The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1860-08-09
Correspondence ofthe Press.
TO What Are We TGnGigsg.

! q Breckenridge and Lane ratification meet
! ing held in Washington, and after consider
ing the antecedents of II. V. johnson, can
didate for Vice President on the Douglas
ticket Both of these are calculated to arouse
the most serious apprehensions on the part
of every friend of freedom, and of free labor.
Mr.. Buchanan declares himself the uncom-
promising foe ofSquatter Sovereignty and ba-
ses all his arguments upon the simple posi-
ton that "slaves are property" He says
THE Supreme Court have decided what
was known to us all to have been the exis-
ting state of affairs for fifty years-that
slaves are property. Admit that fact, and
you admit everything. This government
was formed for the protection of life, liberty
and property, and for the protection of all
these, enlightened governments have been es-
tablshed" He then asks, "when was prop
crty ever Submitted to the will of the major
ityg you hold property as an individual,
you hold it independent of Congress, or of
the State Legislature, or of the Territorial
Legislature-it is yours, and the Constitu-
ton was made to protect your property
against the assaults of legislative power
What would |, as a'Pennsylvanian, say or do
supposing anybody was to contend that the
Legislature of any Territory could outlaw
iron or coal within the Territory The princi
pie is the same in respect to slavery Now
in connection with the foregoing, mark this.
He says:
"There is but one mode, and one alone, to
abolish Slavery in the Territories. IA
majority of the actual residents in a Terrific
ry, whenever their number is sufficient to
entitle them to admission as State, possess
the power to form a Constitution with or
without domestic slavery
Now let's get the logical deduction from
the above leading points in his speech. We
can all agree with him, that we hold proper
ty independent of Congress, State Legisla-
ture or Territorial Legislature" is ours
5y natural right, and law only finds our
right to it, and protects that right. This is
a fact, recognised by all civilized nations.-
But he insists that the principle is the samc
with slaves as with iron and coal. He de-
clares, first, that "the Supreme Court has
decided that slaves are property" and sec
ondly, after asking the question, ''when was
property ever submitted to the will of the
majority" he declares that 1--WE hold our
property independent of Congress, OF of
State, or Territorial Legislatures Has he
not thus far established that we can hold
slaves independent Of Congress, or of State,
or Territorial Legislatures? Now for the
logic. He says and he quotes from the Gin
cinnatt Platform:
"a majority of the actual settlers in
Territory, whenever their number is suffi-
cient to entitle them to admission rs State,
possesses the power to form Constitution
with or without domestic slavery" .
Hasn't he declared that 'slaves are prop
erty," and hasn't he asked "aohen was prop
erty ever submitted to the will of the major
ity :" and hasn't he avowed that we have
right to property back of and independent
of Congress, or of State, or Territorial Legis-
atures 2" and with the next breath he
AYERS that majority of the people may form
State Constitution forbdding one kind of
simple property, to wit: Slaves. Shades ofye
ancient logicians: And here we see the
drift Of the Democracy. Mr.. Buchanan knows
this is bad logic, but he can't avoid it with
out laying bare fact of the Democratic pro
gramme, which the eyes of the people are
not yet prepared to see. 1t is this, and if the
Democracy aie successful in this campaign,
it will be the plain issue in 1864, and will
doubtless be the decision Of the Supreme
Court before that timc-that as "slayes are
property" and that as We can "hold our
property independent Of Congress, or Of
State or Territorial Legislatures" no State
can prevent the citizens ofany other State
from taking his slaves into that State and
holding them there as s.ayes-that is, a Mis-
sissippian has certain right to take his
slaves to Iowa, end hold them there as such.
Is not this clearly the inevitable and only log
! ical deduction from Mr. Buchanan's PROPOSE
tions?
But the Douglas faction says, 1--WE do not
belong to the same school with Mr.. Buchan-
an" The difference between tweedle-dum
and tweedle-dee, has long been matter OF
dispute.
True, the two factions arcat swords points
but dosn't Mr.. Douglas say that he stands
upon the Dred Soft decision? and was it
not in that infamous decision that the Su-
). preme Court declared that slaves are proper
ty, under and by virtue Of the Constitution
land havn't we found that that decision leads
to am extension Of slavery to any and every
part of our land? Hasn't Mr.. Douglas dc
clared that he dosn't care whether slavery is
. ''voted up or voted down. and didn't lac
boast in Congress Of the vast amount of ter,
ritory which had been given to slavery
through his efforts in the repeal of the Mis-,
souri, Compromise and did not Herschel Y.
Johnson, on the 2Sth Of May 1860, few
days before his nomination, by the Douglas
party, as a candidate for Vice Presidency,
write a political latter from which the follow
inc is tiGc extract