laws is forgotten, and we are
driven=to anarchy and depotisn. The Consti-
tuition recognizes this law. rheEright ofrecap-
ture could bczasserted under the Constitution
if you had no law. The Courts ofsthe o.
have Jurisdiction the whole country, and a 8
writ Of error would take a case before it from,
your high hest State tribunal and the Supreme
Court would inevitably decide In favor Of the
recapture upon evidence. Ityoulwouldputt
law aside in. one case, you would in-0nothcr, and
what would be the result? 59
- 9sAir.@ GorwinH proceeded to sayzhe would pro-
hibit Slavery every where: The Constitution
gives Congress right TO limit, and itisthe duty
Of Congress to do it. He did not believe Terri.
tories had right to admit or reject It. This
doctrine is contrary to- the intention and ipstruc-
tionso the trainers of the Constitution IA 1.-The
laws, of the United States upon this subject
from the organization Of the Government down.
to tho Kansas-N Nebraska Bill, has expressed the
right of Congress toe egislate for the Territories.