The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1860-07-19

Letter frona Hon. w. r. Thsmasson
10 Hon. q. Hebinsen.
The writer Of the following letter was
until recently stakeholder 10 Kentucky
and represented the Louisville District in
Congress. lie now prefers free State, and
supports the Republican party with all his
heart.
We may add that Mr.. Thomasson is she
father in. law Of Judge Love and Judge Ran
kin, OF this city:
CHICAGO, July IL, 1860.
Hen. q. Robinson, Lexington, Ky:
Sra: Your letter OF the End met, to Messrs.
Bullock, Prentice and Pope in response to an
invitation to the Union mseting at Louis
Vile, on the Sd, published ia the Louisville
Journal of the 9th Of this month, has been
road with care, and it fails to satisfy my
mind. My objection il that you have not
observed your usual tact in stating princi-
pies, and then drawing conclusions by fair
reasoning and analogy. You charge that the
Republican party is sectional, and your only
proof offered is that they have selected two
Northern men as their candidates, without
any hope of getting one Southern vote."-
Will it make the Union party sectional ii
Bell and Everett do not get Northern vote?
You must acknowledge this would be very
unsatisfactory test. Now, without pretend
ing to speak for any person or party besides
myself, your. attention 10 kindly invited to
the following statement, and you are most
respectfully requested to say wherein there
is error. The Republicans claim and be-
lieve that they are the Constitutional and
National party. They say the fathers who
established our Government viewed slavery
"a an institution TO be avoided, that aitho'
1t was necessary to refer to the slave trade,
and to fugitive slaves, sueh was their repug-
nance to slavery that they would not use
either the words SLAVES or SLAVERY in the
Constitution. That the legislation and pub
lic sentiment Of the country often expressed
and encouraged the hope that the States
would progress as they had commenced to
abrogate slavery until the evil should be en-
tirely erndicated. In short, they claim that
freedom is national, slavery local; that slav-
cry is peculiarly State institution, and can
exist only by law. They say q different SEN
timent was never intimated by statesman OF
any pretensions, until Mr.. Calhoun intro
duoed his resolutions in the Senate on the
18th February, 1857. III these are the facts
in the case, how can the Republicans, who
ask nothing further, be called sectional p
Such o condemnation would include not on
ly the founders Of our Government, bat also
all those who have administered it for the
first hree.foulth Of century OF its exist
euce.
No military triumph recorded in history,
nor the appearance OF Columbus before his
g. vereigns, recounting the discovery OF a
Now World, nor even George Washington
surrendering his commission to the Conti-
ne ntal Congress, after war of seven years,
in which be established our liberties and
justly won the appellation OF Father Of his
Country, surpassed 10 moral grandeur the
act of Henry Clay, who, on returning from
Washington and finding the public mind
much excited upon the subject of slavery,
| stood upon the steps of the Court House in
Lexington, and In q speech to perhaps a
thousand of his neighbors and constituents
| (slsve owners), solemnly declared "that Nc
| n aTHLY CONSIDERATION COULD EVER INDUCE
HIN TO VOTE FOR TUE EXTENSION OF NEeRo
sLAvERY OYER ANOTHER INCH or FREE TERRI
TORY" 1t will be recollected this was the
"a ne Henry Clay who said HE WOULD RATHgE
BE RIGHT THAN BE PRESIDENT; and singular
as il may seem, all who knew him believed
10 the truthfulness Of the declaration.
With the evidence of Mr.. CLAY and th,
hundreds Of other good and great men Of thu
South who have denounced slavery before
| tbom, the Republicans are constrained to be.
ieve that slavery 10 not nt TO be encouraged
and 80 decided is their conviction that unies.
they can be satisfied that they are materially
mistaken in their position, they will carry
out their solemn and fixed determination
which ia THAT SLAVERY SHALL NOT BIZ INTRO
DrcRp INTO THE TERRITORIES. They say thu
South, by the repeal of the Missouri Com
pr smse, has forced this issue upon the coun
try, and that If the result causes any seces-
sion from the Union, the South will alone bt
responsible, as she will be the greatest suff
erer by il.
Weread that when the question of Danish
/ ing Aristides was before the Athenians, = 70
ter, without knowing him, requested Aris
tides TO prepare bis ticket: the mode was Il
write the name Of the person TO be banishes
on shell kept for that purpose. Why,
sad Aristides to the voter, /" what has Arts
tides done for which you wish him Danish
ment ?" 90, nothing" was the answer
only am weary of hearing him called III
just" So it seems to be with many Of on
Democratic friends when they contrast tn
moral worth CT the candidates for the Pres
idency, they seem to be weary OF hearinI
Abraham Lincoln called by his neighbors IN,
those who know him best, HoNEsr OLD ABn
and the Republicans will doubtless thanl
you for your testimony in his behalf wher
YOU say you care acquainted with. Mr. Lin
colin, and that you have no doubt OF his in
tagrity and patriotism, and have faith tina
il elected, his administration would not b
controlled by any kitchen cabinet, and woul
be honest and national" Such an endors
ing from such an adversary, is indeed n
faint praise.
The Republicans claim that In selectin
Lincoln and Hamlin as their Representative
men, they have anticipated your wholesom
advice. "Tha natural and only sure RENE