The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1860-09-28


of disunion. Keep slavery agitation out OF
Congress and to do SO, you must condemn
both the doctride Of the Administration and
the Republican parties. One wants Con-
gress to protect slavery, and the other de-
sires Congress to prohibit slavery. The
Democratic party says hands off let the
people settle the question. Unless that
policy was adopted, nothing would ever be
done for the great material interests OF the
country. Minnesota had vital interests at
stake-we wanted Northern Pacific Rail.
way--a Northern mail route to the Pacific
custom houses--forts, &C., yet we could
never secure these important measures, so
long as the time of Congress was occupied
by the discussion of the slavery question.
Our Northern Pacific Railway had been
sold out by the Republicans in Congress,
and at the next session, it was probable that
government aid would be extended to
middle and Southern route, but not to
Northern road. This was owing to the
manner in which the Republican Speaker
had constituted the Pacific Railroad Com
mittee. At the session of Congress which
has just closed, bill passed the Senate ap-
propriating 100000 per annum, to trans
port mail from St. Paul, via st. Anthony
and St. Cloud, to Puget Sound on the Pa.
ci6c. 1t was got through the Senate by
hard labor, and if it had been successful in
the House, would have secured to Minneso-
ia solid and substantial benefits. 1t was
more important to Minnesota than the de-
livery of thousands of anti-slavery speeches.
Yet I find, said Mr.. GILMAN, in looking at
the vote in the House, upon the passage of
this bill, that the name Of my friend Mr..
WINDOW does not appear as voting for it..
Will he explain this neglect on his part !?
Will he tell the people why he was not in
the House working and laboring to secure
this boon to Minnesota-this great overland
mail route, which I regard, as do many
others, to be the sure forerunner of North
ern Pacific Railroad.
Mr.. GILMAN then went into an examine =
ton of the clap.trap cry Of the Republic
cans, about bringing the country back to
the doctrines of the Fathers" He showed
by the writings and the acts of the early
Presidents and statesmen, that not one
measure advocated by the Republicans found
favor in their eyes. Mr.. G. was enthusias.
tically cheered upon concluding.
Mr.. WINDOW was received with hearty
cheers from his friends. In response to a
question asked by Mr.. GILMAN, be said he
did not believe Congress had power to in
terfere with slavery in the States. He de-
Tended bis vote on the Blake resolution, by
saying it was merely "a resolution of inquiry.
He denied there was any utilization between
the Republicans and the Breckenridge men;
but he WINDOW respected the honesty and
manliness of the Breckinridgeites. They
pursued the true course. He abhorred their
principles, but they were honest, open, and
manly in avowing them. He defended
L1NCoLN's assertion that the Union could
not exist half slave and half free. He was
in favor of the dissemination of the truth,
in the hope Of the eventual abolition OF
slavery. He then went into an examination
of Non.Intervention; denounced the bred
Scott decision; said it was entitled to no
more respect than the opinions of any other
nine respectable old gentlemen; stigmatized
Popular Sovereignty as cheat, and con-
tended that DOUGLAS IN voting against the
Chase amendment to the Nebraska bill,
showed the dishonesty of bis professions.
He then went into the Homestead question,
and charged DOUGLAS with lodging the vote
on the Presidents veto, and also with being
an insincere friend of the measure. He re
terred to the Utah Polygamy bill, and the
law repeating the slave code in New Next
co, as evidence that Non-Intervention was
impracticable. He concluded by deriding all
cries of disunion.
These are merely the points touched on
by Mr.. WINDOW. After he had concluded,
GEO. E. H. DAY, Esq, called his attention
to what Mr.. GILMAN had said in reference
to the Pacific mail route bill.
Mr.. WINDOW, said the charge sOas entirely
new to him. He knew nothing of such bill.
Had never heard of it. Would be glad to
get light upon 1t.
Mr.. GILMAN took the stand to reply. He
briefly and forcibly referred to WINDOWS
views of the bred Scott decision; and said
be might believe the decision to be wrong,
as be (G1LMAN) had the decisions of many
courts, but yet it was none the less his
(WNDoMs) duty to respect the decision
until it was reversed. He read from the
Nebraska bill, the clause which says that
the people shall be perfectly free to regu-
late their own affairs in their own way" as
sufficient answer to the charge that Popu-
lar Sovereignty was cheat the proviso
IL ,,,h:aok IN tho Nouck;k.&;o,, of <ho nr;<oJ