Civilian & telegraph. [volume] (Cumberland, Md.) 1859-1875, 1859-11-24

: EDWARD BATES ESQ, Of st. Lo,ris, Flo.
has been spoken of 10 u number of our eX-
changes us a suitable candidate Of the 'Oppo.
sition or Union party for President in 1860
Recently lie has published his views on thooe
topics which now seem most to interest the
people If this country. The following re-
sumo we find in the Bait Patriot Of the / I'll,
inst, and transfer them TO our columns pre-
Stunning they vii! be interesting to OILY read
ers:
The St. Louis Evening NegS Of tie s,h
instant, puts forth what purportt to b an au-
thoritative statement vi this gentleman 5
opinion upon the everlasting Slavery Cues
ton. As he is candidate Of certain por-
lions of the Opposition for the Presidency,
we have thought it might not be uninterest-
ing to submit brief summary Of his views
| on this subject.
| On the abstract question Of slavery, he oc-
cupes Mr. JetiersuD's ground to wit, that it
is a state Of war, and cannot be justified upon
any principle except that OF the will OF the
master.
He is unalterably opposed to its extension
into the Territories Of the United States,
where it does not ex st. and holds to Mr.. Clay
doctrine on this point namely, That his arm
should drop from lis shoulder, before he
would vote to extend slavery over one foot Of
Territory already free" He rejects the dog
ma, that the Constitution, by its own proper
vigur, carries slavery into all the Territories
of the United States, but believes that free
dom is the rule, and slavery the exception.
Slavery cannot, in his view, exist III any free
Territory of the United States, except by
positive law of Congress, and he is opposed
to the enactment Of any such law.
The distinction between slave and other
property, he contends is co-cval with the es
Establishment Of the compact Of Union, which
localized slavery. that is prohibited it from
migrating into Territory already free, III
exchange for this limitation OF the institution,
the Slave States got more than an equivalent,
in being allowed three votes for every five
slaves. in the election of national officers,
that two votes in the slave States count a,
much as the votes OF five men in the free
States.
Slave property is not like other property,
says Mr.. Bates, because it is entitled to votes,
while other property is not. This distinction
is as old as the Constitution, and, therefore.
he argues, there is no uniairness in excluding
this kind of property from the Tcrrt' reS ac-
quircd by the comm III blood and treasure OF
the Union. 70 allow it to 90 there would
make the owner of other property inferior to
the owner OF slave property. Slavery can
not 90 into the free States, and therefore call
not 20 into free Territories, because it is the
creation Of the local law. If slavery be ma
tional, the Constitution could not permit the
owner of slave property to be despoiled of it
in free State any more than in free Terri
tory The discrimination against slavery in
the free States has always existed, and has
never been regarded as hardship by the
slave States, because the privilege to vote on
slaves more than compensated for its cXclu-
sion from the free States. Ii the South is IT,
red OF this discrimination against slave prop
erty, Mr.. Bates thinks it can easily be remov-
ed, if the privilege OF voting enjoyed BY such
property is abandoned, and then it would be
entitled, under the Constitution, to go wher
ever other property goes, and to be protect
cd there.
lie does not regard the n-admssion Of
of Slavery into free Territories, as establish
lug distinction between Slave and other
property, but simply as maintaining dis
tinction established at the formation of the
Government by the assent Of the slave States.
He is therefore opposed to allowing slave
property to overeap its Constitutional linn
it's He does not believe that Congress will
ever protect Slavery in the Territories, be-
cause all parties III the free States are oppo-
sed to it, The principle Of the Kansas-Ne-
braska Bill, that is, Squatter Sovereignty, he
thinks, renders the introduction of Slavery
into free Territories absolutely impossible,
and therefore the question of slavery is no
longer an open one, but merely all abstrac
tluu.
lie firmly adheras to the right of property
in Slaves wherever slavery exists, and will
go as far as any man living, to protect that
species of property wherever it is maintained.
He holds to the unqualified right of the
owner to recover his slaves if they escape to
free state, and if he were President, he |
would use the whole power of the Govern |
ment TO execute the Fugitive Slave law if |
necessary If that law were repealed, or if |
it should be found to be inadequate to secure
the return OF slaves to their masters, be would |
call on Congress to pass other laws for car
rying out the Constitutional guarantee Of the
shareholders rights. The Union be would
regard ~ broken compact, il this guaran-
tee were not observed.
Should Congress pass laws lsgslians and