The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1860-06-15
osALL xrxps, sucz A
|gaYagss AND Dlsparsa


wants and wishes Of Customers. Fl,
by mere force of numbers 10 deprive you OF
some right, plainly written down In the con.
stitution. Bot we arc proposing nc. sch
thing. When you mako thcso declarations,
you have specific and well understood allu.
sion 10 an assumed constitutional right OF
yours to take slaves into the federal tcrrito-
rics, and to hold them there Is property.
SILENCE or TIE CONSTITUTION As 10 rnr RECT
or TAKING SLAVES MO TIE TERRITORIES.
But no such right Is specifically written In
this Constitution. That instrument is liter
ally silent about any such right. We, on
the contrary, deny that such right has any
existence in the Constitution, even BY impli-
cation. (Applausc.) Your purpose, then,
plainly stated, Is, that you will destroy tho
Government unless you DO allowed to con-
struc and enforce tho Consultation a. you
please on all points In dispute between you
and us. You will ruin or rulo In nll eycnts.
This, plainly stated, Is your language to US.
Perhaps you will say the Supreme Court has
decided tho disputed constitutional question
Yin your favor. Not quite 10. But waving
the lawyers distinction between dictum and
decision, the Court have decided the question
for you In sort of way. The Court sub
stantially said, It Is your constitutional right
to take slaves into the Federal Territories,
and to hold them there rs property. When
say the decision was made in sort OF way
mean II was made In q divided Court, by Q
bare majority Of tho Judges, and they not
quite agreeing with ono another in the fcas.
ons for making Il; that II is no made n that
Its ayowed supporters disagree with ono On.
other about ih meaning, and that was main
ly based upon mistaken statement Of fact
tho statement In the opinion that "tho
right of property in slave Is distinctly and
expressly affirmed In the Constitution.
SLAVES CONSIDERED As PERSONS AND NOT As
PROPERTY.
An inspection Of the Constitution viii
show that the right Of property In a slave Is
not distinctly and expressly affirmed in it,
(Applause.) Bear in mind, the judges do
not pledge their judicial opinion that such n
right is implicitly affirmed in the Constitu-
tion, but they pledge their vcracity that II Is
distinctly and expressly affirmed there-"dis-
tinctly"-that II Is not mingled with any
thing else-"cxpressly." that is, In words
meaning just that without the aid Of any in
ference, and susceptible Of no other meaning.
If they had only pledged their judicial opin-
ion that such right is affirmed in the instru-
ment bX implication, 1t would DO open 10
Others to show that neither tho word "slavc"
nor "slaycry" is TO be found In the Constitu-
tion, nor tho word "propcrty" even In any
connection with language alluding to tho
things slave or slavery (applansc). and that
wherever in that instrument the slave is al.
ludcd to no is called "pcrson," and whcr-
ever his masters legal right in relation to
him isAlludcd to 1t is spoken Of us "scrylce"
or labor. Also II would DO open to show by
cotcmponncous history that this modo Of al
luding to slaves and slavery, instead Of
speaking Of them, was employed on purpose
to cxcludc-from. tho Constitution the idea
that there could be property in man.
TIE SUPREME COURT TO RECONSIDER THEIR DE-
cisioS.
| To show all this Is easy and certain
When this obvious mistake OF the Judges
shall be brought TO their notice, IL II not
reasonable to expect that they will withdraw
tho mistaken statement, and reconsider tho
conclusion based upon It? And then II is
to be remembered that sour fathers who
framed the government under which We live"
| the men who made the Constitution-dc-
cidcd this same constitutional question in
our favor long ago-dccidcd IL without d.
vision among themselves, when making tho
decision without division among themselves
about tho meaning Of II after Il was made;
and 30 far as any evidence Is left without
basing II upon any mistaken statement Of
facts. Under all these circumstances do you
really feel yourselves justified to break up
/ Al ,,I, -
| ion as yours Is, shall DO Mt once submitted
to as n conclusive and final rulo Of political
action?
DISSOLUTION or TIE UNION.
But you will not abide tho election OF
Republican President. In that supposed
event you say you will destroy the Union,
and then, you say. the great crime Of having
destroyed Il will bc upon us! (Iaughter)
That Is cool. fGrcat laughter. A high
wayinan holds pistol to my car, and NUT
ters through his teeth, Z" Stand and deliver,
or shall kill you, and you will be MUIR
dercr!' CONTINUED laughtcr.l To DO sure,
what the robber demanded Of mc-my mon
cy-was my own, and had q clear right to
keep II (; but II was no moro my own than
| nv vote Is my own-I'Thats so," and mp
/ plausel-and the threat OF death 10 me TO
cxtort my money, and tho threat OF destruc-
| tion TO the Union, 10 cxtort my voto, can
scarcely bc distinguished In principle.
! AwoRD TO KruBuc,Ns.
= A few words now TO Republicans. II ID
exceedingly desirable that all parts Of this
f! great conicdency shall bc ut peace and har-
mony ono with another. Let us Repubii.
cans do our part to have itso. ["We will"
. 4 IL
ed, let us do nothing through passion and
! III temper. Even though tho Southern pco-
! pie win not as much listen TO US, let us calm.
ly consider their demands and yield To them,
II In our deliberate view OF our duty, we pos
Z sibly can. Judging by all they any and do,
and by the subject and nature OF their con-
trovery with us, let us determine, II VIC can,
what will satisfy them. Will they be satis-
rendered to them? We know they win not.
{, In al their present complaints against us
the Territories are scarcely mentioned. In
ypions and instructions arc tho rage now.
Will Il satisfy them II In future, we have
nothing to do with inyasions and ipssrrcc-
tions? We know II will not. We 80 know
because we know wc never hail anything to
do with invasions and insurrections; and
yet this total abstaining dos not exempt us
from the charge and the dcnanciation.
TIE DHrERxxcE or OPINION.
Tho question recurs, what will satisfy themi
Simply this: We must not only let them
alone, but VIC trust, somehow, convince them
that we do let them alonc. This, wo know
by experience, ID no easy tax. We havo
been trying TO 10 convipce them from tho
very beginning Of our organization, but with
no success. In all our platforms and speech
es wc have constantly protested our purpose
TO let them alone but this bas Lad - ton.
dency 10 convince them. Alike usAvailing