, 1860-03-23

ST. lor1., March Il, 1sfc-
1.Jl r4rr r. r F,y E,or e Tie N<.~ri IL mse,rt: Dr..
E1r"yt E''or ~ he a"='i9ef. ""a "'her G'''e7'":
SIRs:--D. Gratz 1srown, E*l., as President of
the Missouri State Convention, l,ich sat in St.
l4onis on the tenth Of this month, has officially
made kna-n tn me the proceedings CT that body,
and by them l mn enabled to know some Of you
as Delegates to the Chicago Convention, repre-
seE:ns the Rerullscan Iurty Of Missouri.
irve received your letter lropounding 10
n'c certain questions, iscscn in nrlnber) which
you suppose Will cover most, II not al!, the
grounds Of controversy in the approaching Pro-
silential election.
With pleasure will ans@cr your questions.
l'ut before doing 50, allow me to glauce ut the
peculiar circumstances in which am placed,
and the straagcucss Of tic fact that |, q mere
pirate man. am called upon to make avowuls
aud explanations. with any view to take me
f'n, the shades rrivate life and place ut
tile hesd Of the nat,on. CAME 10 this frontier
in my youth, and .c:'lcd in St. Louis when it
was village. AL my manhood las bcen spent
in Missouri, and during al that time have fol-
lnwed Il p olcssion which left my character and
conduct orcu to the observation Of society.
And while it las been my constant 1abit freely
to express nv opinion Of public measures and
public men, the reoplc II! Missouri, Of I'LL 1,ar-
lies, will bear me witness that hare never, oh
tfusise1y, I'll l,st myself forward in pursuit Of
c;a1 ho:ors, l bare held no political office.
and sought none, for more than Twenty-Five
ycars.
Under tEcsc circumstances ] confess the graf
itcatinn which feel IN receiving the recent
manifestations Of the respect md confidence Of
,nr fellow citizens. First, the Opposition men,
hers Of tie Missouri Legislature declared their
preference :of me Us caha'aate tnei' ioi!owea
my nc'hih;l1oh W aCnaTentioh eohpnsea o. al
lie elements O1 the oppos,toon IN 1lt's otatr;
and now, the Kerubl'cans ot Missouri. IN their
se?atatc Cnn'ent'o'! just f'eid IN b. Louis, nave
Tea!i1fnfsa tnc nomauatlon, anu p,op%sea, "
t!lc's oe!eeatesf 10 pIesen1 ,ne " ..ie -'a1'os
convention: soon 70 oc nela a. lineage. as d
Gaad'a:ltc ca l"r iae Irst ounce III ,he natioh.-
ihesc various uc"sonstr:1o"s, III MY 1"n Hoate;
a!e uoupis es!u's'ng ~ 1.e, ossusc tnI5 ano.u
t"c st1a"HIss Ptools :ua' ~ .'a'ne uas usen ru'
;,I, ~ h:na ~ u ,re,t;"~ III fa;al :u l'a, an
VIII Tile nope oi preventing a'I hsls'oi' anu
controversy hlhonG @hose. WHO, lor ihc1f n"n
safety ;nd Tue public g"od, ought 10 bc uhl'ca
III tilt'r Hc;'on;
| For all tins ain deeply grateful. and rs ;ar
as comecras NE personally. must declare. Ill
simple truth, tllat II the movement iso no 'uF'
tter aud produce no nat'ona! results, sill ! nm
Pn'd a''d oseFpa:o, lnr '!!e ial'"F. an'' i"T
whatever "f zc!l"us ci'"rt anu patient watching
nase t'ten ave 10 ocssow IN Shpport o. INC
~ Eost'nich'ai poAcs "h'c1 peltese u oe lor
Inv eSc1s pr .n' a"a I",, ,u neaoa ~ ane - eou
| your questions, briefly indeed, but fully:
plainly, and with ull possible fra',kness. And
~ do this thr more willingly bccn.1se have re-
ceised fro1n individuals many lctt"rs, lsoo many
t" bc separately answe1ca.l aud have seen III
may public journals articles making urgent
calls upon the Tor such statement OF my views.
