Nebraska advertiser., 1860-03-15
IFor thc Advertssr.l
Was Washington an UltFa RcpubIl,

IFOr Gle Adveraser.l
Was Washington an Ultra Republic
can?l III
Mn. BtIrORs-In your paper Of last
week, in an article headed "StiIl they
Agree you say "The ultra Republi-
cans of the North and the. fre-eaters of
the South, still occupy the same bed as to.
the power over, and duty in regard to
slavery inths Territories on the pastof
Congress. In a number of speeches by
leading Republicans Of late, we see they
are still for interference
Ia another article on The same page,
you quote from a letter Of Washington
addressed TO Lafayette: "Tte Congress
of l7S7 adopted an ordinance prohibiting
the existence Of involuntary servitude in
our Northwestern Territory f~orever**
"And / trust wes.all have a %confederacy
of free Slates.'
If Washington thought it was a "wise
measure for Congress to prohibit slavery
in the Territories, surely be must have
been an "ultra Republican according to
your definition. of the term. There are
a few of US Americans left who think
that Washington was as wise as Douglas
or any other statesman of the present
day, and hat we are not siraying far
from the path of duty, when we follow in
his footsteps. A REPUBLICAN,.
Washington was not an ultra RepCbli-
can. We, however, live in a different
day and age, and are surrounded BY CIR
cumstances quite different from those in
which the "father of his country moved
and acted. There are more and altoge-
Their different interests TO conciIiate. The
slavery question Of this day is not the sla-
very question of 1857. properly speaking.
We fully agree with the opinions of
Washington as quoted last week: u have
long considered 1t [slavery] a most serS
Gus evil, both socially and politically, and
would rejoice in any feasible scheme to
rid our States of such a burden. / trust
we shall have a c~onfederacy of free
States" The ordinance of 1857, altho'
in that day considered by Washington
and others IA wise measure )" was not
deemed a "feasible scheme TO rid our
States of such a burden" There is no
wisdom in 1860, or feasibility any time.
in any power legislating upon the subject
of slavery, save tina having immediate
control over it, viz: State or Territorial
Legislature. Whenever all parties agree
that the people d~irectly-not only direct
ly but solely interested, shall settle this
"vexed question:" then, and not until
then, is there a feasible scheme" to
bring about the wish of Washington hat
"we shall have a ~confederacy of free
States" There is no danger whatever
of the spread Of slavery if left to the
people. Else why do the fre-eaters of
the South cry cut so loud for COngression-
al interference in the enactment Of a
slave protecting code. They say "expe-
rience has taught US we dare not rely up
on this plan, for the simple reason that
new Territories are filed up principally
from the great Northern hive!!" There
is the whole secret in a nut she'll. We
adhere TO our declaration that ultra Re-
publicans of the North and the ~fre.eaters
of the South occupy the same bed'' so
long as they both contend for Cohgressi-
onal interference upon the subject of sla-
very. Do they not agree exactly as to
the principle inSOlved7 only differing in
ito opplic-tir,1 sn