Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1860-06-05
TuE other Dag We publLshed the Doug-

z1es.Iineoin questions and answers during
their Joint campaign in Illinois in 1855, as
onotea by Senator Benjamin in his recent
speech. Our readers recOllect that Ben
iamin especially praised the answers of
Lincoln, as being not only straightforward
and candid, but as being unexpectedly
conservative.
By turning to the debate from which the
Senator quoted. We find that Lincoln fol-
lowed up his replies with the following
more detailed comments:
snow, my friends, it viii be perceived,
mon an examination of these questions
and answers, that so far have only an
H,,ered that / was not pledged to THIS,
4hot mr. the other. The Judge has not
framed his iuterrogatories to ask me any
thine more than this, and have answered
IN strict accordance with the lnteFFoga'"
ries. and have answered truly thaI "ul
not pledged at all upon any OF the points points
to which have answered. But H s not
disnosed to hang upon the exact iorn o,
his interropatory. l am rather disposed
a. toto nm at least some of these questions,
and state what really think upon them.
aAs to the first one, in regard TO tue
En,itive Slave law l have never hesltated
IN ssy. and L do not note hesitate TO say, ihdL
T,6;1k under the Constitution Of the United
S,Gt., The peopls of Southern States are en-
Mid to a Congregational FHgittce STARE taW'
Having said that, have had nothlng TO
saw in regard to the existing fuSiUFe
Slave law, further than that tnlhE ~ II
sbouId have been framed so AS to be Tree
&C.,, come of the objections that pertain
tn IT without lessening its efficiency. ana,
inasmuch as we are not now in an aglta-
4ion in regard to an alteration or modIhca-
+ion of that law, l would not be the man to
introduce It as a new subject of agitation
upou the general question of Slavery
MIn regard to the other question, of
whether / am pledged to the admission OF
any more Slave States into the Union, l
state to Won very frankly that would be
exceedingly sorry ever TO be put IN " posi-
7 ,5o,,yd be sxeeeiinqlp glad to knoac faGt
there tyould nercr be another StGve STATE Hd-
united into the Union: but must add that, u
SL1vsry shall be kept out Of the Territories
during the Territorial existence of any one
oipe,, Territory, and then the people shall,
haping a fair chance and clear fel7. when
thew come to adopt their Constitution, 90
such an extraordinary thing as TO ADOPT
Slave Constitution, uninhuenced by tue
actual presence of the Institution among
them, see no alternative, arc o0" me
eouufry, but to admit them into the onion.
HThe third interrogatory is answered by
the answer to the second, 1t being, as
conceive, the same as the second.
"The fourth one is in regard to the aoo-
lition of slavery in the District of Column.
bia. In relation to that, have my mind
very distinctly made up. should be e.
essdin0ly 0lad 10 see .SfaUeTy abolished IN tn
District of Columbia. believe that Con-
gress possesses the constitutional power
wouid be- oF,ffiTFAi93ffE OIL E e
that the abolition should be gradual; sec
ond, that it should be on vote of tn
majority of qualified voters in the District
and third, that compensation should b
made to unwilling owners. With thes
three conditions, ! confess l would be ex
ceedingly glad to see Congress abolsl
slavery in the District of Columbia, and
in the language of Henry Clay, 'swee]
from our Capital, that foul blot upon GU
nation
'Iu regard to the fifth interrogatory,
must say here that, as to the question o
the abolition of the slave trade between
the different states, can truly answer, n
l have, that pledged to nothing about it
1t is a subject to which l have not giver
that mature consideration that wouIt
make me feel authorized to state a posi-.
ton so as to hold myself entirely bound 10y
it. In other words that question has new
er been prominently enough before me tc
induce me to investigate whether we real
~ have the Constitutional power to do it
could investigate it if | had sufficient
time to bring myself to conclusion upon
that subject; but have not done so, and
say frankly to you here, and to Judge
Douglas. must say, however, that if
should be of opinion that Congress does
n a Vl1 trOH do
among the different states, ! should sill
not 6ein .fauor Of the exercise or that PoWer,
unless upon some conservative principles.
as conceive it, akin to what have said
in relation to the abolition of slavery in the
District of Columbia.
1t seems to us that all trulv conservative
men will admire and will endorse the SEN
timents of Mr.. Lincoln as quoted above.
What more can any conservative man
ask2 Was Henry Clay ever more con-
servative than Abraham Lincoln? Ger
tainly not in 1850, when he said he would
suffer his right arm to drop from it's
Ooclsot before he would vote to extend
slavery into Territories free from it. Is
there any excuse, then, on the ground
of conservatism, for any friend or follower
of Henry Clay Withholding his influence
or his vote from "Honest Abe Lincoln"
We confess that we cannot see that there
is. On the opposite ground only-from a
more radical stand point only-could any
believer in the slavery position of Henry
Clay oppose Mr.. Lincoln. The Abo-
litionists who deuouuce. tile doctrines
of the Republican purity on every
occasion, and even more rabidly at
their late anniversaries than ever,
ran.;nton+ u.har. H.. snu H.. e