Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1860-01-10

the people of the non-slaveholding States,
until serious difficulties have arisen be-
tween the two sections of the Union.-
There Is no right of interference with sla-
very In the Slave States by legislation in
the Free States, tending to its abolition, or
by citizens OK the Free States through
violent Intervention. But the govern.
ment was FORMED for the declared purpose
OF preserving the blessings of Liberty
among other things, and not for the our-
pose of extending slavery. The colonic,
which SO urgently denounced the evils of
the institution and so strongly complained
OF the slave trade, now, erected into states.
seek to force upon free territories the evils
OF system hey then deplored, by plant
ing slavery where the Fathers of the Re-
public never intended it should go. Time
after time compromises have been entered
into, connected with and growing out of
The existence of slavery, and time after
Time, at the demands of slavery, they have
been broken down. Its exactions are in
Tolerant. " lille there is no right of inter-
ference with Slavery where it exists in the
Slave states, by Free State legislation.
and while there is no effort at interference
with it by forcible means by citizen, of
the Free States, with few individual ex-
ceptions, the Free States have a right TO
insist, and it is their duty to insist. that il
shall be no farther extended. The fact
that the Territories are the common prop
erty of the people of all the states carries
with 1T no right to establish slavery there.
The fact that men are held a. slaves in
slave states gives no right to carry them
as slaves into Territories, simply because
they are counted as property in the slave
states. The fact that slaves are called
property, gives no right of property in
them. Men are not recognized by the
civilized world as comm on subjects of
property. They cannot be placed in the
same category as chattels, and things, and
estates, which are universally conceded to
be subjects of ownership. Slavery in the
Territories therefore would be without
law and above the law, a mere creature of
force, subject to all the contingencies of q
violent existence. An Institution so inhu-
man, so pernicious in its character, so dis
astrous to the interests Of free labor, and
terrible in its consequences to the bond
men, and SO antagonistic To the great
principles of human liberty that I'M
derlie our government, ought by
the exercise of every legitimate power to
be restrained from any further extension.
The new and fearful doctrine that under
the Constitution of the United States
Slavery goes travelling into the Free Terri
tories of the United States, and is there to
be protected under its broad shield, with
out any local law on the subject in the
Territories, is unworthy of the age in
which we live, or of the statesmen TO
whose hands are entrusted the interests of
this great people. 1t is no subject of
congratulation that in this theoretically
r.. ant nNf< L., 1
and Is still persisted in, to establish the
right OF every citizen TO take his proper
ty of every kind, including slaves, into
the Territories, and have it protected there
under the Constitution" The idea that
" neither Congress nor Territorial Legis-
lature, nor any human poaoer, has any au-
thority to annul or impair this vested
right" is the most unwarranted of any
ever conceived since the Federal Govern
ment had AL existence. No good citizen
can give assent to it. No honest, enlight-
ened statesman should countenance it for q
moment. 1t is not true. There must
be a power over Slavery somewhere IL
Is not above the law, or out of the reach
of the law. If Congress cannot prevent
its extension, where does it get the power
to authorize Convention to form a State
Constitution prohibiting it If Terrific
rial Legislature cannot prohibit it, how
can IL provide for the election of delegates
to a Constitutional Convention with power
to make free State Constitution 1t
would be unconstitutional to declare in a
State Constitution, formed over q Terrific
ry, that there should be no Slavery there.
a Constitutional Convention, sitting to
make a State Constitution, is a "human
power" Is it true that Slavery overrides
every other great INTEREST," That the as
sumed right of property in man is so old
and enduring that, touched by the indu-
rating hand of time, it can harden into
right absolute, beyond the reach of any
interference but that of Omnipotence
Have we such Government that there is
no power but that of Almighty God that
dares to touch it If so, this great nation
must bend its neck to the yoke, and Slave
~ become universal, and, in a Government
ordained by the people to preserve the
signs of woe that Liberty is lost" The
ilct that Congress has the power to pro-
hibit Slavery in the Territories, however
much that doctrine may be opposed from
motives of interest or ambition, notwith-
standing the great weight that has been
thrown into the scale against it. is as GER
ain as that the Government has power to
acquire Territory at all. That it cannot
control what it has power to acquire by
reaty, by conquest, or by purchase, is alb
'urd. This power should be exercised,
and the way of slavery extension walled
Up forever The Slave States have no
.eason to complain Of this. They must be
eft unmolested in the enjoyment of the
blessings of that peculiar institution, il
here are any blessing. connected with it,
n the Slave States, SO long as the Govern
nent remains. While this is conceded,
he right to impose it upon new Terrific
lies cannot be admitted, and its extension
must be prevented, not by inroads upon
be Slave States themselves, with violeno,
Ind blood, but by legitimate Constitution
Il Legislation, sustained by the power of
he Government itself.
1t cannot be conceded that the black
ace has no business upon the earth. We
IAN have no controversy with the Great
God over any supposed error in the loca-
ion or distribution of races. There is
, diversity of races. Intellect is con-
ined to no race, while there is great
inequality in intellectual development. So
ar as the great rights of life, liz 5rty, and
he pursuit of happiness are concerned,
t is enough that they belong to manhood.
With the wisdom which has distinguished
he different races of men by marked ply
ical and intellectual features, we can have
10 disnute But we can learn and we do