Randolph County journal. [volume] (Winchester, Randolph County, Ind.) 1855-1862, 1860-08-09


to say so, and 10 enforce his position
/ by all truthful evidence and fair argu
ment which he can. But he has n,
right 10 mi>lead others, who have les
access to history. and less leisure q
study it, into the false belief that 'ou
fathers who framed the governmcn
under which we live, used aud ap
piled principles. in other cases. whicl
ought TO have led them to understan,
that a proper division of local from
federal authority, or some part OF th'
Constitution. iOrJids the Federal Gov
ernmcnt to control as to slavery in tn
Federal Territories. he is right to say
so. But he should. at the same time
brave the responsibility OF declaring
that, in his opinion. he understands
their principles better than they di,
themselveS-ani especially should Ia,
not shirk that responsibility by as
serting that they understood the ques
tion Just as well and even better than
we do now
But enough. Let all who believ,
that our fathers. who framed the gov
ernment under which we live, under.
stood this question just as well. and
even better, than we DO now, speak
as they spoke, and act as they acted
upon it. This is all Republicans ask
IL ll,.o,e i,.,-.. =, ,ola,..,, , d,
slavery. As those fathers marked it,
so let it he again marked. as an evil
not to be extended. but to be toler-
ated, and protected onl because oI
and SO far as its actual presence
among us makes that liberation and
protection necessary. Let all the guar
antees those fathers gave 1t be. not
grudgingly, but fully and fairly main
tained. For this Republicans con
tend, and with this, so far as | know
or believe, they will be content.
And now. if they would listcn-as
suppose they will not-I would ad-
dress a few words 10 the Southern
people. | would say to them: You
consider yourselves a reasonable and
a 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 de-
nounce us as reptiles, or. at the best.
as no better than outlaws. You will
grant a hearing to pirates or murder
ers, but nothing like it to Black Re-
publicans.
In all your contentious with one an
other. each of you deems an uncondi-
tional condemnation of Black Rcpub.
licanism as the first thing to he atten.
ded to. Indeed such condemnation oil
us seems to be an Indispensable prcrc-
quisite-licen>e, so to speak-among
you. to be admitted or permitted tC
speak at all. Now. can You, or not, u,
prevailed upon To pause aud to c. nSid
er whether this is quite just to us. ol
to yourselves? Bring forward youl
charges and specifications, and then b,
patient long enough to hear MS deny ol
jnstiiy. lou Say we are sectional
We deny it. That makes an issue
and the burden of proof is upon you
You produce your proof; ani what il
it? Why, that our party has no ex.
istence in your section-gets no vote,
in your section. The fact is substan
TALLY true; but does il prove the issue.
II it does, then, in case we should
without change of principles, begin t'
get votes in your section, we shoult
thereby cease TO be sectional. lor
cannot escape this conclusion; and We
are you willing to abide by it? lfyo,
are, you will probably soon find tina
we have ceased TO be sectional, for ",
shall get votes in your section thi,
very year. You will then begin I,
discover, as the truth plainly is, tina
your proof does not touch the issue
The fact that we get no votes in you
section is fact of your making an,
not ours. And II there be fault in tha
fact. that fault is primarily yours. and
remains until you show that we repe
you by some wrong principle or prac
lice. II we do repel you by any wrong
principle. the fault L. ours: but thi
brings you to where you ought to hav'
started to a discussion OF the right o
wrong Of our principle.
II our principle, put in practice
would wrong your section for the ben
eht Of ours. or for any other object
then our principle, aud we with il. ar
sectionsl. and are justly opposed an'
denounced "a such. Meet us, then. ol
the question OF whether our principle
put in practice. would wrong your sec
lion; aud SO meet it as ii II were pos
siblc that something may be said ol
our side. DO You accept the chal
lenge? No. Then you really bclicv
that the principle which our father
who famed the government unle
which we live thought so clearly righ
as to adopt it. and indorse it again an
again, upon their official oaths. Is. i
Tact, SO clearl Y wrong as TO dcman
your condemnation without a mo
j ment's consideration. Some of yo
, delight 10 iaunt in our faces the warn
, in. against sectional parties. given b
" sshington in his Farewell .Addres,
Less than eigat years before Wash
, ington gave that warning. he had, a
President of the United States, al
1 proved and signed an act of Congress,
) enforcing the prohibition of slavery i
the North western territory. which a,
: embodied the policy of the Govern
b ment upon that subject. up to and 4
a the very moment he penncd that war;
ing; and about one year after he pei
| ned 1t he wrote To Lafayette that i