The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1860-11-01
Republicpnism ana the Union.



DEAR SIR A few days ago I received
your letter of the 10th in reply TO mine of
the Sd inst. In your letter | find the fol-
lowing remarkable paragraph:
To-day we had a dispatch from Louis
vile which indicates that your prediction
in regard to the Indiana election was cor
rect You may be correct, too, when you
say the election of Lincoln is a fixed fact );
and, if 1t is, you may regard the Immediate
dissolution of the Union as q fact equally
fixed. A general gloom is thrown over our
whole community. Men grasp each others
hands and ask with q most painful express
sion of anxiety, What do you think of the
news2 What is your real estate worth to-
day
That the election Of a President in ac-
cordance with the Constitution and the laws
OF the United States should so affect the
public mind in any portion of the Union
seems strange to me. There is only one
way to account for it. The measures of pub
lie policy had in view by Mr.. Lincoln and
those who intend electing him are most
grossly misunderstood by the people. They
have been taught to believe that the Repub-
licans are in favor of resisting the provision
of the Constitution in relation to fugitives
from labor that they desire to abolish the
slave trade between the States, ard (by
some unexplained process) to abolish slavery
in those States. This is not true. No such
intention or desire exists.
Instead Of giving heed TO the excited har-
argues of office seekers at kthe hastings,
would it not better comport with true states
manship to look at the proposed measures
of the republican party as announced in
their " con fessions of faith ~
Do that, and II viii be found that they
simply propose, az announced at Chicago, as
follows
l. Non-interference wi,h slavery in the
slave States ; but opposition to its extension
into Territories now free
.. To procure a more efficient law fo.
the suppression of the slave trade
3. The admission of Kansas under her
present Constitution.
revenue law, discriminating in favor
of home industry for the support of the
Government.
5 A reform in the abuses and a reduction
in the expenditures of the General Govern
ment.
6. A liberal homestead law for actual
settlers on the public lands.
Z. The improvement OF rivers and har-
bors of national interest.
8. The speedy construction, by aid of tn
General Government, of railroad to the
Pacific.
Would the establishment Of such measures
be good cause for the dissolution of the I'm
ion It seems to me that no man in Ten
nessee can answer in the affirmative and
yet, that IS all the Republicans purpose do
ing
Only one Of them can at all be objection
able TO you, and that ought not to be. The
exclusion ofslavery from the Territories, dur
ing territorial existence, by act of Congress,
is opposed by some of the people of the slave
States, because, they say, such exclusion
creates an inequality of States, and is, there
fore, unjust.
This argument is founded upon the AS
sumption that property in slaves is of the
same character as in any other kind of prop
erty. This the Republicans regard as fall
lacy, and the cause of much of our present
troubles.
We hold that property in slave labor is of
a peculiar character, and is not, therefore,
property within the acknowledged meaning
of the word as recognized by the civilized
world. 1t is only property by reason of the
local law or regulation of the States where
it exists, and outside Of the jurisdiction Of
those States it is not property. Had it been
otherwise, why the necessity of that provis-
ion in the Federal Constitution in regard to
fugitives from labor Why does not the
Constitution contain provision for the rem
ditiOn of horses or cattle escaping from one
State into another For the reason that
they are property everywhere in Christen-
dom, and governed by the laws of property
universally recognized. Iihorses or cattle
go into Canada they are reclaimed without
difficulty. Why is it that you cannot re-
claim your slaves when they escape into
CANADA 1t is because they are not recog-
nized as property by the common law, and
the usages and customs which relate to prop
erty IN its universal, acknowledged sense.
We say that the Territories are the COM
mon property of all the people, to be gov
erned, while Territories, by the law-making
power of the whole people, which is in Con-
gress. We believe it to be best for the
whole people that slavery be excluded bv
act of Congress, if necessary while they re-
main in a terrif Orial existence When,
however Territory forms a State govern
ment, if the people thereof determine to
have slavery and say so in their Constitu-
ton, its admission will not be opposed for
that reason, although we may regret the
determination.
Emigrants from all sections to our Terri
tories now 60 there az equals-each taking
with him just such articles as are regarded
as property in every State in the Union
Were the citizens of a slave State permitted
to take their slaves with them, it would be
an unjust discrimination in favor of the
citizens Of that section of the Union, TO the
Injury OF the citizens ofthe non-slavehold-
ing States. II would be in violation Of the
equality Of States which now exist To
that Us are opposed. We are for the real
equality of the States Those who differ
with US are opposed to such equality; and