Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1860-03-26
4ailp S)ir0inian.
IMPORTANT PRESIDENTIAL DoCU-
MENT.
Letter from Hon. Edward Bates of Mis-
souri, Views on the Leading Questions
nft ba


delegates to the Chicago Convention:
GtNtlsMES: | have received your letter pro-
pounding t. me certain questions, seven III num-
Der; which you suppose will cover most. if hot all
oi the grounds ii controversy i'll the approaching
Presidential election.
PRELIMINARY EXPLANATION.
With pleasure will answer your questions
Before doing 81. allow mot To glance at the peculiar
circutn> >tnnces in which | nm placed, mud the
stnngancss oi the fact that |, more private man,
am called upan to make ayowals und explNna.
tons with amy view t. take me from the shades
ot private hc. and place me ut tho head Of the
Nation, came To this frontier in my youth aud
se,tlod in st. Louis when it was Il mere yillagc.
All NY manhood has been spent in Missouri, and
durlHg all time, have followed II profession which
lett my character and conduct upen To tho ubScr.
taion ot s"cIclN, and while it has hcen my con
slant lNbit heely Ia express my opinion ot public
mea.u,cs and publ, men, the people OF Miss ,ur
o all pJrtlc1, viii bear me Witness thil have
never ohrusiyely ih,u.t myself forward III I ur.
suit oI otlitj.l h4norS. have held no j,llticul
ohcr. AMI sought n,uc for more than tueniy five
years. lnler the circumstances ctniesS the
grailhc alton Which ! feel III receiving the recont
manifestations q tie respect nnl confidence ol my
fellow clti1rGs. iist the Opposition memarct
oi the Missouri Hslsnture declared their prefer.
enee tor me n candidate. Then i,llaued ny
termination by.a taHycniun composed ol all 'hc
c'omcmS ot Tie Opposition IN this state Ant
new. thc Republicans If Missouri. IA their SEGA
ia'e t,n,enlon Just held in ST. Louis, husa ,cat.
irnrd the nom.tltlon, and proposed, by ther del
csaies. t, present ur to the National Convention,
soon g. lo held Il, Chicago, as n candidate ior the
!irs, flee ia the EatIoo.
These various demonstrations in my own S'a'c
are ably Era' lying to me, because they afford
the strongest proof that my nano has Leen put
forward only In spirit of harmony and peace,
aud with hope oi preventing al! division aud
controversy among those who, ior their own safe.
ty aud the public Z 'ud, ought to be united in their
action.
For all this am deeply grateful; aud as far MS
concerns me personally, must declare III simple
nth, thnt ii The government - no farther. a"d
produce ~ personal results. still an, lail and
oyerpaid for life Of labor, and for whatever ut
Jealous effort aud patient Watching hase been
able to bestow ~ supnortof line OF governmental
policy which | believe to bn for tho present aud
permanent good Of the country.
Now, gentlemen, proceed to answer your
questions, briefly. indeed, bur fully. plainly, aud
with all possible irnnkncs; and do this the more
willingly. because have received from ndvId-
uals many letters--tnu many TO be separately nn-
sweled--and have seen in many public Journals
articles making urgent calls upon me for such
statement my views
ls'-Sarery aaRa Eltsnsion in he Territories.
On this subject in the States and in the Terri
ed in relation ,othe present array OF pnrtic.. | am
cneval with the Missouri question of + - 20, hnv-
ing begun my political lite in the rridt el that
struggle
At thai time my position required me to seek
all the means OF knowledge within my reach, and
I, udy the principles involved with all the pow
ers If my mind, audi arrseI Mt the roiirlusions
which subsequent events have induced mo to
change. The existence Of negro slavery ia our
conn'rv bad il beginning in the early time e
the colony, and was imposed by the mother couu-
try against the will OF most OF the colonists. At
the time of the Revolution, and long after, it WAS
commonly regarded ~ m evil. temporary in it's
nature. AMI likely To disappear in the course Of
time: vet while it continued. misfortune to tho
county, socially and politically. Thus was
taught by those who made our Govcrnment and
neither the new light Of modern civilization
the discovery of II new system of constitutional
law and social philosophy has enabled me TO do
tcct the error OF their teaching.
Slavery is n social relation II domestic nstitu
ton. NIthln the States it exists hy the local law,
aud the Federal Government has control over
it there. The Territories, whether acquired lv
conquest or pcaceable purchase, are sub ett and
subordinate" not sovereign, like tho States. The
nation j. supreme over them, and the National
Govcrnncut has the power to permit or forbid
Slavery within them. Entertaining these views,
| am opposed tn The extension of Slavery. and in
ernmrnt ought to be against its exclusion.
l--Dacy lie Constitution curry S'aery into e Terri
answer no? The Constitution OF the United
State, does not carry Slavery into the Territories
With much n.ore snow of reason, may il be sad
that it carries Slavery into all the States But it
does not carry Slavery anywhere. 1t only acts
upon it where it finds it established by tho local
law. In connection with this point, | nm asked
I otn nv ypwa of rho I)rpi Spnft cuSa md Int
really determined by the Supreme Court in
that ca,o. 1t is my opinion carefully considered,
that the Court determined one single point Of law
only. That is. that Scott, the plaintiff, being II
negro of African descent, not necessarily u slave,
could not be citizen Of Missouri. ami therefore
could not sue in the Federal Court and that for
this reason and this alone the Circuit Court had
no jurisdiction OF the cause and no power to give
judgement between the parties. The only juris-
dictiun which the Supreme Court had Of the cause
for the purpose Of correcting the error of the
Circuit Court in assuming the power to decide on
the merits Of the case. This power the Supreme
Court did exercise by setting aside the judgement
of the Circuit Court upon the merits, and by dis.
missing the suit without any judgement for or
against either party. This is all that tho Supreme
Court did, and all that it had lawful power do.
| consider it great public misfortune that several
of the learned Judges should have thought that
their duty required them to discuss and give opin-
inns upon various questions OUTSIDE OF the Case as
the case was actually disposed of by the Court
All such opinions are cxtrajudicial and Of no au-
thority. But besides this it appears to me that
several of the questions discussed by the Judges
are political questions, and therefore beyond the
jurisdiction Of the judiciary, and proper only to
be considered and disposed of by the p,!itical do
partments. II | am right in this. and it seems to
me plain, the precedent is most unfortunate, be-
cause it may lead TO adangerous conflict of author
ity among the coordinate branches Of the Govern
ment.
IL ~ .i--LL.a, NJ Lhs Eree RLacLs