Weekly national intelligencer., 1860-08-04
MR. BREcKNRIDeE's ~T1PpEcANoE SPEECH,


MR. BRECKNRIDGE'S aTIPPECANoE SPEECH. -
Several of our subscribers and correspondents in
the Southern States have requested us to furnish
the authentic report of speech delivered by Mr..
BREcKINRIDGE, during the Presidential campaign
of 1855, at Tippecanoe, in the State of Indiana.
In this speech Mr.. Breckinridge was charged at
the time (and the charge has naturally been reyiy
ed at the present day. with the utterance of opin-
ions symbolizing closely with those of the Northern
Democracy in their devotion to " Popular Sover-
eighty as an expedient for the settlement of the
slavery question in the Territories Rebutting also
the allegation that the Democratic party was Sec
tional and Southern in its leanings, Mr.. Breckin-
ridge represented to have said at the same time
that she belonged to no party which favored the
extension of slavery"
1t is known to our readers that we have little
taste for that species of political debate which is
often prosecuted by resort to the argumentuns ad
homtnem in its most disingsnuous form Frag-
mentary citations and garbled extracts, torn from
their natural and logical connexion, may be made
to answer the ends of an unscrupulous party war
fare, but rarely serve the cause of truth and fair
dealing Of this we have abundant illustrations
in the ungenerous and uncandid use to which a
portion OF the Democratic press are attempting
to put single sentences and mangled excerpts, GULL
ed from the speeches delivered by Mr.. BELL at
different periods in his long and consistent public
career
We have not been able to procure an authentic
report of the speech delivered by Mr.. Breckinridge
at Tppecanoe in 1856, and we have reason to be-
heve that such report was ever furnished to the
press. It is within our power, however, to place
before our readers the substance of his remarks
made on that occasion, as acknowledged by Mr.
Breckenridge soon after their utterance; for, a
question having been early raised with regard to
the accuracy of the reported speech, a prominent
Democrat of Louisiana, Mr.. r. W. MILES, who
present its delivery took occasion on the 7th
of October, 1856, without attempting to give the
exact words used by Mr.. Breckenridge" to state
their purport in the following terms:
Mr. Breckenridge insisted that party whose
bounded by geogaphcalnes fixed its attention
the Government This Mr. Fremon party proposed to do
1t proposed to the people of sixteen States against
munites against communities the one side led on by o
gical prudices and unreasoning fanacism the other
standing firm defence of property life and liberty 1t
against such parties that the Father of his Country
had raised hrs warning voice in his Farewell Address In
such contest could doubt the result and for such
contest no true patriot had any heart But Continued
Mr. Brecknridge) it said that the Democratic party
also sectional party that 1t wishes to make the
strong arm of the Federal Government extend slavery
That not true The Democratic party rested its claims
TO national support upon national principles stands up
the prnces of the Kansas Nebraska bill and the Gin
ennat PLATFORM 1t that the Federal Government
has power to establish abolish slavery 1t asserts
the principle of nonnervention as the only true principle
leaving the people of the States and Territories under
the forms of the Constitution the right regulate the sub
ject at their discretion. The Democratic party could
therefore no more make of the strong of the Fed
era Government to extend slavery than propose to
make use of it to prohibit slavery"
Immediately after the publication of the above
extract, Mr. Breckenridge, having been interrogat
ed BY Mr.. Miles In regard to its accuracy, wrote
as follows in reply, under date of October 21 1856:
IL As you know, my remarks reported in a meagre
and imperfect manner; STILL reported there no.
tnng @ warrant the attack Hands off the whole subject
by the Federal Government Except for or two pro-
teeve purposes mentioned in the Constitution the equal
rights of all sections in the territory and the alb
oiute power OF each State to settle the question in its
constitution: these my doctrines and those cur plat
form, and, what Is more, of the Constitution To claim
that the Democratic party in its Federal relations an
extend slavery 10 advance doctrine
that constitutonaly and in its logical conse
tuences ruinOus TO the South"
It will thus be seen that Mr. Breckinridge. in
his Tppecanoe Speech was not called specifically
to reat on that form of the Territorial question
which relates to the protection" of slavery as dis
tingushed from its establishment or prohibition.
Denying the power of the General Government
either to establish abolish slavery in the Terri
tories, he doubtless left in abeyance any expression
2f opinion with regard to the manner in which the
Ahabltants ef Territory, during their Territorial
condition. could regulate this subject in their own
way, under the forms Of the Constitution -
though it cannot be doubted that his private opin
Iiod< soincident with that avoWed by Mr.. Bu-
chauan when sluding to the differences that early
obtained on this subject among the adherents of
popular sovere gnty, he stated his inaugural ad-
dress that hes had ever been Of the opinion that
the people coukd de6ntively decide the question of
slavery only in proceeding to form State Consti-
tuition. The intSrmediate status of the question
was one on which Democrats were permitted to diff
i. fer in 1856, and it is well known that down to
very recent day Mr. Breckinridge was willing still
longer to practise the same liberation To this ex-
tent, and no further, we presume, he may be said
to have given his eoIntenance to the dogm of DO
pular sovereignty as cherished by the Northern
Democracy.
SEEDS AND CUTTINGS FROM SYRIA