The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1860-10-10
McGREGOR, IOWA, WEDNESDAY,, OCTOBER 10, 1860.

Iiidt SHOuiu say Wolu uPoA oHoShSA SUI
ject, and am very free to say to you, that
I hold no opinions which cannot boldly
and freely avow everywhere. Applause. ]
The only limitation to my answering every
question that may be propounded to me- is
the want of voice and strength to reply to
them. My friend wants to know what l
think of the Dred Scott decision. Laugh
teri In the first place, think it is the
final determination Of the highest judicial
tribunal on earth, and hence binding on
every honest man, whether he likes it or
dislikes it. Laughter and applause.l In
all free governments there must be some ju-
dicial tribunal employed to decide in the
last event on all controverted points of law.
In this government the Supreme Court of
the United States is the tribunalin all cases
arising within its jurisdiction. In my
opinion the Dred Scott case was fairly with
in jurisdiction, and the decision in that
case is binding on you and on me, whether
we like it or not. Cheers. You must
either obey it, or you must resort to mob
law and lynch law in opposition to it. In
the next place, think the court decided
right on every point presented on record
Cheers. The first point presented for the
courts decision was whether or not negro,
descended Of African parents, who were
brought to this county and sold as slaves, is
Il citizen of the United States. (Cries Of
"No.D The court decided that such me-
gro is not citizen of the United States
and cannot be- l think that the court de-
cided right. (Cries of $50 do l." Laugh
ter and applause.) l believe this to be a
white mans government, c'That's it,")-
made by white men for the benefit of white
men, and to be administered by white men
forever, and by nobody else. (Enthusias-
tic applause.) But it does not by any means
follow that because negro is not citizen
that therefore he ought to be a slave. On
the contrary l hold that humanity, christi
anity and duty require that we should ex-
tend to the negro race all the rights, allrthe
privileges. and all the immunities which
they can enjoy consistently with the good
and safety of the society in which they live
('Thats the doctrine" fright" &c.)-
Then perhaps some of you would like to
know what are the extent and nature of
these rights. will tell you precisely what
they are. They are just such as the peo.
pie of each State and each Territory shall
decide for themselves. (Great applause. y
1t may be entirely safe and proper here in
Ohio where you have got but a very few
negroes, to confer upon them rights and
privileges which would be unsafe and dan
gcrous in South Carolina, where the slaves
outnumber the whites more than two to
one. ("Sound doctrine.') Hence all /
have to say is you people in Ohio take care
Of uour o~n negroes, black and white,
daughter and applause,) make your own
laws, establish your own institutions, mind
your own business and let your neigbor's
alone. (That's sensible" and great ap-
plause.) Let the people of South Carolina
take care OF their own negroes, regulate
their affairs to suit themselves, mind their
own business and not interfere with their
neighbors. (Cheers.) Now if you will
only act on that principle there will be
peace and harmony all over this country.
C'Thats So" "Amen.")
DEsPOT's REASONS.
But these Republicans tell you that
slavery is wrong, that it is a great crime,
even more ruinous to the white man than
to the negro, and therefore it must be put
down at all hazards everywhere. My an
swer to that proposition is this, that in
every free country the people must be per-
mitted to determine for themselves what
institutions are right and what are wrong.
The right to decide whether a law is wise
or unwise, whether an institution is Just or
unjust, is fundamental principle of self
government the world over. The tyrants
and enemies of free government always re-
sort to this same argument that you must
not allow the people to decide for them
selves for fear they will make bad laws
daughter and applause.) Ask the Emperor
of Austria why he does not allow his Ger
man subjects to have voice in making the
laws under which they live, and he will tell
you he would be glad to do so but for the
fact that the people would ruin themselves
by bad laws if he only gave them the chance.
Laughter and applause.) Go down into
Naples, and if you can find him, inquire of
that fugitive Bourbon why he did not per-
NIT his people to have a voice in the max
ing of their laws and he will give you the
same answer. Then pass over into old
England, the country that boasts of its
freedom, and inquire of its aristocracy why
they deprived Ireland of her separate par
Lament and deprived her of the right of
self-government at home, and their answer
will be that the Irish would have ruined
themselves by bad laws if they had the
chance given them. From there come to
America and inquire Of Mr.. Seward, and
Mr.. Lincoln, and Father Giddings, and 9TH
er leaders of the Republican party, why
they do not allow the people of the Ameri-
can Territories to decide the slavery ques-
ton for themselves, and they will tell you
that they would surely ruin themselves by
adopting slavery. (Applause and laugh
ter.) 1t is plain that whenever you inter
fere with the great right of every people to
decide for themselves what laws and insti-
tutions are best adapted to their happiness,
you strike down the fundamental princi-
pie Of selfgovernment itself. c'True.")
Robert C. winthrop.
This gentleman is distinguished men,
Der of the Whig party. He was once the
idol of a large number of those western
men who are now marching in the wake of
Joshua R. Giddings, on the road to that
blissful rest where all colors ''can lie down
together" Mr.. Winthrop recently made a
speech at Boston. Below is the close of it:
l repeat fellow citizens, we need resto-
ration Of National harmony, of that frater-
nal feeling between different members of
the Unicn, which was so eloquently and
admirably advocated by the gallant and
true hearted Crittenden in his noble speech,