!. sav.ry-1's extension in the Territories.
On this subject, in t1,c States md in the Ter
ritories, Lave no new opiuiona-no opinions
formed in relation to the present array q: Yar-
tirs. am coeyAl with the Missouri question
oflsl'.:" has,nr besun my political lite IN the
Inn reuuireA n,e IL srrk ali the means If knvyl.
| ed,,e wi',hin nv rauch. and To stuly the uriuci.
| nr. involved with Mi lin unNt.rs of ,nv mind
md arrived nj coucIusions tlru wlic!, no sub.
| sranent events tuye INDUCED mic TO change,
T'l,c existence If negro slnyery in our couutry
had its beyiuninr in tic carly time Of the Colo.
| mics. aud Vas imposed br tic mother country
against the will Of most Of the colonists, ~ tht
time Of the Revolution, nnd long after, it va:
commonly regarded Us MI evil, temporary in i'll
nature, and likely to disappear in the course U
time vet Willie il continued 4 misfortune to th,
coun,ry. socially and ,oliticay.
Tins was tauuht. by those who u,ade ou
..oyrr,,u,ent md mi acr the nrw ,i,,ht or mo,l
crn ciyil;z .t,u. nor the Discovery Of a new sys
/ TEN If Constitutional Inv and srcisl nh;losonhy
has enabled n,e 10 detect tue error o. tler tcaci,
inr.
Slavery is social rc1ation-a domestic inst
: tuition. Within the states. it cxrsts by III
9 1ucal law. und the Federal Government las n
f contro! uvcr il there The Territories. whethc
acaui, ed by conquest or or,,eaccahic purchase, 1T
subject and subordinate nut sovereign, like III
{ states. Tie uatiou is s,,,,teu,c over them. III,
thr national government has it,t pow or tu re,
> nit or fmbil slavery within them. Entertai.
Il inv these yirws. / :n onnosed Ia the exteusio
e NJ .tnrrrv. and in 1uv nnin;on lie spirit MI
:. | nni;cv NJ the f,nrcrn,ncnt oncht IN },e a-sip
4 rxicnsinn.
,,,n ro.,,.,,.o. ,,o,,,,,- ,x.o H., e,,,.
r,Ss? saw
answer no. The Constitution Of the Cnitt
n states Ices nat carry S'aver! into the Ierrit
$. H.. . :. a.aru;as . ~. -, ~ ~
ii ,ut il does not carry slavery auy here. 1t on
az urts ,,non il where i finds Il established l,y t
T. i,c,t Inv.
H. IT. ronncc,;on with th;4 no;n4 r nm .sled
T. .,.. ~, ,;,rx ,C ,t,c I1-rt Sc.,tt c,"" MI ,h
Of 49, r"n,,. d.,otr,n,,, hr t,,c Smnr.,n. Ca,rt
d ,,'a, c,sc II IL ,nr oni,;on carsfns con"3i
y 81 .},t ii. f.onrt d,.;er,n;ned ,ne a;,,,l. ~
or of law only, that Is, that Scott tile p,aiutit
~ | iuy a uccru Of African descc,,t fuot ncccssa,
III u alayc) could not be citizen Of Missouri. q
IT. therefore could not sue in tue Federal Cou
"a | and that for this reason. and this alone.
Gu Circuit Court lad no Jurisdiction of the ca
ol md mn pnwcr TO cIyc Judgment bctwee,, tIlc II
~ lies. Tile only Jurisdiction Which tic Supre
n'- Court had of the cause was for the purpose
ID corrrctnr the error of the Circuit Court. in
s,,miur tic power to decide upon tue merit
: the casc, This power the Supreme Court
rx- exercise, by setting aside tue juagm. III Of
IT, CasIu4. cou.t "t'o'' tts 'ies - o.e4''o: