Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1860-09-07
MIR. THAYER AND MR.. SEWARD.

Hon Eli Thayer is sometimes very aston
ishing person, and never more so, perhaps
than when he undertakes to find an endorse
ment for his peculiar views in the speeches an(
declarations of prominent republicans who d'
not hold them. Last evening he made yer,
surprising use of a passage from the lat
speech of Mr.. Seward. In the course of hi
speech at Detroit, Mr.. Seward urged severe
reasons in favor of return TO the old policy c
prohibiting slavery in the territories. II
said =
'My humble advice thea, fellow citizens, is
that we return and reestablish the origina
policy of the nation and henceforth hold, as
we did in the beginning, that slavery is and
and must be only purely local, temporary
and exceptional institution, confined within
the slave states where it already exists, while
freedom is the general, normal, enduring and
permanent condition OF society within the jul
risdiction, and under the authority of the con-
stitution of the United States"
The 'original policy of the nation" on the
slavery question, is seen in the celebrated or
dinance of 1884, which was adopted by the
last congress under the confederation, and re-
enacted or confirmed by the first congress un.
der the federal constitution. Among the con-
siderations urged by Mr. Seward in favor o.
returning to the Original policy of the nation, F"
is the following =
81 counsel this course farther, because the
necessity for a return to the old national way
has become at last absolute and imperative.
We can extend slavery into new territories,
and create new slave states only by reopening
the African slave trade proceeding which,
by destroying all the existing values of the
slaves now held in the country, and their
increase, would bring the north and the south
into complete unanimity in favor OF that re-
turn"
That's to say, the continuance of slavery
propagandism would reopen the African
slave trade. This would be very sad and
disgraceful thing for the country but it would
finally have such disastrous effect on the
value Of slave property, that even the slave
holders themselves would cry out for return
to the old policy, But what has all this to dc
with the peculiar views OF Mr.. Thayer? Tha
'original policy of the nation" which Mr.
Seward advocates so strongly, is the very pol
cy which Mr., Thayer rejects and denounces as
"humbug"
1t seems to US that Mr.. Thayer must know
very well how gravely he misrepresents the
position of those prominent republicans whom
he undertakes to use as his endorsers. Among
the republicans named by him in this way,
there is not one who approaches any nearer to
an agreement with him than we do. There
are not many republicans anywhere who do not
believe that the people of the territories should
have the election of their own officers, and
that they should be left free to establish for
themselves all the institutions of free society
Mr.. Thayer may agree with them on this
point, just as he agrees with them in believing
the Declaration of independence but this has
nothing to do with the points on which he
does not agree with them. John Sherman
holds that the people in the territories should
elect their own officers and be as free as pos
sible from executive influence. And so be-
ie7e Gov Chase, and Judge Blair, and others
whom Mr.. Thayer sometimes quotes. But
John Sherman says in one of his late
speeches =
"The territory of the United States is the
common property of the United States, and
congress, under the constitution, has power to
make laws for the territories and one of the
wisest laws that could be made for territory
would be to exclude slavery thereirom"
And in speech delivered few days since,
at Logan, Ohio, he excorioed Mr.. Martin, the
democratic congressman for that district, for
voting against the bill to annul the New Mexi-
can slave codes, In a speech delivered recent
ly in Michigan, Salmon P. Chase said =
"The general government may organize
governments Tor the territories, and they may
form such governments as they please Tor the
territories"
And we know on the best authority, that
Mr. Chase holds now the same views in re
gard to the right and duty of congress to pro.
hibit slavery in the territories, which he pu
forth in 1850 in his speech on Mr.. Clay's com
promise resolutions, and, afterwards, in hi
speeches, in the senate, on the Kansas Nebras
ka bill. Judge Blair's views on this question
were put forth in his argument as the counse
for bred Scott; and he says that BIZ
views are the same as those put fortI
by Judge Curtis in the bred Scott case
Even the New York Tribune, in the article il
which it spoke favorable word for Mr. Thayer
was as far as possible from endorsing his pecu
liar views. In fact, the tribune went so fal
in the other drectian as to favor the policy
which allows the president to appoint the ter.
ritorial officers. Mr.. Thayer has no warrant
for saying that his peculiar yiews,-the views,
we mean, to which exception is taken,-are
endorsed by leading republicans of the country.
But after all, the most Objectionable thing
~ MT Ihayer,-that which has done most to
pace nm in the attitude of antagonism to re.
PuOn'ans ana the republican party lis not SO
much MS eecentricity in doctrine as his inbar.
monlous' combative, and defiant bearing 10.
wards Others. Itwas not necessary thai no
should allow his views to take this dismrhinr
shape He says, he is criticised for n,nre
abstraction :" but, if it be mere abs,rao,;a.,
why has he put it in such shape and allowa5
it to cause so much Disturbance Others -,
gard it as matter OF serious importance am
why, in deasiug with it, has he dsregardcd hi
obligations to the republican party, and tritle,
with those who desired to be his friends