Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-01-24
Speech of G. M. Clay,
At Frankfort, N.Y.,
FROM THE
CAPITOL STEPS, JAN. 10, 1860.
rpo,o,,o 81 .vnr.ss,, tor tbs C.nc;nn.ti q .zetts
Reported expressly for the Cincinnati Gazette ]
[Continrsd from Yesterday ]
HOW HE oHANeED AN OPINION.

/ lAeGfOtS9A ANA VIZ
[Ccntinued from Yesterday
HOW he CHANGED AN OPINION.
am gong to own up myself confess
that always believed, until read the opiuon
Of Justice Curtis, l always believed with the
old Free Soil party, that under the Constitution
OF the United States, you could not establish
slavery in any Territory. l do now confess,
that after reading the decision of Justice Cur
| tbs, that It was so clear, and the argument so
irresistible that they could practice Legislation
in either way, that was bound 10 acknowledge
that the power TO prohibit also carried with it
thu power to establish, and the converse that
the power to establish slavery, also gave the
power to prohibit it l therefore yielded up
my old opinion, q know not what others may
dol because in this dicta of Justice Curtis, if
Congress has power simply because there is no
limit put upon it, that it has power on either
side; that is, it has OmniPotent sovereign power
although this is a government in general of
| limited powers, inRsmuch as the Constitution
does not limit Congress from establishing or
abolishing slavery. The power is not denied
| by the Constitution, therefore it has it. There
| fore am bound to change my opinion upon that
D subject, and now l agree that Congress has the
power to establish or prohibit slavery, because
4 as l said, the Acknowledgements of the one
I power compels us to acknowledge the posses
sion of the reverse.
| Well now it is at last brought to this: Con-
gress has the right to establish slavery or to
I abolish slavery 10 the Territories 1t is then
n after upon which we appeal to the country
for decision. Will you 90 for Slavery or Free.
doml believe that to be the doctrine Of the
Renpb, icIn party, and that is the whole sum
and snb. lance of the controversy between US.
We saw W, u Washington, Jefferson, Madison
and Henry. I'd Lee and all the distinguished
fathers of tbe Republic, not that slavery is 3
BLESSING and d wac institution and all that,
but we admit il TO Se an eg1i, morally, socially
and politically, and weakness ~ the common
wealth.
SLAVERY WEAK INSTITUTION.
Well now, gentlemen, it hss gOl.e forth in
this commonwealth that I should not be aple 70
speak in Frankfort Why is that Why - 1t
that John Brown spread such conservation
through all Virginia! Are we 10 believe that
the Virginians are al ,owardsI No! There
is in Virginia just as gallant blood as flows in
the world; it was simply because Slavery was
weak institution from the beginning TO this
time; thati was what James Madison told South
Carolina and Georgia; it is because Slavery is
what Mr.. Randolph told Mr. Everett. We tell
you that it is a source of weakness in the State,
and therefore as patriots and lovers of our coun-
try. we say to the several States enjoy your in
stitution as 10 ng as you choose, butso f aswe
are responsibls We 60 agaihst it all the time.
There is the whole front Of our offending. Is
it not ht!
THE ADMISSION OF SLAVE STATES.
Another chaJge made is, that we purp ose ito
prevent the ad mission, in any latitude, of anoth-
er slavehOlding State" l deny that that is the
platform of the Republican party as made up in
1885, or as it is to be made up in 1860, and if
you will allow me will refer to the record. l
cannot read all Of the platform, but 1 give you
my word there is no such clause in it. will
read one clause he ,Wever:
Resolved, Thu t with our Republican fathers
we hold it to be self evident truth that d men
are endowed with the inalienable right to life,
liberty, and the pS 'rsuit of happiness, aud that
the primary objeC and ulteIiOr design of our
Federal Governme Mt was to secure these rights
to all persons und er it's exclusive Jurisdiction;
Il Mark me, now, that does not spply 70 States. 7
''that our Republi can fathers, when they had
abolished slavery in all our National Territory,
ordained that q 0 person should be deprived of
life, liberty or I. .'Operty without due process Of
law, it becomes ur duty to maintain this pro-
vision of the COnsl tuition against all attempts
to violate it for the purpose of establishing
Slavery in any Terri 'ory Of the United States,
while the present Coz lstitution shall be main
tained.'
In this part of the platform have said, I
believe we were in en- or. For that reason, In
the call ofthe present onvention we leave out
all that which has referel ice TO the last
which read. will read that cs.ll to you
"a National Republican Convention will meet
at Chicago, on Wednesday the 18th day Of Jlne
next at IL O'Clock noon, for the nomination of
candidates to be supported for President at the
next election.
''Ths Republican electors of the several
States, the members of the p eople's party Of
Pennsylvania, and of the Oppo iition party of
New jersey, and all others who are willing to
cooperate with them in suppori of the candid
ates which shall there be norniI Iated, and who
are opposed to the policy Ofthe present Admin.
istration, to federal corruption and usurpati0n,
TO the extension ofSlaverY ntO she Territories.
to the new and dangerous political doctrine
that the Constitution, Of its own force, carries
Slavery into all the Territories Of the Uaited
States, to the opening of the African Slave
Trade, to any inequality of rights among cIti-
Eens; and who are in favor of the immediate ad-
mission of Kansas into the Union, under the
constitution rece ntly adopted by lis people, Of
restoring the federal administration to system
of rigid economy and to the prinei pies Of Wash
iRgtOn aud Jefferson ofmaintainini ,inyiolate the
rights ofthe States, snd defending the soil of
every State and Territory from lawIess invas-
ion, and of preserving the integr ity of this Un~
ion and the supremacy Of the Cl institution and
laws passed IA pursuance theret I, against the
conspiracy of the leaders Of sec tonal party, to
resist the majority principle as established in
this government, even at the exT 'ense Of its ex-
istence, are invited to send from each State two
delegates from every COngressiC nal district, and
four delef gates at large to the Convention"
To prevent the extension of slavery into Ter
ritories There is the natter at ISSUE
Gentle men, neither in the platform Of 1856,
nor in th call of Convention for 1860, is there
any suci clause as that the Vice President al
lodges, hat no more slave States shall be ad-
mitted il ITO the Union-there is nothing Of It.
1t is NOT. a true allegation, and APpea to the
record. I appeal from the infereuces and
allegation of the Vice President of the United
StatesI to the country upon that subject.
THE SLAVE CODE CONSIDERED.
Before pass over this will say few words
with regard to the power that the slsvehOldsFs
claim for the protection Of slave property under
the Constitution of the United States, because
that Is q vital question Gentleman, with all
the Inconsistency Of the Democratic party in
1852 and 1855, they never thought Of { his thing,
that slavery went under the OonstitutiOn, and
By virtue thereof into everylTerritOfy per Sc.