Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1860-06-14

I
sistent, Understood whether they really wer
inconsistent bsssts iban we-better than h
who sifirms that they are incbnsisteniI
IL Is surely safe to assume that the "ihiri,
nine" trainers OF the ori ginal Constitution
and the seventy-six members Of the Con
gress which framed the sme ndments thereto
taken together. do certainly include thos,
who may be fairly called "fathers Wit
framed the Government under which W,
live" And so assuming DEFY sny man t,
show that any Of them ever, in his Who'll,
life, declared that in his understsn ling, suy
proper division Of local from federal author
ity, tr any part Of the Constitution, forbade
the Federal Government to control as Il
slavery in the federal territories. I 20 q
step further. defy any one to show that
any living man ia the whole world ever did
prior TO the beginning Of the present cen.
tury (and ] might almost say prior to the
! beginning Of the last half Of the present
century, declare that, in his understanding
any proper division Of local from federal
authority, or any part of the Constitution
fabade the Federal Government to control
as 10 slavery 10 the federal territories. To
those who now 50 declare. give. not only
"our fathers who framed the gcvrrnmen NJ
under which we live" but with them all
other living men within the century in
which it was framed. among whom 10 search
and they shall not be able to find the evil
dence Of a single man tgreeing with them
Now, and here let me guard little against
beng misunderstood; do not mean to say
we are bouod to follow implicitly in what.
ever our fathers did. To do SO, would b to
discard all the lights of current experience
to reject all progress--all improvement.
What 10 say is, that if we would supplant
the opinions and policy Of our fathers in
any case, we should do SO upon evidence SO
conclusive, argument so clear, that even
their great authority, fairly considered and
weighed, cannot stand; and most surely not
in case whereof we ourselves declare they
understood the question better than we
II any man, at this day. sincerely believes
that proper division Of local from federal
authority, or auy part of the Constitution
forbds the Federal Government TO coatrol
as to slavery in the federal territories, he is
right to say 50, and to enforce his position
by all truthful evidence aud fair argumen,
which he can, But he has no right to mis-
lead others, who have less access TO history
and less leisure to study it, into the false
belief that tour fathers, who framed the
Government under which we live" were Of
the same opnion-thu, substituting false. .
hood and deception for truthful evidence
and fair argument. If any man at This day
sincerely believes "our fathers, who framed
the Government under which we live" used
and applied principles, in other cases, which
ought to have led them to understand that
proper division OF local from federal author
ity or some part of the Constitution. ioi bids
the Federal Government to contro! as to
slavery in the federal territories, he is right
TO say SO. But he should, atthe snme time.
brave the responsibility of declaring that,
in his opinion. he understands their prin.
ciples better than they did themselves; and
especially should he not shirk that respon.
sibility by asserting that they "undersiood
the question just as well, and even better,
than we do now."
But enough. Let oil who believe that
sour fathers, who framed the Government
under which we LIVE; understood this ques-
ton just as well, and even better. than we
do now" speak as they spoke, and act as
they acted upon it. This is all Republicans
ssk-.all Republicans desire-in relation to
slavery. As those:fathers marked it, so let
it be again mnrSed,:as an evil not to be ex-
tended. but TO be tolerated and protected
ouly because Of and So far as its actual
presence among US makes that toleration
and protection',a necessity. Let all the
guarantees those fethers gave H., be, not
grudgingly, but fully and fairly, maintained.
For this Republicans contend, and with this,
so far as know or believe, they will be
content.
And now, II they would !isten-as I sup
pose they will not-l would address few
words to the S outhern people.
l would say to them: You consider your
selves reasonable and Just people; and
consider thai in the general qualities of
reason and justice you are not inferior to
any other people. Still, when you speak of
US Republicans, you do so only to denounce
US as reptiles, or ;at the best as no better
than outlaws. You will grant hearing to
pirates or murJerers. but nothing like it to
"Black Republicans. In all your conten-
tions with one another, each Of you deems
an unconditional condemnation of "Black
Republicanism" as the first thing to be at
tendedtu.j Indeed, such condemnation of us
seems to 6e an indispensable perquisite-
license, so to speak--among you to be ad.
mi,tsd or permitted to speak atan.
Now, eanyou,, or not. be prevailed upon
to pause and consider whether this is quite
Just to us, or even to ourselves!
Bring forward your charges and specifica-
tions, and then be patient long enough to
hear us Deny or justify.
You say we are sectional. We deny it.
That makes an issue; and the burden OF
proof is upon you. You produce your proof; /;
and whist lie it! Why, that our party has no
existence in your section---gets no votes in
your section. The fact is substantially true;
but does it prove the issue! If it tdoes, then
in case we should without change of prln-
ciples, begin to get votes in your section.
ws should cease thereby TO be SECTIONAL