The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1860-08-10
The Opposing Principles
HENRY CLAY AND ABE LINCOLN.

assertion on the part Oh CuuSe DATES, NJ
well as the assumption by almost every let
ter writer and stump orator of the Repub-
lican party, that HENRY CLAY, while living,
advocated the same principles which are
now advanced by ABRAHAM LINCOLN and
his party, has led me to thorough invest-
cation of the subject. The result l now
propose to give you.
The principles to which LINCOLN and the
great body Of the Republican party stand
pledged, are about these }:
The abolition of slavery in the District
of Columbia, and in the forts and arsenals
of the United States.
Congressional intervention to prohibit,
but not to establish, slavery in all the Ter
ritories of the United States : or, in other
words, the universal application of the
" Wilmot Proviso" to those Territories.
The using of all possible and constitu-
tional means to prevent the admission Of
any more Slave States into the Union.
Opposition to the principles of non-inter-
vention contained in the compromise mea-
sures of 1850.
The modification of the Fugitive Slave
Law, so as to compel the master to estab-
lish bis right of property in the fugitive
slave at the place where such fugitive is
captured.
The right of Congress to intervene and
contradict the decisions of the Supreme
Court of the United States /; justifyiDg
such intervention and contradiction by
" law higher than the Constitution"
And finally, the concentrating of all of
the anti-slavery and free-soil elements of the
North into one Northern party for the
purpose of proclaiming the idea that " all
men are created free and equal" and with
view to the ultimate extinction of the
institution of slavery"
Such, I hope to be able to show, is the
position of MIR. Lincoln and in direct op-
position, in every particular, hope to
be equally able to show, is to be found
upon the records the position of Mr.. Clay.
SLAVERY IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.
In 1887, as member of the Illinois Leg
islature, Mr.. Lincoln, with only four Others,
voted against the following resolution:
RESOLVED, That the government cannot abol.
the consent of the citizens of said District WITH.
OUT A MANIFEST BREACH OF GOOD FAITH. [See
House Journal, 1861, p. 240.]
In Congress, at the session of 1848- 40, he
voted to institute measures for the abolition
of slavery in the District. In 1889, in the
Illinois Legislature he voted against reso
luton to the effect
That as the General government cannot do,
directly, what it is clearly prohibited from do.
ing indirectly; that it is the openly declared
design of the Abolitionists of this nation to
abolish slavery in the District of Columbia.
S Tth view to its ultimate adjustment in nth the
therefore, Congress ought not to abolish slave
ry in the District of Columbia. House Jour-,
1882, p. 1921
In 1886, Mr.. Clay voted against propo-
sition to abolish slavery in the District.
[See Congressional Debates, 1886, p. 1166.
On January 18th, 1888, Mr.. Clay intro
duced resolution in respect to this ques-
ton, as follows:
RESOLVED, That the interference by the citi.
zens of any of the States with view to the
abolition of slavery in this District, is endan.
gering to the rights and security of the people
of the District, and that any act or measure of
Congress designed to abolish slavery in tn is
District ,oould be violat,on Of the faith implied
by the cession by the States of Virginia and
Maryland. just cause of alarm to the people
of the slavehOlding States, and hare a direct
and ,nevitable tendency to disturb and endanger
the Union. [Globe, vol. 6, p. 9S.]
In speaking of this resolution, Mr.. Clay
says:
My idea in framing that resolution was to
throw around the District of Columbia every
security in these abstract propositions. One
was the piighted faith of the government, in the
transaction by which the District was acquired.
The next was that you have no right to abolish
slavery without indemnity. The third was,
that you cannot do it without exciting degree
of alarm in the Southern States of this Union,
transcending the benefits of any results. Zap
pendix Globe, vol. 6, p. co.,
On the 18th of April, 1850, Mr.. Clay
offered the following modification to Ben
tons instruction:
PROVIDED, That nothing in this reference shall
be construed to assert or imply the existence
abolition of slavery within the States nor the
suppression of the slave trade between the
States, nor that Congress ought to abolish
slavery within the forts, arsenals, dock yards
and nauy yards, nor that Congress ought to
ABOLISH SLAVERY WITHIN THE DISTRICT OF Co.
LUMBIA.-[Globe, vol. 81, p. 7l3.]
The position of Mr.. Lincoln is, that Con-
gress ought to adopt measures to abolish
slavery in the District that of Mr.. Clay
that Congress ought not to do so.
CONGRESSIONAL INTERVENTION TO PROHIBIT,
But NOT TO ESTABLISH SLAVERY.
Judge Bates states the position of Mr..
Lincoln to be that Congress has supreme
legislative power over all the Territories,
and may at its discretion allow Or forbid the
existence of slavery within them.'
This is not the fact. 1t is only necessary
to quote the second resolution of the Repub-
lican Platform, adopted at Philadelphia, in
1856, to which Mr.. Lincoln stands pledged
by an hundred declarations, to show that
he occupies different position:
That we deny the authority of Congress, of
Territorial Legislature, of any individual, or
association of individuals, to give legal erist-
ence to slavery in any Territory of the United
States, while the present constitution shall be
maintained.
Mr.. L. is not only in favor of this, but
-" insists upon what we see below:
What insist upon is, that the new Terrific.
ries shall be kept free from slavery while in q
Territorial conditional Alton speech, 1851
Mr.. Clay was of the opinion that Con-
gress possessed the power not only to pro.
hibit but to introduce slavery but he did
not wish Congress to exercise either power,
olnn a