, 1860-08-25

Such m extraordinary departure from 'pe
,;rec. and uumistakeahle path OF Duty To-
miro. IN extraordinary combination Of la1ila1-
mo circumstances. What plea did those men
,rceq Even this-that polygamy is a "do-
nest;c institution" and that any Congressional
;nte,fareuco with it would be contrary to one
II ,}c tencts Of their partyl On no common
,,oarsor evidence would we have believed that
they were mean enough to put in such MI
apoloey. 1t would excite amazement IN don
Of thieves or on board ship Of plrat's. Wild
ow-burnlng, ns in Hindoostap, is a "domcs1le
institution" the game as polygamy.. Should
It be tolerated in all our Territories, because
the Democratic party is opposed to the rrohl-
bition Of slavery? Tho Fejee practice ofcan-
uiballsm is "donlestlc intltution;" aois the
New Zealand custom Of offering human VIC
Tins on the sacrificial altar; eo is the Aslat'c
ceremony Of bnr,ing alive alt the sur''v4eg
servants and wives Of deceased chiefs; 60 IS
the Moorish habit Of impallng CRIMINALS; sols
casting infants into the jaws Of crocodues III
the Gauges. Has Congress power toprohlolt'
il the Territories, any Of these "domestc IN
sti.ulionq," and not po1yganny? Surely
there is no difference in tbs principle in-
yoyed- Those usages, it il true, are peculiar
to very ignorant barbarians; but so ispo'yg-
amy. They arc utterly at variance with 1he
principles on which our system ofGoycrnment
is founded but so is polygamy. They are q
loathins and IN abominaion to our people /;
but so is polygamy. . II there be any differ
ence in pcint Of depravity, it is certainly IN
their favor. Should band Of thieves and
Aarlols-scraps nnd leayiugs Of pillcrles and
branding irons, the spew and yomit Of SEMI
civilzation,-settls upon any Of our unoccu-
MED public domain, and set up wldow-bnrn'
ipg or cannibalism, or bur5ing alive, or po!ysfs'
amy and incest, or I'LL Of them together, cut
five conscientious Illinois representatives
would Of course feel in duty and in honor
bound to vote against any Congressional in
tertrence with these sacred "domestlc IN
:1i.utiors."
The philosophers tell us that there Is point
in wickedness beyond which no example is
contagious. The human mind turns away
from it in disgust; and temptation becomes
warning. Could there be any more instruc.
live lesson in craftsmanship, than the infamy
and cors:mpt with which those men have
c,rrred themselves, in their miserable effort
TO make Of the illogical and inoongruous
sophisms CT constitutional quibbler, an cs'
tablisl,cd and universal principle in 1egisla.
tion? C51lld there DO stronger proof Of the
meauness, cowardice, and treachery Of doc.
tr;ne, or Of the men who promu'sate it, than
this open confession tll:lt it must necessarily
operate as 4 shield 10 any spccies Of wicked
ness which may plausibly claim to be a "do-
mestic institution?''
Foukc, Logan, McClernand, Robinson;-
strange representatives, these, Of men who
obey laws and Of women who practice yir-
tue! The fi:4h confederate, and the best OF
the five, was denied a denomination; not we
are sorry TO cay, because Of his Infamous vote
but because more uns:rupu!ous partisan
wanted Lis place. It is not very pleasant
reflection that we are now the cnly civilized
people in all Tie world, in whose country in.
cost ind p,1ygamy are sanctioned by law. In
no other Christian land, and under the rule Of
no ether party, could uley have found safe
shelter. Only i'll one country is there place
where wealth or spiritual gifts release their
Fossessor from every restraint and give him
absolute license; place where the widow
and her daughters may all marry the same
man; place where uncle and niece may be-
come man and wife; place where marriage
is not restricted by any forbidden degree Of
kindred! How much longer must we be
shamed and pestered by this incestuous den of
robbers aud assassins?
Fouke, Logan, McClernand, Robinson
from such representatives, Good Lord deliver
usl Reprcsentatives!- s!-bauelorgan rather,
which, turned by the authorized hands, grind
out any tuns set to the key Of slayery-merc
pincll-back limitations Of legislators squirting
through their little party spy~glasses at the
vast armament Of history without observing
the course OF events which sweep across it,
or the great truths which are coming out
upon it like stars.