Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1860-12-27

the present excited state Of the country, 1t
becomes a matter OF the first Importance to
ascertain exactly what Mr.. Lincoln's views
OH the Slavery question really are, In order
that We may judge how far the apprehen-
sions Of the South are justified. We quote
them:
[Fon Howcli's Life of Lincoln, page 279.1
''What DO say is, that no man is good
: enough to govern another man, acithom the
othcr's consent say this is the leading
] prncii,,,e, the SHEET ANCHOR Of Amer-
;can RepuIJtcaaisD2, Our Declaration Of
independence says:
1--WE hold these truths to be sclf-cvident
that ali men are created cqnai; that they
are endowed by their Creator with certain
inaIenable rights; thatamong these are life,
! LIBERTY, and the pursuit of happiness
That to secure these rights governments are
instituted among men, DERIVING THEIR JUST
POWER FRoM THE CONSENT oF TIE Governed.
Il have quoted SO much at this time
merely to show that according to our ancient
faith, the powers Of Government are derived
from the consent Of the governed Now,
the relation of master and slave is, pro tanto
u totm vio!atios Of this pyinciple. The
master not only governs the slave without
} his consent, but he governs him by set Of
rules altogether different from those which
he prescribes for himself Allow ALL the
governed an EQUAL VOICE IN THE
i GOVERNMENT; and that, and that only,
is self-government.- Speech at Peoria,
. (W) Oct is, 1854
If this means anything, it means negro
equality, it means emancipation. AS this
Peoria speech is part and parcel of Mr.. Lin
coins past" record, to which he refers all
who are anxious to know how he stands to-
day on the great question which is agitating
the country, one can scarcely wonder that
''the South should be uneasy, nervous
frightened.
Two years later, we ind Mr. Lincoln de-
veloping the above idea even more boldly
in other words, declaring himself in favor
of the abolition Of slavery
From Debates between Lincoln and Douglas, p. 1st.
''We are now far into the fifth year since
a policy was Initiated With the avowad Oh
lject and confident promise Of putting an end
to slavery agitation. Under the operation
of that policy, the agitation has not only
ceased but has constantly augmented. In
my opinion, it will not cease until crisis
shall have been reached and passed. "A
housc d;rided against itself connot stoad
[ believe this Government CANNOT ENDURE
PERMANENTLY half slave and half free. |
DO not expect the Union to be dissolved |
do not expect the house to fall but do ex-
pect it will cease to be diytdcd. It will be-
come all one thing Or all the other. Either
the opponents of slavery will arrest the fur
thcr spread Of it, and place it where the pub
lie mind shall rest in the xElief that it is in
the course of ULTIMATE EXTINCTION,
Or lis advocates viii push forward till it shall
become alike lawful ia all the States, old as
well as new, North as we'll as South =
Speech at Springfield, H., June II, 1858
Three months later still--we have him
avowing himselfa GogroAequality man, with
out any Of the qualifications or disguises
which distinguish his earlier admissions =
Owe quote from the Illinois State Journal
a leading Republican organ, Sept. IS, 1860
THAT central idea, in our political sys-
tenn, (said lEr. Lincoln, J at the beginning
was and until recently continued to be the
equality Of men. And although it was al
ways submitted patiently to whatever in
equality there seemed TO be as matter Of
actual necessity, its constant working has
been steady progress towards the PRAC-
TlCAL EoTALITY OF ALL MEN.
In what have done I cannot claim to
have acted from any peculiar consideration
OF the colored people as separate and dis
/ tinct class In the community but from the
simple conviction that all the individuals of
that class are members of the community,
and, in virtue of their manhood, entitled to
EVERY ORIGINAL RIG HI ENJOYED
BY ANY OTHER MEMBER. We feel,
: therefore, that all LEG AL DISTINCTION
between individuals Of the same commune
ty, founded in any such circumstances as
color, origin; and the like, are hostile to tie
geaaats Of or institutions, and incompatible
with the true history Of American liberty.
SLAVERY and oppression must CEASE
or +Anaerica1a A5erty mast perish.
In Massachusetts, and in most, if not
all, the New England States, the colored
man and the white are absolutely equal be-
} fore the law
''In New York the colored man is re-
stricted as to the right Of suffrage bya pro-
pcrty qualification. In other respects the
same equality pyevails.
Il embrace with pleasure this opportuni-
; ty Of declaring MY DISAPPROBATION
Of that c1ause Of tie Constitution mAich de-
ntcs to q portion Of the colored people the
right Of subraye.
.'True Democracy makes no inquiry about
the co'or Of the skin or the pzace. Of nativity.
or any other similar circumstance of condi-
ton. regard, therefore. the EXCLUSION
I Of tho. colored people as q badly from the elec-
tie franchise as INCOMPATIBLE uith
| flue Democratic priacipzes.''
5 Enough ii for to-day. Anon, we may have
? to write the record obetiently to the sug-
.gestion of the President elect, that 'sthose
, -desiring to know his views on public ques-
! tions, can learn them from his past" There
are millions and millions Of those who are
anxious to know all about that past . and