Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1859-09-16


ms to let the people Of the territories decide
this thing for themselves. That is the sin of
| which have been guilty-the sin Of beliov-
ing that other men had hearts and hands as
we'll as myself or the Congress Of the United
! States
Another remark My friend seems to as
sumo that the Congress Of the United States
can he relied upon to keep slavery out of the
territories In the next breath he saws that
you cannot make popular sovereignty work be-
cause the powers at Washington will inter-
! fere. This is potent reasoning. For how
could the people Of the territories be in1u-
enced and interfered with by the powers at
/ Washington any more than we here in the
States or the Congressman assembled at
/ Washington.
My friend says another thing that we who
have beon agitating this subject, have been
| guiltyof all the enormities that have been COM
mitted. 'Did notyou annex Texasf he asks.
| No / did not. But let me tell you who did.
| One Jacob Brinkerhoff had hand in that nf-
| fair. Another man, A. p. Stone, who now
stands on your ticket for Treasurer, voted for
| the annexation of Texas. | am not upbraid-
ing them fortl&a votes, for l think il one Of the
! bestthings thQs4ever did. But where is the con-
1 sistancy of %t gentlemen in reproaching
others while he himself indorses these gentle
men,
| But let us now 20 back and look at this
thing little more methodicnlly. This eter-
nal agitation Of the subject of slavery is un-
| wise. The honest and patriotic men Of the
country settled everything with reference to
this question nine years ago acquiesced
in that settlement and still stand by IT, Ny
| friend also endorsed il. For in 1852 my hon
| orable friend bore the standard for General
| Scott all over this State The difference then
| between him and myself is this changed
once, he changed then and went for the Com
! promise and has changed again and goes
| against it. But let US look at this little
more particularly.
Upon the conclusion Of our War with Mex
leo the question how our Territories we're to
be formed into States became for the first
| time an all-Rbsorbing one. For be it remem-
bered the Ordinance of 81 was passed before
! the adoption OF the Constitution, and stands
rs n treaty stipulation between the States
What was itH Old Virginia having claim
upon all this vast territory, said in the spirit
OF brotherhood o. will surrender all my
claim for the common benefit. | grant this.
Take in common with me the benefit Of this
large domain, on condition that slavery is
for ever prohibited within her borders."-
Now Old Virginia is assaulted; but by this
one act she did more to extend freedom than
oil your shrieking will do from this to the
end Of time. [Cheers.
1t is true that tho Missouri Compromise line
had been established. But my friend Gov.
Chase here, will not cry very seriously over
the removal Of that line. lie assaulted it
while it lived and Wept bitter tears over it
when it was dead
We said at the North let us organize this
vast territory which has been acquired into
Territorial governments, and prohibit slavery
in it. This position was taken in Congress-
The South sad have we not acquired this
territory in common with your Have We not
helped to bear the expenses Of this war p
Have not our sons fallen on the bloody battle
field? And have we not contributed to the
sum paid TO NIe1ico?' "Lct us therefore be
fraternal, they said. Let us extend tho
Missouri line through to the Pacific Ocean 49,
What lies to the North, you shall have what
to the South, we will have
This proposition the North voted down.
| Thus We got into that sort of trouble from
which it required men Of large patriotism to
oxtrcate us. Happily there were such men
then in tho councils Of our nation. At the
hesd of such was Mr.. Clay, who though old
and feeble, still possessed that energy of mind
and indomitable patriotism which had ever
characterized him through n long and event
ful life. My friend will say that l have no
right to say this Of Mr.. Clay. But let me as
sure him that no man ever heard me impeach
tho patriotism of such noble men as Clay and
Webster. While | am no convert to their
doctrines Of State policy, feel that | can oc-
cupy common ground with them on the ques-
tions that divide parties. l will here read an
extract Of n speech made at Frankfort, 25th
of November, 1850, by Mr.. Clay;
"lf the the agitation in regard to the FU-
GITlVE SLAVE LAW should continue to
increase, and become alarming, it will tend
to the formation of two new parties, ONE
|
AGAINST THE UNION. Present parties
have been created by the division of opinions
as regards systems of National policy; and
| as to finance, free trade OF protection, the
/ improvement Of rivers and harbors the dis
tribution Of the proceeds of the public lands,
! &C.. but bese systems Of policy, growing out
Of the administration Of the government of
| the Union, lose all their interest and mpOr-
tance if that Union is to be dissolved They
sink into utter insignifcance before the all
| important persuasive and paramount interest
| Of tho Union itself And the platform Of that
Union party will be the Union, the Consttu-
tion, and the enforcement of its laws-AND
| IF IT SHOULD BE NECESSARY TO FORM
! SUCH A PARTY, AND IT SHOULD BE
| ACCORDINGLY FORMED, l ANNOUNCE
| MYSELF AS A MEMBER OF THAT PAR
| TY-WHATEVER BE ITS COMPONENT
| ELEMENTS. SIR, l GO FURTHER.
/ nav y llhD dhEAl llOIEO AMI NONFl-
| DENCE IN THE PRINCIPLES OF THE
! WING PARTY, AS BEING MOST LIKELY
| TO CONDUCE TO THE HONOR, THE
! PROSPERITY AND THE GLORY OF MY
! COUNTRY; BUT If 1T Is TO BE MERGED
| INTO A CONTEMPTIBLE ABOLITION
! PARTY, AND IF ABOLlTIONISM is TO
! BE ENGRAFTED ON THE WING CREED,
| FROM THAT MOMENT l RENOUNCE THE
| PARTY AND CEASE TO BE A WHIG."
! Now let me show how this question was set
| tied in 1850 and in order to do this win
| read from report made by Mr.. Clay in favor
Of non-intervention of Congress-
"The true principle which ought I, regu-
! late the action of Congress, in forming Terri
! toral government for each newly-acquired
! domain, is to refrain from all legislation on
| the subject in the Territory acquired, so long
! as il retains the Territorial form Of govern
ment--leaving it to the people of such Terri
tory when they have obtained to a condition
~ hich entities them TO admission as a State,
to decide for themselves the question Of the
/ allowance or prohibition Of domestic slavery.
| The Committee believe that they express the
anxious desire of an immense majority of the
people of the United States when they declare
that it is high time that good feelings, har-
mony, and fraternal sentiments should be
again revived, and that the government
( should be able once more TO proceed in its
great operations to promote the happiness and
prosperity Of the country, undisturbed by this
distracting cause
That was Henry Clay in 1850 That was
the position of the two great parties of the
country in 1850, and in accordance with this