Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1859-12-29
THE REPUBLICAN.
PRINCIPLES OF THE REPUBLICAN
h'r .f s.lsH PARTY. HNf

L
! M i ;laM PARTY. ZOO
Remarks Of Hon. Lyman Trumbuii,l Of
Illinois. .r.f.,, Z
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES, THURSDAY.
= lssffrr- DEC. &, 1859. ifae'
Mr.. President, Just bcfote the adjournment ofthis
body Yesterday was called upon by the Senator
from Florida, Mr.. Yulee.l to state what were the
prnciples of the Republican party. he said that
! lie desired a precise statement ofthc point:
"And ifit is crnblazoned to the world and IL SO
simple that all who run may read, 1t Certainty can
occupy but very little Of the time of the Senate to
state explicitly, and in few words what the position
ofthe party is aud to what point 1t tends; whatis the
purpose of their organization; and what is the poll
Icy they propose to establish IN tins country upon the
slavery question" r.f. F f
I Sir / did suppose that the Senator from Florida
and every Senator could understand if he desired
to, what our principles were. They have been
proclaimed. by on authoritative convention OF the
party in language as plain as it is in the power o
man to employ; and it is only by justification, BY
MISREPRESENTATION of them in many portions OF the
country, as think, that the public mind OF the
South has been excited against the Republican par
]ty have brought along with me theirdecaration
of principles, and for as it relates to the slyery
question will read it, il bricf, and should like
to know what portion oft the Senator from fiori
da, o' any other Senator, individual, North OF
South, objects. Here it is: tIrss
Resolred, Tha. the maintenance of the principles
promulgated in the Declaration of Independence
and embodied in the Federal Constitution, are es
sential to the preservation OF our Republican inst
tutions, and that the Federal Constitution, the
rights of the States, and the Union of the States
must and shall be preserved.
Do,e tf,a Sanator from, Florida understand that--
that the Constitution ofhe Dntcd States, the rights
of the States and the prineiples embodied IN the
Constitution, must and shall be preserved
Mn YUrEE / want to know how you construt
the Constitution.
! MR. TRuMpuII We viii tell you. We say our
selves how we construe it on the slavery question
"Resolred. That, with our republican fathers, We
hold it to be selfevidcnt truth that all men are
endowed with the inalienable right Of life, liberty
and the pursuit of happiness and that the primar,
object and ulterior design of our Federal Govern
ment is, TO grant these rights to all persons under
its exclusive jurisdiction. That. as our republican
fathers, when they had abolished slavery in all ou
national territory, ordained that person shall be
deprived oflife, liberty or property, without due
process oflaw, it becomes our duty to maintain th.
provision of the Constitution against all attempts
to violate it for the purpose of establishing SLAYER,
in the Territories of tho United Statcs by positive
Legislation prohibiting Its existence extension
therein. That We deny the authority ofCongress,
of Territorial Legislature, any individual OF
association OF individuals to give legal existence tC
slavery IN any Territory ofthe United States, while
the present Constitution shall be maintained.
"ResOtued, That the Constitution confers upoT
Congress, sovereign power over the Territories o.
the United States for their government; and that,
in the exercise of this power is both the right ant
the imperative duty of Congress TO prohibit in the
Territories those twin relics of babarism polygam,
and slavery"
1 That is the whole platform of the Republican
party on the subject of slavery. -
Ma. SAuIsBuRr. Willthe Senator from y
allow me to ask him questc-.- s
MR. TRUMBULL. Yes,sr. ,,,o l.s. rcsoIu.
Ma. SAuLsBrEy s,i,n,;on ,fs' consrs mon Con
eign power ofthe Territories of the Uni
"a SECS for their government why isit that that
~. er, which the resolution declares TO be sovereign
Ii Congrcss-by which presume, is meant SUI
preme power, power which has no superb ior-is mol
capable ofbeing exercised for the establishment o
slavery in a Teritoryi i.-
Ma aTRuMBuLL Mr. President, the power which
the Federal Government NAV exercise overa Ter
ritory is sovereign power in its government, as VIC
all know and understand, within the Constitution
but the Constitution of the United States declares
that Congress shall pass no law establishing any par
ticuar form of reli sion, of abridgng the freedom
ofspeech or of the press. readily admit, and Sc
0ocS the hcpuDiiCau thc ". s'ie
United States cannot pass law abrdging the free
dom of speech i'm any ono OF the Territories. They
are expressly prohibited from 500 doing. Ther have
the sovereign power the Territories; to legis
islate for them in all matters within the ConStitu
tion but the Constitution of the United States does
not authorize Congress to establish slavery. Tho
Constution is founded upon this principles: 1t doc:
not establish slavery at all, but merely tolerates y
where italready exists by virtue of State laws
That is the meaning OF the Constitution of the Uni
ted States. lt is Constitution OF freedom, th'
word "slave" not occurring in it, and the men wht
framed the Constitution believed that in the pro
cess of time there would be slaves in any portion
of the Confederacy, and of its principal author
objected to the use of the word slave, lest future
generations might know that there was slavery il
some of the States when the Constitution was form
ed. 1t was formed on the principle of fliberty, bu
not the principle of freeing slaves where the.
arc held by virtue of State law; and if you will turI
to that clause of the Constitution relating to the re
clamation of fugitive slaves you will find that
reads that ono person held TO service labor il
one State under the laws thereof" that is under tn
laws of the State, "escapng into another, shall. II
consequence of any law or regulation therein b
discharged from such service Or labor, but shall b
delivered up" There is no provision for the dc
liycring up Of man who is held rs slave undo
the Constitution of the United States. Would tn
honorable Senator from Delaware contend that un
der that clause you could reclaim a who wa
held as a slave, under the Constitution ofthe Uni
ted States, who had escap u into another State
Suppose person comics into the State of Delewar
who, il is contendcd is slave, and his aledgcd own
er comes and seeks to reclaim him and take hin
r bick 90 the country from which he had fed, woul
you give him up if he did not show that he wa
held as slave under The laios Of e State from rhc
he had escaped. If YOU would not, then, as matte
Of course, you would not give up person who wa
held slave in ono the Territories, unless ther
is an actof Congress which authorizes the surren
der, ,of a person held as slave in TcrEitoty. N
). Now, lest l be misunderstood, l viii state that
do not mean to say that f there is slavery in ono
the Territories OF the Union, as there was by &C
quiescence of Congress in Tennessee and Kentuck
and in the southwestern States while they wer
q Territories, a negro who is he'd as slave ther
and escapes into any one of the States Of the Unio
e may not be reclaimed. hold to no such doctrine
!, contend that the Congress of the United State
have sovereign power over the Territories to legis
late for them within the Constitution, and had fb
right to provide, as it did in the enactment of th
ordnance Of 1851 for the northwest Territory b
inserting clause socially providing that fugitive
who should escape tothat Territory from slarehold
$ ing States should be surrendered up. Why wa
that clause put in1 Why didnot the general la
cover it? IL is by virtue ofits soeeregn poweI ove
: the Territories that Congress provides law b
which person held to service or labor in slave
holding Territory may be reclaimed and brougl
back to the State from whence lie fled. This
what understand by these two provisions. a
&* xrf