The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1860-09-08
Shifting OH a Very Old Trail.

Shifting OH Very Old Trail.
We fear the editor of the Wigean', who
in fit of piety, treated his readers to 4
sermon last week. upon q scriptural text,
has fallen from grace for he appears to
have crawied into our Sanctum last sun
day and spent the hallowed hours he
ought to have passed in church, III copy
ing tit-bits from our files of 1913. tlau-
diuS gloats over his cribbings with all the
rapture OF the chap that discovered a soap
mine, ana paTades them in the last Wig
wan with a portcntous flourish.
Clandius is welcome to all he can make
out of such superanuatod material. In
stead of swelling over it so immensely,
however, as a discovery for which he is en-
titled 10 credit, he ought to have had the
/ fairness TO give his colaborer of the Re
! pgbj.rna the honor of having prcceped
him in the business at least month or
two And we shall dispose Of the matter
again as we did when Hampton dug it up
in very few words.
The question which agitated the public
mind in 1913 or 1850 was, whether Con-
/ gress should legalizo the institution of
/ slavery in the then newly or about to be
/ acquired territories Of California, New
territories had come to us with local laws
hostile to slavery. Before the people, the
issue stood simply, whether those local
laws should stand, or whether Congress
the North took the ground promptly as
they would again today under the same
circumstances that territory which comes
to Us free should be allowed to remain so;
and the democracy also took the converse
of the proposition, as Claudius extracts
will show, that territory which, like Texas
came to Us with slavery, ought also to be
allowed TO retain its local Institutions IL
the discussion Of the question, there is ne
doubt democratic papers and orators Of
the north, seeing as they were wont tc
say, that the south have forced this issue
upon Us, were in the habit as they always
do, in expressing their adherence Of the
blood stained institution in strong Ian
guagc, but no stronger than they would
again use We're the question before then
in the same shape.
But in 1870. the north and the sou.i
agreed 10 cease the fight on this issue auo
call it a draw game. Instead of proposing
that Congress should either lcgaljze or pro
hibit slavery in the territories, they agree
Congress should do nothing about but
turn the whole matter over to the people
of the territories 70 be disposed Of in then
own way As Mr, Clay said, if the peopl,
say we viii have slavery, there it j.; i
not, there it is not
Well democrats, wing and all partic.
north and South agreed to that "compro
mise, and in 1872 both the wing and de
mocgat!c national conventions solemnly
agreed to abide by the great principle
upon which it was based-to VT. non-in
reference by Congress wi,L slavery in the
territories
Claudius was q wh;g IN I>i2 to lS5f
He voted for Gen. Scott in I>52 We dis
pose of the whole business byPropoundin2
TO him also the simple question. which
has been before his co-labcrer Of the
Republican for two weeks and Is still un
answered, whether when he voted fol
Gen Scott in l,j2 and acted with til,
wing party, he endorsed the resolutions o,
the whis national convention al Baltimore
,hat nominated Gen. Scott?
When We get a categorical answer t'
: this question Ne -ha}l have another wore
with Ciaudiu~ on the question Of consis
tency