Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1860-08-25
]]olttiral.
Lincoln on The Slavery Question and
Negro Equality.

question OF negro slavery, as connected
with our government, are Of the first i'm
portance but have neither the time nor
inclination to examine them now. If L
had, it would, perhaps, be entirely un.
necessary. Almost every citizen has
made up his mind as to his duty in regard
to the institution, and he only desires to
know the views and opinions of the indi
vidual asking his suffrage and when he
asccrtains them, he knows how to vote.
Upon this point Mr.. Lincoln's record is
pretty full for one who has been no more
in public life. Indeed, he is solely in
debted to it for his present position.
Sagacious enough to see the general pref
udice against slavery, without reference
to the manner in which it became inter-
woven with portion of the States of this
Confederacy, he early mounted upon the
back of the negro, and has ever since
been riding him under whip and spur for
office. He has outstripped SEWARD and
SUMNER and HALE and Bates and LOVE-
JOY, and they stand, with folded arms,
looking on, surprised to find he has dis
tanccd them in the race When in Con-
gress, he voted to apply the Wilmot pro-
viso to Oregon and in favor of making the
exclusion of slavery from the territory to
be acquired from Mexico necessity to
the requirement and establishment of gov
ernment He also submitted PROPOSE
ton to abolish slavery in the District of
Columbia, on condition the people thereof
voted to abolish it, and the General Gov
ernment paid for the slaves liberated
He claimed, and now CLAIMS, absolute and
exclusive legislative jurisdiction in Con-
gress over this District; and yet he only
proposes to terminate slavery here, first,
if the inhabitants want it done, and, sec
ondly if the General Government shall
pay for the slaves. Why this discrimina.
ton! Why not allow the people of a
Territory, as well rs the people of this
District, to say whether they will or will
not have slavery! The pioneer to new
Territory should certainly be treated with
equal consideration to the STAKEHOLDER in
Washington city but Mr.. Lincoln does
not seem to think so. The one, he says,
shall not have slaves; the other may have
them, if he wants to. Consistency y,
thou art jewell"
1 have already said, Mr.. Chairman,
that Greeley claims for Mr.. Lincoln that
he was the original constructor of the
Republican platform. Greeley ought to
know, for he did more to effect his nom
ination than any other man in America,
and is now his special organ. wish he
had gone a step further, and told us aohen
and where Mr. Lincoln did that job.
After the overthrow of the old Wing par
ty, and In 1854, the first Republican con.
venton was held in Illinois. Mr.. Lin
coin s name appears in its published p'o-
ceeoiings as one Of the committee aoho re-
po,ted the resolutions. Mr.. Lincoln, how.
ever, now denies he was at the convention
Is it not strange that his name should
appear among those appointed to report
resolutions and yet he not be there? But
l will not stop to bubble about that. l
ask the Clerk to read the platform, which
Mr.. Lincoln never thought it necessary
for him to come out and repudiate Do
they constitute the platform referred to by
Mr.. Greeley!
The Clerk read, as follows:
"l. ResOlUed, We believe this truth to
be self-cvident; that when parties become
subversive of the ends for which they are
established, or incapable of restoring the
Government to the true principles Of the
Constitution, it is the right and duty of
the people to dissolve the political bands
by which they have been connected there.
with, and to organize new parties upon
such principles and with such views as the
circumstances and exig ncies of the nation
may demand.
"2. Resolved, That the times impera-
lively demand the reorganization of par.
ties and repudiating all previous party
attachments, names, and predictions, we
unite ourselves together in defense of the
liberty and Constitution of the country,
and will hereafter cooperate as the Re-
publican party, pledged to the accomplish
ment of the following purposes To bring
the administration Of the Government
back to the control of first principles; to
restore Nebraska and Kansas to the posi-
ton of free Territories that, as the Con-
stitution of the United States vest in the
States, and not in Congress, the power to
legislate for the extradition of fugitives
from labor; to repeal and entirely abro-
gate the fugitive slave law; to restrict
slavery in those States in which it exists
to prohibit the admission of any more
slave States into the Union; to abolish
slavery in the District of Columbia; to
exclude slavery from all the Territories
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