Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1860-06-22

tour fathers who framed tho government
under which We live" And so assuming,
l defy any man to show that any one Of
them ever In bis whole life, declared that,
in his understanding, any proper division Of
local from Federal authority, or any part Of
the Constitution forbade the Federal Gov
ernment to control as to slavery in the Fed
eral Territories. Loud applause.
60 step farther. l defy any one to
show that any living man in the world ever
did, prior to the beginning Of the present
century, land | might almost say prior TO
the beginning of the last half century,) de-
clare that, in his understanding, any proper
division of local from federal authority, or
any part of the Constitution, forbade the
Federal Government TO control as TO slavery
in the Federal Territories. To those who
so now declare, give, not only "our fathers
who framed the government under which
we live" but with them all other men with
in the century in which it was framed,
among them to search, and they will not
be able to find the evidence of a single man
agreeing with them Now and here, let
me guard little against being misuuder-
stood.
MODERN DOCTRINES FALSE AND DECEPTIVE.
l do not mean to say we are bound to
follow implicitly in whatever our fathersdid
To do so would be to discard all the lights
Of current experience--to reject al prog
ress-all improvement. What do say is,
that if we would suppant the opinions and
policy Of our fathers, in any case, we should
do so upon evidence so conclusive, and ar
gumeuts so clear, that even their great au-
thority could not stand; and certainly we
should not do it in case whereof we our
rselves declare they understood the question
better than we. Laughter If any man,
at this day, sincerely believes that proper
division of local from federal authority, or
any part of the Constitution, forbids the
Federal Government to control as to Sla-
very in the Federal Territories he has the
right to say So aud to enforce bis position
BY all truthful evidence and fair argument
which he can. But he has no right to mis-
lead others, who have less access to history
and less leisure to study it, into the false
belief that "our fathers who framed the
government under which we live" were of
the same opinion-thus substituting false
hood and deception for truthful evidence
and fair argument. Applause If any
man at this day sincerely believes that tour
fathers who framed the government under
which we live," used and applied principles
in other cases, which ought to have led
them to understand that proper division
of local from federal authority, or some
part of the Constitution, forbids tho FEEDER
al Government to control as to Slavery in
the Federal Territories, he has right to
say so. But he should, at tho same time,
brave the responsibility of declaring that
in his opinion, he understands their princi-
plies better than they did themselves, Tgreat
laughter and especially should he not
shirk that responsibility by asserting that
they understood, the question just as well,
and even better, than we do now" Ap-
plause.
WHAT THE REPUBLICANS ASK AND DESIRE.
But enough. Let all who believe, that
tour fathers who framed the government
under which we live, understood this ques-
ton just as well and even better than they
do now" speak as they spoke, and act as
they acted upon it. This is all Republi-
cans ask-all Republicans desire in relation
to slavery. AS those fathers marked it, so
let it be again marked, as an evil not to be
extended but to be tolerated, and protect
ed only so far as its actual presence among
us makes that toleration and protection
a necessity. Loud applause. Let all the
guarantees those fathers gave it, be--uot
grudgingly-but fully and fairly maintained.
For this Republicans contend, and with
this, so far as know or believe, they will
be content. [Applause.
+ And now, if they would listen-as |
+ suppose they will not l would address a
few words to the Southern people. Laugh
ter. would say to them: You consider
yourselves reasonable and just people,
and / consider that in the general qualities
of reason and justice you are not inferior to
any other people; still, when you speak of
us Republicans, you do so only to denounce
us as reptiles, or, at the best, as no better
than outlaws. You will grant hearing to
pirates or murderers, but nothing like it to
"Black Republicans" Laughter.
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY NOT SECTIONAL.
In all your contentious with one another,
each of you deems an unconditional con-
demnation of "Black Republicanism" as the
first thing to be attended to. Laughter +
Indeed, such condemnation of us seems to
be an indispensable prerequisite--license,
so to speak-among you to be permitted
to speak at ALL Now, can you or not be
prevailed upon to pause and to consider
whether this is quite just to us, or even to
, yourselvesG Bring forward your charges
and specifications, and then be patient
long enough to hear us deny or Justify
You say we are sectional We deny it.
Loud applause.l That makes an issue,
and the burden of proof is upon you
Laughter and applause] You produce
! your proof; and what is it Why, that
our party has no existence in your section
The fact is substantially true; but does it
prove the issuel If it does, then, in case
we should, without change of principle, be-
gin to get votes in your section we should
thereby cease to'be sectional. Great mer-
riment. Youcannot escape hisconclusion; !;
and yet are you willing to abide by il9 If
you are, you will probably soonfind that we
have ceased to be sectional, for we shall get