The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1860-08-17

votes Of laboripg men and. mechan
q ios--poor men who look forward I,
i the Gay when they can 20 out to ou
!. l. unoccnpied territories and secure
!. free home for, Themselves and ,heiI
: children; yet il declares its purpose
to throw open these territories to the
+. inroads Of slavery, 40 that sucl
J laboring men if they wish to engage
. in honest toll, must take rank will
! slaves, and labor Zoe by side will
slaves. These advocates OF popular
/. Sovereignty cannot bear the idea OIL
: Congressional intervention to pre-.
/ vent our territories from being cursed
with slavery; but through Douglas,
thoir champion, they did manage to
have Congress- intervene, through
the Nebraska bill, 80 as to prohibit
the people OF the territories from
electing their own most important
ofhcers-from electingi their Govern
ors, Judges, and Secretary of State
They could manage to have Congress
intervene, through the veto Of fed.
eral appointed Executive. so as to
prohibit the people from enjoying
the benefit OF laws passed by ma
Ijority of the Legislature Of their own
choice. They were very willing to
have Congress intervene, through
this same bill, so rs to send citizen
of Ohio into Kansas to execute the
laws, and il he felt disposed 10 clog
the wheels OF legislation, and could
send citizen OF Arkansas to admin
ister and interpret the laws, but 80
exceedingly radical were these ad-
vocates Of popular sovereignty, that
when the prohibition Of slavery in
the territories, by Congressional act
ion, was agitated, they raised a ter
rible storm abont popular rights.
The Republican party takes quite
a different view of slavery and it's
influence on free labor and free in
stitutions. Republicans hold that
slavery is the creature Of local law;
and that 90 ouch looal lawo can
have no force beyond the limits OF
the states in which they are enacted,
slaves carried into our territories, by
their masters, become at once free,
and being once free, never can be
made slaves again, either by Con.
gress or a territorial Legislature,
since the Constitution Of the United
States protects every freeman in his
right to liberty. Whenever, there
tore, either Congress or a territorial
Legislature undertakes to establish
slavery in n t. rritory, it virtually
undertakes to reduce freemen To
slavery, an exercise of power in
direct conflict with the letter and
spirit of the Constitution. But be-
cause Congress cannot legisla'e so as
to deprive ireemen Of shoir liberty,
il does not follow that it cannot
lcgislate 80 as to prevent them from
being enslavcd, or to secure them
in the enjoyment of their liberty.
The territories are regarded as the
property of the United States, AMI
not the property of the states sover-
ally. When purchased, they have
been purchased by money taken from
the treasury of the United States;
and the expenseo of the territorial
governments, during their territorial
existence, are paid from the funds of
the general government. The ter
r!torial governments are thus cher
ished aud supported by the general
government, during their minority,
or until they are competent to cup
port themselves, and hence are pre-
pared for admission as states. This
was the opinion entertained by all
parties, until Douglas and his De.
mocratic confcderates undertook to
conciliate the South for political
elevation. While the Wilmot Pro-
viso was pending, Douglas himself
took ground in its favor, and made
speech in defense of it, of which
the following is an extract:
"Thst the father may bind the son during
his minority. but that the moment that he
! (the SOM attains his majority his letters are
severed, and he is free to regulate mis- own
conduct So. sir, with the territories, they
are subject TO the jurisdiction and control OF
Congress during infancy, their minority; but
when they attain their majority and obtain
admission into the Union, they are free from
all restrains and restriction, except such as
the Constitution OF the United States has
imposed upon each and all Of the statesi"
Il Congressional Globe, volume IA.
Such were the views OF Douglas
before he began to have aspirations
for tire Presidency. They are now
treated rs very great heresy by the
Democracy.
Political News.
~ "a.