The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1860-09-18

the title of the master to his slave In the common
territory If difficulties occurred we were W ie'
them be submitted to the court II,
Now, upon my own personal vlndlca'on' 'ne
doctrines announced by me In that speech WIZ
inst sueh as have ever declared In the common,
wealth of Kentucky, such as l have ever declared
IN every nublic address that l have made In OHIO,
Tndians Michigan and Pennsylvania. Afterwards,
when it was understood that bad been charged or
that had admitted that this power belonged TO
the Territorial Legislature, in the month OF sept
or October, 1856, the editor OF the hentueky
Statesman" published in this city, alludlng 10
this charge, made the following statement, to
which beg leave to refer you Mark you, this
was before the Presidential election OF 1896:
rN- Rreck;nridoe then read from the editorial
in the Kentucky Statesman of Oct. 1856, in which
il was stated that during his tour through Indiana
and Ohio. he (Mr b. avOwed the sentiments he
had often proclaimed in Kentucky, and which are
already embodied in the Cincinnati platform, that
he denied that the democratic party was In Its ed
eral relations prosavery party, that 1t was mel
Their such party nor an antslavery party; that
it negatived the interference OF the Federal UoV-
eminent whether to introduce or exclude slavery,
and left the Territories open to common settlement
from all the States; that each State entitled to
form its own Constitution and enter the Union
without discrimination by Congress on account OF
its allowance or prohibition of slavery, and that
the statement that Mr. Breckenridge advocated
Squatter Sovereignty was untrue.J
Mr. Breckenridge then continued. In the su-
tumn of the same year | received Louisiana pa
per- containing some remarks made by Gen. Mills,
who heard my speech, i'll whch-he denied that L
had admitted this doctrine of the territorial power
He sent ME slip containing his speech. In the
same month, before the Presidential election,
answered him. saying-"Hands off of the whole
II. y in ar
two protective purposes meGtionedin the Constltu-
ton; the equal rights Ofall sections in the common
territory, and the absolute power of each new
tate settle the question in their Constitution
hese are my doctrines and those of our platform,
:Hd what is more, of the Constitution Now te-
low citizens against the statement Of that distln-
guished Senator, in which he undertakes to prove
allegations against myself by himself, thus oppose
my own statement.
Next in proof, | read to you from my speech in
1854, in Congress; the article in the Lexington
paper before the presidential election; the estino
ny of Gen Mills, who heard that speech at Tippe-
canoe and my own letter in answer to the latter
gentlemans, containing my opinion of the question
at that time, and what has ever since been my
opinion. think have proven as fully as could
be expected in the limits of speech, that the
charge is unfounded in fact, and will add that
the position taken was that taken by all the South
efn 1rlenQS OF the NeDraSka Dill, Dy pOIllOu
of its Northern friends. These our private
opinions-these were opinions we urged on all pro-
per OCCASIONS but we did not undertake to force all
others to agree TO them
We had agreed to refer that to the highest tribu-
nal in the Union. Now gentlemen, having yindi-
Gated myself and the Constitutional Democracy
from the charge of having abandoned the position
they took in lS54-'5-'6, turn upon my accuser,
and undertake to show that he himself abandoned
the agreement he solemnly made at the time of
the Kansas-N ebraska bill passed the Congress of
the United States, and | do not make myself wit
ness against him to de it. | will prove it by him
self. On the I'd of July, 1856, in the debate up
on bill to authorize the people of Kansas to
form constitution preparatory to admission into
the Union State, when the que sion as to
what was the true meaning of the kansasN ebras-
ka BILL and the limitation of the power of the Ter
.ritorial Government, Mr. Trumbull offered the fol-
lowing amendment additional section to the
bill:
"And be it further enacted, That the provision in
the organize the Territories of Nebraska and
Kansas which declares it to be the true intent and
meaning of said act not to egslae slavery into any
Territory State, to exclude it herefrom but
leave the people thereof perfectly free to form and
late their domestic institutions in their way, sub
ect only to the Constitution of the United States
intended and does confer upon leave the people
Of the Territory of Kansas full power at any time
through its territorial legislature exclude slavery
from said Territory, or to recognize regulate it
therein
That was Mr. Trumbulrs amendment against
which overwhelming majority of the Senate
voted, including General Cass and Senator Doug
las. Let me, however, do Mr. Douglas the justice
to say that he voted against the amendment not
because he did not believe the territorial Legisa-
ture had the power to exclude slavery from the
territory, but because he did not believe it was
consistent to decide the question legislatively
which they had agreed to leave to the court
Gen. Cass said Mr. B. here quoted from Gen.
Cass to show that the North and the South diff
fered about the powers that might be given Ter
ritoral Legislature and that the Kansas bill left
that to be adjudicated by the Court, by which
alone the constitutional question could be settled
Finally, (Mr Breckenridge continued,) Mr.
Douglas, in the same debate used the following Ian
guage in speaking of the attempt of his colleague
to eoerce an opinion out of him upon the question
whether the Territorial Legislature had the power
to exclude slave property before they became a
State MIR Breckenridge here read from Mr. Doug
las speech declaration that this point in the Ne
braska bill judicial question, which he could
rot discuss, because by the bill it was referred to
the courts)
Mr. Breckenridge continued On the 18th of
May last, in the Senate, Mr. Douglas said Here
}Ir b. read extract from Douglas speech, con-
Guiding with the assertion-"We agreed to refer
it to the Judiciary-we agreed to abide by their
decsion''O
| think have shown that upon the point of
dispute between the friends of the Kansas BILL as
to the power of Territorial Legislature to exclude