The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1860-07-14


They refer exclusively to the disposition |
of slavery in the Territories, and are |.
marked in lines so broad and distinct that
it is impossible TO misapprcliend them
They may be stated thus, in the form of
questions:
Shall Congress, by affirmative legislation,
exclude slavery from all the territories
Shall Congress, by affirm ltive legislation,
protect slavery in all the Territories?
Shall the people ofthc Territories them
selves be left free to exclude from or pro
;ect slavery in the Territories, as they may
deem for their own good?
Tie Republican party answers affirma-
lively to the first question; III, Brecken-
ridge party say yea to the second and the
Democracy with Douglas for their stand
ard bearer, say yea t. the third
1t is true, the political press and stump
speakers, present 81 vast number Of other
question, and issues in then appeals to the
pcor,e, and many are III ore or less intiu-
enccd by them: Lnt in the end, all will
agree, that the above are the only really
important points involved, and in refer
encc to which every intelligent vote ought
to lie cast.
Let us briefly glance at these issues. In
reference to the first, the Republican par
", in their platform adopted at Chicago,
give as reason for insist NJ on the cXclu
,f Il. n
mcnt from the Territories that - the nor
nal condition of all the Territories is that
OF freedom and that our republican
fathers, when they had abolished slavery
in all our national territory, ordained that
no person should be deprived of life, lib
erty, or property without due process Of
Law The position here taken is opposed
by several stubborn facts. Firstly, the
Supreme Court OF the United States has
distinctly decided that the - normal con-
dition of the territories Is MT that OF
freedom, bat that the northern and south
ern people have equally the right TO re
move to the territories with their prop
erty.' Secondly, our republican fathers
never abolished slavery in all the ma
tional terrtory,-tley simply said slavery
should not 20 into the northwest territory
Thirdly, they could not have done this on
J the ground that the normal condition of
the territories is that OF freedom, for
then its abolition or exclusion would not
have been necessary; and lastly, if that
WAS the ground our republican fathers
took, they We're inconsistent for not long
afterwards, in organizing the territories of
Alabama, Tennessee, dc, they expressly
recognized slavery Is existing in those ter
ritories
But the great objection to the Republi
can position Is, that II makes thai ma
tional question, which in Its nature is To-
cal that it is impracticabie, for 10 con-
gress ever can " abolish or prohibit sla-
very in a territory where the people want
it, for if Congress should do SO, the people
would disregard its action, as they did in
the case Of Indiana and Illinois, and lastly
such legislation would be tyrannical and
unjust, denying, as it would, to the people
that right for which the revolution was
fought, to regulate their domestic institu-
tons iii their ewn way. The position OF
the secesssonists Is the republican position
reversed tile opposite extreme. 1t Is
open 10 the same objection OF injustice and
tyranny, in proposing to force upon the
territories institutions they may abhOr
and it is open again to the same objection,
that it would make slavery national
question instead of local, as the coustitu-
ton designed it should be.
These hints for of course we have not
pretended to 90 into an elaborate argu-
rnent on the subject,) have already pre-
narcd the unbiased mind to admit that
while both Congressional prohibition and
Congress protection are palpably IN
cXpeLIicut, unwisc, AMI unjust, the only
right course must be found in a medium
between these extremes. That medium
We find in the National Democratic ana
Douglas position OF NoN-iNTEEvhETioN.-
1t Is based OH the broad principle of pop
ular sovereign y-thot every people, or
sauizcd into government, are the only
proper and rshtlul judges Of their OWL
wants, 40 that all outside attempts L
GORGE them into the adoption Of institu
tons distaste!ul TO them, is oppression anC
tvrany. Tie doctrine is so accordant witt
the genius Of our institutions, that all at
telnpts hitherto to interfere with or sci
it aside in the government Of tie terrific
ries, have in practice proved failures, and
IN the nature of things ever must. Nc
power in the world can ever foice slavery
u,on Kansas OF exclude it from Arkansas
against the VIII Of the people. What f2I
". then, t. drive the nation to the verge
OF disruption, 10 settle rs a principle tina
which can never be put into practice.
Can any intelligent voter hesitate fix
, minutes for which Of these principles Ia
; will vote? Ict there is no issue aside
from these involved in the contest worth,
: OF Il moments regard. The voter who vii
: ignore such principles and vote for Brecli
t inridge to spite Douglas, or for Lincoln be
B.. cause he is d rail splitter or for Dougla
: because he hates Breckenridge, and nc
b, because ne cordially embraces the tes
, principle Of either, is unfit TO vote at all.
t MoRr TELEGRAPH LIEs.-Last week tn
2 Ohio Democratic State Convention met :
: Columbus to nominate an electoral tickt
t and candidates for state Offices. The tel
II Graph operator at Columbus, in sending
report of The convention over the countr.
c stated that the convention had "buste