The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1860-10-03
NEW sFRIEsS.SssVQ4, E!sS. I. NC. g.. s'..:s

theR Tree institutions BY higher and bet.
terSitle than an act Of Congress. EVuices
'sso we do here."l We are not the slaves
OF Congress end therefore we are not Free
State merely because Congress would moi
permit us 10 be slave State. = Applause.
Fhe Republican leaders WIN tslkgto yoG
shout the ordinance Of 1857 ought to know
that every nelof their statements Is contra.
dicted BY The history OF this country
I["That's so."I5eaa 5d Ssp8I I'd bsfg'Ql
Let me cali your attention to'asfew facts
Very soon after the constitution of the Uni
ted States wac adopted, thepeople of Indi
saa and Illinois Territories applied to Con
gress to repeal the ordinance gofal767.--
CoDgfess refused, and thereupon the frs
Territorial Legislature that ever assembled
| at ViReenness proc eedsd. TO psss- laws iDtre
duciDgs leeislating and protecting AfricaI
slavery Indians, Illinois, Wisconsin ant
Michigan were slsve Territories in persu
ance Of,their own Territorial laws. ["Thatt
so." We 10 Illinois adopted slavery in de-
fence Of the ordinance Of 1887, and We
/ maintained il until experience proved that
in our climate with our soil and productions
II was not for our good to have 1t. When
we came to the conclusion that the best In.
terests OF ourselves and our posterity requir.
ed US TO abolish slavery we abolished it,
We did not abolish it because Congress to ID
us we must, but on the contrary, so long az
Congress said we should not have slavery
just SO long we did have IT. Laughter, and
ayoice "Humsn nature, by gracious" and
we abolished it on the very dSyJthat Con.
gress Withdrew the prohibition and told us
10 do as we pleased. Great laughter
have already told you why we abolished it
There was not an abolitionist in Illinois al
the time. There was not free soiler or
modern republican, according to the present
phrase in the territory at that day. Nine
teDths Of all our people were from the slave
holding States, had been nursed by slaves
were familiar with them andh no prejudi
ces against the institution, but experience
had taught them that il was not for theil
good, peCuDiarily, morally, politically or in
any other way, 10 have it and they therefore
abolished il. ...,.
Ohio is Free Ststea according to the
same principle. do net believe that The
people OF Ohio would adopt slavery mereIy
because Congress would permit them to do
| i. [Voiccs-"no, no."] | do not believe
that there Is free State by compulsion.--
["No ri Ibelieve that you are a free State
from choice, and hence have faith that you
will fmaiDtsin your free institutions. But
what man issIegkless enough to assert now
that the people ot Ohio hsve mot the power
to Gdopt slavery if they choose =! lnssmuch
thee as each Of the States of this Unipn
have been permitted to form their inaiitu,
lions 10 suit themselves, why should We not
permit the people OF ell The territories, to
exercise the same privilege OF self.govern
ment! ! The difficulty is, that il these mod
eTn days new articles OF -faith have been
promulgated and new doctrines ure being
preached.
Wesste told by Mr.. Lincoln, the Rspub
Iitan csndid,te for the Presidenpy, that this
government cannot endure half free and
hulfielSve, that ell these States must become
free or else all Of them must become slave
-otherwise, The. Union cannot continue. to
exisl.", What authority hss Mr. Lincoln
for announcing such a proposition il il
not coniradicted BY the whole history Of our
country ! Has not this Union existed from
the day the Constitution was adopted to this
very hour, divided into free and slave States
Have we not, while thus divided, progressed
in v ealth and population and IN all the ele.
ments Of greatness and glory, far beyond
auy other people on earth. GiYes."1 Why,
then, can we not to. day continue to live 10
peace under the ssme system. which our ia
theirs made for us! ["We can, and we
will."1 The very declaration of the Repub-
lican leaders that this government canno,
endure as our fathers made ii, shows thai
they are opposed 10 the system of govern,
meint. which our ancestors transmitted to
us. IHurrah for Douelos. and three cheers |
Snonose ,h:s new doctrine Of uniformity
in all'ihe ,ns,ituiions of all the States in the
Union had prevailed when the Constitution
wss made and iwha / do Won think would have
been The resnl,f Remember ,ba, " hen The
| CONSTITUTION was edopted this Union consist.
ed ofibirieen States twelve Of which we're
lslsveholdino and only one was free State.
Now snpoose that when the Convention as.
sombled in Pbiladelphio. containing dele.
oates irom twelve slavehoidinp States and
| from one free State, that the President OF
| The Convention had rose and said, as Lin.
eoln now savs. thatma house divided against
itself cannot stand. This Union divided
/ into free, and aleve St.tes cannot endure. -
The Slates must ali be free or all be slave
o,herw;se the IJnion cannot exist." 4 say,
sunnose If there he not profanity io the SUP.
| noa;,;on ~, Georoa Wnshinoton had made
his deciar.,;on when he took his seat as
Dc prs.;denf ~ The Conven,ion ana that, the
1,nn.an,ion Mad acted ON II. do Won think the
one fpaa State wonld have controlled ihe
,wslyo @ slaveholdino S,utes and thus have
sshoi,shsd In verv evervwhereY I"Hit them
aSs;s ,s1 N he controry wouId there noI
hsva' heao asnoer nj ,,be ,weIve slaveholdinO
S,s,ss s. b55ina M. voted the one free Stois