Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1860-01-24
pudfate the charge, and appeal TO thu
eountryf for a verdict.
. lee vIIcE rREs1pENr.s ALLEeATIoNs.

Gentlemen, having saiu SO uuuCh PtSAAt., :.
nary and in explanation, come TO the
declaration of the Vice President OF the
United States, as formally put forth by
him, sent me under his own hand, but
which speech am told is very distinctly
different from that he made in this State
House.
You will pardon me for the length of
this argument, if it may be SO called, en-
barrassed as Lam by the difficulty OF my
position here. 1t is rather moSe desultory
Than i had intended it Ghould De, bur the
Importance of the questions to be discussed
will, I think, plead my Qualification
The Vice President of the United States
makes against the Republican party ten
formal allegations. He says:
At charge that the present and Interior purposes Of
40 introduce the doctrine Of negro equality into
American politics and to make it the ground OF PoS
tive legislation, hostile to the Southern States;
ITO exclude the slave property of the South nom
all territory now In the Union or which may heE"@'
ter be acquired; ,.-,- ,....,,.,.' 80 ,,-
other slATe-holding State;
tuTo repeal the Fugitive Slave Law, aud practically
refuse to obey the Constitution on that subject;
sJTo refuse to prevent or punish by State action,
the spoaton Of Slave property, but on the contrary
make 1t criminal otense In their citizens 70 oDey
the laws Of the Union, In 50 Tar as they project pro-
perty IN African slaves;
tyio abolish Slavery In the District Of Columbian
I
and other places in the South where Congress has e
elusive jurisdiction; 80.
sTo limit harass and frown upon the institution In
every mode of political action, and by every form Oh
public opinion; q, &c.. ~
the postal SERVICE the Press and In all other accsss
BILE modes, to agitate without ceasing, until the
Southern States without Sympathy on
shall be compelled to surrender tgnomenlously' ana
emancipate their Slaves"
Now gentlemen, these arc allegations
formally put forth. 1t is not for me to
question the motives of the man VINO
makes them, but take the allegations as
find them, and l shall attempt to answer
them in detail First of all, appeal to
the country and history; standing here
upon our recorded action, and the integri-
ty of, our previous character, plead not
guilty of the charges; not guilty on every
count except one; and to that plead guilty.
NEGRO EQUALITY SET AT REST.
First, we are not guilty of the purpose
"to introduce the doctrine ofnegro equall-
ty into American politics, and to make 1t
the ground of positive legislation, hostile
to the Southern States" Mark, the crime
is here, that we have been guilty of "intro-
ducine." Now it is we'll known, SO far as
common rumor goes-we cannot always
Judge of the motives of men-thnt the bred
Scott case was gotten up by agreement, in
advance of legislation, but subsequent to
the declaration of the power of the Demo-
cratic parry, to take possession OF Kansas.
We did not want any such subject intro
duccd into politics. Why? Because there
was already Odium enough attached to US
as being tho defenders of the rights of the
negro against the white man. We were
called already "ncgro lovers" and it was
not to our interest to get up an issue OF
this kind five desired so to do. But an
agreed case was made, as is reported In
Howard's reports. The case cameup to the
Supreme Court OF the United States from
the q. S. District Court of Missouri, and
although l am follower of the plough,
and although he has perhaps studied law
all his life, declare that Beriah Magotiin
does not know anything about the casei
there is not a common young lawyer that
is not better posted up in this matter
Gov. Magoflin does not profess to know
ANYTHING about it-that honorable and
high-toned gentleman has never made it
his study-any man can see that who
reads his inaugural address. John U.
Breckenridge does not understand it, or
he is great hypocrite. He is ignorant of
the question at issue, or he is hypocrite
and intended determinedly to deceive the
in consequence of the respect l have for
him, believe that he is utterly ignorant
of the questions at Issue in the case.
think can present them so that man of
the commonest understanding can COM
prehend the case.
will state the substance of the thing.
1t was suit brought by man of color,
called bred Scott, first, believe in the
State Courts of Missouri, where it was de-
cided that Scott was free, then going up, l
think, to the Supreme Court of Missouri,
where the decision was reversed and sent
back. twas taken to the Circuit Court;
the pleadings were made to this extent.
that a plea of abatement was made-Dred
Scott bringing an action declaring that VI
et armis,eone Sanford had assaulted him,
as also HnrEiet Scott, his wife, and chill
dren. To this. Sanford, who is also upon
the record, and admitted to be, know not
if in reality, q citizen of New York, plead
ed an abatement, that bred Scott and his
wife and children were his slaves, and
that being slaves, or rather, TO use the
language as used in the pleadings, that he
was the descendant of African slaves, a
man of color.a negro, and therefore hecould
not be citizen of the United States; and
Sanford called upon the Court to throw
the case out of Court, that they had no
jurisdiction, and that, he (Sandtord) shoulu
hold as master bred Scott.
So far as the bred Scott decision became
law of the United States, it is simply
thus that after the case was twice argued
in the Supreme Court of the United States,
majority standing seven to two of the
Justices, decided that man of African
blood, descended from parents once slaves,
could not be citizenS of the United States,
and therefore could not sue in the Courts
of the United Suites, and therefore the
Court having no Jurisdiction, it was re-
turned, with instructions to sustain the
Circuit Court. That is what they decided.
Now, l desire to state that, in my hum
BILE judgment, bred Scott was not the slave