Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1860-07-25

tuition of their country as expounded by the
! Supreme Court of the United States. While
| for the North it is comparatively mere alb
straction, with the South it is q question OF
co-equal State sovereignty in the Union
If the DEGREES of the high tribunal essab-
| lished by the Constitution for the very pur-
pose are set at naught and disregarded, it will
| tend to render ali property of every deserip-
| ton insecure. What, then, have the North
| to do? Merely to say that, as good citizens.
they will yield obedience to the decision OF
| the Supreme Court, and admit the right OF q
| Southern man to take his property into the
| Territories. and hold it there. just as North
ern man may do; ard it is to me the most ex-
traordinary thing in the world that this coun-
| try should, now be distracted and divided be-
cause certain persons at the North will not
| agree that their brethren at the South shall
have the same rights in the Territories which
| they enjoy.
What would [, as Pennsylvania, say or
do. supposing any body was to contend that
the Legislature of any Territory could outlaw
iron and coal within the Territory! (Laugh-
ter and cheers) The principle is precisely
the same. The Supreme Court of the United
States have decided-what was known to all
to have been the existing state of affairs for
fifty years-that slaves are property. Admit
that fact and you admit everything Then
that property in the Territories must be pro-
tected precisely in the same manner with any
other property. IF it be not SO protected in
the Territories, the holders of it are degraded
before the world.
We have been told that non intervention on
the part of Congress with slavery IN the Ter
ritories is the true policy. Very well. L
most cheerfully admit that Congress has no
right to pass any law to establish, impair, or
abolish slavery in the Territories. Let this
principle of non-intergention be extended TO
the Territorial Legislatures and let 1t be de-
clared that they in like manner have no pow
er to establish, impair, or destroy slavery,
and then the controversy is in effect enGed.
This is all that is required at present, and
verify. believe all that will ever 0e required.
Hands off by Congress and hands off by the
Territorial Legislature. Loud applause.
With the Supreme Court of the United States
L hold that neither Congress nor the Terrific
rial Legislature has any power to establish,
impair, or abolish slavery in the Territories.
But if, in the face of this positive prohibition,
the Territorial Legislature should exercise the
power of intervening, then this would be
mere transfer of the Wilmot Proviso and the
Buffalo platform from Congress, to be carried
into execution In the Territories to the des-
truction of all property in slaves. Renewed
applause.
An attempt of this kind made in Congress,
would be resisted by able men on the floor of
both houses, and probably defeated. Not so
in remote Territory. To every new Terri
tory there will be a rush of free soilers from
the Northern States. They would elect the
first Territorial Legislature before the people
of the South could arrive with their property,
and this Legislature would probably settle for
ever the question of slavery according to their
own will
And shall we, for the sake of squatter SOW
ereignty, which, from its nature, can only con-
tinue during the brief period of Territorial
existence, incur the risk of dividing the great
Democratic party of the country into two Sec
tional parties, the one North and the other
South! Shall this great party which has gov
erned the country in peace and war, which
has raised it from humble beginnings to be
one of the most prosperous and powerful na-
tons in the world-shall this party be broken
up for such cause? That is the question.
the numerous, powerful, pious and respoc-
table Methodist Church has been thus div
ded. The division was a severe shock to the
Union. A similar division of the great Dem
ocratic party. should it continue, would reud
asunder one of the most powerful links which
binds the Union together.
L entertai1 no such fearful apprchensions.
The present issue Is transitory, and will spec
Oily pass away. In the nature of things it
cannot continue. There is but one possible
contingency which can endanger the Union;
and against this all Democrats, whether SCAT
ter soycreigns or popular sovereigus. will pre-
sent united resistance. Should the time
ever arrive when Northern agitation and ia
naticism shall proceed so far as to render the
domestic frcsides of the South insecure, then
and not until then, will the Union be in dan
ger. 4 united Northern Democracy will pre-
sent wall of fire against such q catastrophei
There are in our midst numerous persons
who predict the dissolution of the great Dem
ocratic party, and others who contend that it
has already been dissolved. The wish is faith
er to the thought. 1t has been heretofore in
great peril; bat when divided for the moment
it has always closed up its ranks and become
more powerful. even from defeat. 1t will
never die whilst the Constitution and the
Union survive.
1t will live to protect and defend both. 1t
has its roots in the very vitals of the Consti-
tuition, and, like one of the ancient cedars of
Lebanon, it viii flourish to afford shelter and
protection to that sacred instrument, and to
shield lt against every storm OF faction he
newed applause.)
Now. friends and fellow citizens, it is pro-
bable that this is the last political speech that
1 shall ever make. "A voice-"We hope
notr' 1t is now nearly forty years since L
first came to Washington as member of
Congress, and wish to say this night that,
during that whole period, 1 have received
nothing but kindness and attention.
Washington was then comparatively
small town; now ithas grown to be great
c.-l ,f