Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1860-07-23

by the people ofthis great nation, rs rninons
TO IFS peace aud prosperity, and defeated too,
because calculated in the nature Of It's organ.
~izaiiou the profession Of is leaders, and doe
trine ofits platform 10 divide and dissolve the
Union oftho States under he bond Of our
iberiies-the Constitution of the United
States That banner inacribed with Douglas
and johnson tho Constitution and tho Tn.
ion, representing all the States Of our Re
public, rs Il does, is the National banner, the
banner OF the Union under which we invite
you TO muster aud drill knowing this must
triumph or all be lost for the future peace Of
this country.
Bat, MessrA Eds almost forgot to notice the
speech of Hon. Mr.. Schenck, made at the
Wigwnm Saturday night, to moderately full
house.
The effort Of Mr.. S. does not in the main
deserve attention, as il was largely mixed
with bitter abuse Of the great democratic par
~ Of the country, have certainly not lately
listened to a speech from an opposition speak.
er, more fully loaded with bitterness against
those he opposes, and wherein he professed
to want to do no injustice, but yet deliberately
doing injustice by mistating the history Of
important political events or The position and
motives Of leading democratic statesmen ON
many questions heretofore aud now before the
county The good that any nmn fancies he
can make by such a course, is sure to deceive
him, aud in the end to recoil on his own head
with disastrous consequence. The only point
In Mr, Schenck's speech necessary to notice
now, was that wherein be asserted that the
people of the Territories had the right when
making their constitution preparatory to adj
mission into the Union rs n State, TO do as
they please in reference 10 slavery-that is in
cooperating il in their organic law--thus max
ing 1t a Slave State, or to reject Slavery and
make their State a free one as they saw prop
Grand then ask admission under their or
ganic law, whatever il might be. This pfopo-
sition he asserted he was in favor of-and in
that, he ayowed he was a popular sovereign, and
likewise commended for this as the doctrine of
his party. He also went on to assert that
Congress could grant 70 the Territorial Legis.
lature of the Territories, the right and power
of klegislating for themselves, Congressj ap-
proving or not, of the laws they make, thus
citing the people set up or prohibit Slavery
las an institution in the Territory by their Leg.
i%slature. ! suppose, of course, Congress only
revising their acts.
Now who does not know that these positions
are entirely contradictory Of the Republican
platform Of Mr.. Scheneks party. Does the
Philadelphia platform, or the Chicago Confess
sion of Republican faith, upon which his can
didates, Lincoln and Hamlin, stand, contain or
announce such doctrines as these2 No, sir
none of it Does Seward, Chase, Hale, Gid
dings, Lincoln or Hamlin-the leaders Of the
Republican party, assert such views, RS Mr..
Schenck does in the foregoing propositions 7
No, sir far from it
If they did, there would be but little more
trouble about this slavery question, and the
people would be allowed to exercise the right
of self government without interference.
But, sir, this rs not their position they are
for intervention by Congress, and Congress
alone, as Mr.. Schenck well knows, If he
knows anything about their actual views
This intervention doctrine which Mr.. S. said
he was in favor Of, aud that it was expedient
to put in force in Congress, is the very thing,
the pestiiierous theory, that is brewing the real
difficulty in America, which we are doomed TO
divide and rend our Union upon, if it is not
abandoned. 1t does appear TO me that all
men can and ought to see this, and cast it to
the winds, and allow the people of the Terri
tories to settle all questions for themselves,
subject to the Constitution of our country,
without let or hindrance by Congress or any
other power. This is the most practicable
of all theories, for the adjustment of all aud
every question that can arise in organizing
governments according to and under the Con.
s%titution of the United States. And besides
all this, it embodies the important doctrine OF
, selfgovernment, leaving the people to make
their own laws. This is the very principle, ns
Mr.. S. well knows, dear to every American
l citizen. The very principle about and for
which our fathers went to war in the Revolu-
ton; the very principle that their posterity
will again battle for as of yore, if it is not
granted.
Rut I am not fearful of the result this
; principle will prevail in spite of all opposition.
It will become the settled policy of this coun-
try, upon which to organize Territorial gov
ernments just as its great defender, Stephen
A. Douglas, has defined and endorsed it in all
his efforts, whether on the stump as against
Lincoln, or in the Senate ofthe United States
as against the President, Cabinet, aud almost
the entire Senate, and that too whether he
should be elected or not in the present con-
test.
Trusting, Messrs. Editors, you will excuse
the length of this communication, / am re-
specially, Ion.