The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1860-07-21

upon the table the petition of the American
/ Anti-SlaYery Society for the abolition of
Slavery in the District of Columbia, and on
/ other motions of like character, introduced
to stave off the consideration of this class of
petitions. . -. ..l.
am, Dear Sir, very respectfully,
Your friend and servant,
EDWARD EVERETT.
To Hon. Nathaniel Borden.
Now let US turn to Mr.. Lincoln's record
In the debate with Douglas page ss), Mr.
Lincoln said, in reply to interrogatories
from Douglas
g do not now, or ever did, stand pledg-
ed against the admission Of any more slave
States into the Union.
do net stand pledged against the ad-
mission of a new State into the q nion with
such Constitution as the people of that
State may see fit to make.
81 do not stand pledged to the abolition
of slavery in the District of Columbia.
% do not stand pledged to the probib-
ton of the slave trade between the different
States. r.,. @.a-.9e
g am implicitly, if not expressly, pIedg-
ed to belief in the right and duty of Con-
gress to prohibit slavery in all the United
States Territories"
Mr.. Lincoln enlarged on these replies az
follows.
"In regard to the question, of whether |
am pledged to the admission of any more
slave States into the Union, l state to you
very frankly that would be exceedingly
sorry ever to be put in a position of having
to pass upon that question. / should be ex-
ceedingly glad to know that there would
10 ole or1r int
the Union bat must add, that if slavery
shall be kept out of the Territories during
the territorial existence of any one given
Territory, and then the people shall, having
fair chance and a clear field, when they
come to adopt the Constitution, do such an
extraordinary thing as to adopt slave Con-
stitution, uninhuenced by the actual pres
erce of the institution among them, see no
alternative, if we own the country, but to
admit them into the Union"
ain regard to the abolition of slavery in
the District OF Columbia. In relation to
that, | have nay mind very distinctly made
up. l should be exceedingly glad to see
slavery abolished in tue District of Co,um-
bia. l believe that Congress possesses the
constitutional power to abolish it. Yet as
a member of Congress, | should not with
my present views, be in favor of endeGvor
ing to abolish slavery in the District Of
Columbia, unless it would be upon these
conditions: First, that the abolition should
be gradual. Second, that it should be on a
vote of the majority of the qualified voters
i'll the District, and third, that compensa-
ton should be made to unwilling owners.
With these three conditions, | confess
would be exceedingly glad to see Congress
abolish slavery in the District of Columbia,
and, in the language OF Henry Clay, 'sweep
from our Capital that foul blot upon our
nation"
As to the question of the abolition of
the slave-trade between the different States,
| can truly answer, as have, that am pledg-
ed to nothing about it. 1t is a subject to
which have not given that mature consid-
GRAFTON that would make me feel authorized
to state position so as to hold myself en-
tirely bound by it. In other words, that
question has never been prominently enough
before me to induce me to investigate
whether We really have the constitutional
power to do it. could investigate 1t if
had sufficient time to bring myself to
conclusion upon that subject; but
have not done so, and l say so frankly to
you here, and to Judge Douglas. l must
say, however, that if | should be of opinion
that Congress does possess the constitutional
power to abolish the slave-trade among the
different States, should still not be in ia
vor of the exercise of that power unless up
on some conservative principle as l conceive
it, akin to what have said in relation to
the abolition of slavery in the District of
Columbia
Let our Union friends compare the fore
going records and decide whether, if Lincoln
is pot, Everett is not very large kettle.