New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-07-04

% TO draw that line which shall allow us oil our
" il dipnation against Mason, and yet save the
" fame of their 1.-THE Republicans) candidate"
We will try to answer. The first charge Is tnat
Mr.. Lincoln, in order to introduce this bIl re-
" ouested the House to reconsider the vote
I" instructiDg the Committee on the District OF
Columbia to report bill for abolshing the
q slaye-trade therein"
We reply: Mr.. Lincoln never did any SUCH
thing. He neither requested the House to recon-
,ider It's vote nor did be make any motion to that
effect On the contrary, when, presently the mo-
ton 10 Law the motion to reconsider on the table
was acted upon, be voted with the majority against
il, True. when the motion 10 reconsider was
rescbed he voted n its favor but when, after,
The question came up 10 new aspect, under au
amendment which changed the phraseology OF
the original resolution, which was BY many
thought Objectionable, Mr.. LincOln's vote is again
recorded 10 the negative against second at
tempt t, get rid of the whole subject by laying on
the table "W. Pr has thus asserted wat Is
la.e as to the letter of the record and a evidently
false as TO the intentions ofthe man.
What, then, was the course of Mr.. Lincoln on
which such charge can be based Simply this:
A motion was made TO lay the motion to reconsider
the resolution on the table. Mr.. Lincoln, Mt this
stage, appealed to the mOcer-not to the House
10 Withdraw his motion. He urged him to with
draw the motion, not permanently, but merely to
enable him to read an amendment which he should
ATTEMPT TO introduce if the vote on the original
resoution-instructng the COmmittee-should be
reconsidered This amendment was the bill which
"W. p" refers to, of which he gives section,
and because of which he says: 1--WE gbbet a
" Northern hound to-day side by side with the
infamous Mason of Virginia" The reader is
lett to infer that Mr. Lincoln attempted to get The
virtual prohibition of the slaye-trade Ill the Dis
trict. lust passed, rescinded, that he might the
more efIectually and emphatically provide it with
stringent law against fugitive slaves. Let us see.
Mr. Lincoln, let it be remembered, asked his
colleague 10 withdraw his motion, simply that he
might read the proposition which he intended to
urge as an amendment, if the resolution prohibiting
the slaye-trade was recOnsidered Now this prop
osition is bill of eight sections, of which w. p"
quot, one. The purpose of this bill was the abo-
ition not me ely of the slave trade but of Slavery
iteelf in the District of Columbia, provided ma
iority of the people should cast their votes ia favor
of such measure. The 9Th section, so far from
showing the general purport of the bill, is pre-
cisey that portion of it from which the character
of the rest would never be guessed. 1t was merely
intended TO put the District on footing with all
the States III regard to " fugtiyes from service"
when Slavery should no longer exist there, and
rotliDg more. If Virginia may have the right to
take her runaways in Boston, there is no good rea
son, eGteriS p0ri1us, why she should not IN Wash
ingtoD. But this was the exceptional point of Dir.
Lincob's proposed amendment and not its general
purpose for that was to sweep the system of
Slavery out of the District, after fixed time, by
consent of the people, giving compensation to the
master, and providing for the due education and
care of the emancipated.
This proposition, Mr.. Lincoln proceeded to say,
he had submitted to fifteen leading citizens of the
District, who all approved of "W. p" refers
to this fact, and applying it to the exceptional pro-
vision of section five, adds, "No wonder Mr.
Lincoln is unwilling to make any opposition to
the Fugitive Save bill No wonder the Chicago
L" Convention omitted that point in their resolu-
TONS"
Such Misrepresentation as this is to be accounted
for only Oh the supposition that some malignant
and INSCRIPTIONS persOn has imposed upon w.
"P.," and prevailed upon him to give the sanction
of his name to a statement which he had never
examined, but which, unfortunately, he was TOO
ready to believe.