Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1860-10-19

! ANOTHER ABLE AND POWERFUL REVIEW
OF THE POLITICS OF THE DAY.
ST. LOUIS, Sept. Is, 1860.
TO the Republican Comnuttee of Keokuk, Iowd,
.Hessrs. j. ~ Rankin, Wm. S. Me Guuic, j.
b. HoweM Geo. W. Nc Crary, and John ~
Noble:
S1Rs: A few days ago, l had the honor
to receive your letter OF Sept. 3, inform
ing me that mass meeting of Republl-
cans of Iowa. Illinois, and Missouri is
expected to be held at Keokuk, on the
10th day of October next, and inviting
me in urgent terms to be with you on
that occasion, and ''address the multi
tude,' which you expect to be very
large.
l thank you, gentlemen, for this mark
Of your respect, but beg you to excuse
my non-attendance.
The simple truth is that cannot af-
ford to at,cud l answer you as have
already answered many others, that am
under a necessity to return to my pro-
iessiona! labors which for more than u
year have been too much interrupted by
the excitement of politics. was un-
willingly drawn iuto the discussion of
public affairs without ANY wi,h or inten-
ton to take al active p4it in the canvass
for the Presidency.
In so far as [ may lie thought able to
exercise any popular influence, [ sup
pose the work is already done.
Five letters of mine, bearing upon the
subject, are already in print and before
the public. Those letters, as far as they
go, express my opinions of men and
measures, in all sincerity.
l stand by the doctrines which they
declare, and when they fall (if fall they
must), l am willing to fall with them
never was willing to make the ques
ton of'Negro Slavery in the Territories
and. consequently, the Government o
the Territories themselves, the dominant
question of the country, overriding anc
swallowing up every consideration Of
popular interest, national policy, ant
constitutional law.
But the Democratic party would have
it so. 1t has pertinaciously agitated the
Slavery question, in its most dangerous
form, by using all the means in its powe
to acquire tropical countries, with thei
mixed and ungovernable people, for th'
sole purpose Of turning them into Slav'
States.
1t wantonly repealed the Missouri
Compromise, which had been the bono
of peace for the third Of a century; ane
it destroyed the compromise of 1850
under which the nation rested in quiet
ness and peace. 1t did all it could t,
pass the wicked Lecompton bill, and di'
actually pass the despicable English bill
and foiled in these dishonest measures
it still keeps Kansas out of the Union
tor the apparent purpose of suppressin!
its vote in the pending Presidential elec
| ton. 1t labors to establish as SCUM,
doctrine, in law and politics, the mon
strous heresy, that the Constitution Q
the United States esta blishes Slavery il
ali our Territories, aud keeps it ther
beyond the reach Of all human power a
long as the country remains in Ter
ritorial condition, and large portion G
that country, including Kansas and Ne
braska, has remained in that conditio
for more than half century. 1t assails
with violence, the freedom of speech an
!. the press, and violates the sanctity of tn
Post office, because it is either consciou
of guilt, and therefore afraid to face tn
truth, or is too timid and weak to met
and put down error and falsehood
= 1t has not learned what Jeferso
n taught-"error may be safely tolerate
= when truth is left free to combat it.
= But, in blind zeal for the defense
5. opinions and ideas, in themselves ind'
fensible, it strikes boldly at those fund;
mental rights upon which all our hop'
Of civil and religious liberty are based
, free opinion, free speech, free locoE'
> tion, and free press.
l have long believed that a part
whose character is masked by SO ma.
disqualifying voices is unfit to rule a fir
people; and, therefore it was my earne
!. wish to see all the elements Of opposite
brought into harmonious action for
overthrow, by the election to the Pres
dency OF some safe and patriotic INA
g, untainted with the habitual vices Of tn
dangerous party,