Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1860-02-01
A ralr ouertion 10 tho JournaI.

We desire to put a fair question TO our neigh.
Dor, and We desire a fair apswer 10 Il, thoOgh
We doubt Of svor ge,tiag II. Nevertheless we
claim to be entitled 70 one, as The matter is one
Of public concern. and as The people have an
unqusstiOned right to know the eHsct political
position Of their organs.
Nov, We call the attention Of the Journal To
the proceedings Of the U. s. House Of Repre-
sentatives, Of the 25th inst. as officially pob>
lished 10 The Globe Of the day following.
There the Journal will End that to a q%uestion
by Mr.. Keitt, Of South Carolina, Mr.. Oorvin
made the following answer;
"Mr. Corwin.-I did assert, that 10 my iudg.
ment, slavery wasths creature oflooal law that II
could exist nowhere without IL meant by
that, local usage, II | may use the term, or by
positive statute now. meant to say that the
Congress Of the United States, in my Judgment,
was the only legislative body under our system
10 make Laws TOT the Territories. | then, in
addition to that said that | thought this the
best tribunal before which to discuss the ques'
tion IS 10 whether slavery was proper TO go
here or there. / say for myself that
IL you have acquired territory, or will acquire
territory, IN which the white man cannot work
/ viii allow owners Of slaves 10 the States TO
20 there with their slaves. aud, II necessary,
would protect then there"
Here we have a positive and uneqoivoeal
declaration Of Mr.. Ootvib; he glories in the
designation Of being the head and front, the
true expounder, the Jupiter Tonans, OF the Re-
publican party Of Ohio, and as such he ans
nounees his willingness to establish slavery in
Territories where the white man cannot work, "
and to protect il there by Congressional ems
Actnsnts; iu other words, he declares himself
ready 10 grant the extreme demands Of Southern
FIRE eaters for q "alAve code" for certain lati-
tudes. Il this the Republican doctrine Of the
J%ourualf Is II also in favor Of a 'slave code
for Southern latitudesG
Another Republican member Of the House
one as old. as shrewd. as eloquent, as expert
enced as the Wagon ~Boy"-Thad. Stevens
Of the Lancaster District Of Pennsylvania
made a speech on that very same day, upon tn,
general principles and aims Of the Republican
party, and in that speech he substantially de-
nonuced Corwin's positions, one after the other
as rank heresy, thus virtually reading 9TH,
great expounder" out of the Republican party
Let US hear Stevens:
Now, sir, the Territories, the District o
Columbia, the navy yards, and the arscnal
have no legislative bodies but Congress o
those granted by Congress, and it is our purpos
TO provide In the exercise Of our legislativ,
duty, for preventing the extension Of Slavery
into free soil under the jurisdiction Of thi
General Government, or any extension OF Slave
~ upon this continent. | do not, in this re-
mark. desire to shun the question. | do no
bound this remark by climate, or latitude, o
soil. My hostility to slavery is Of a highe
character | trust than that. II il was not, Their
would he no kind Of necessity for The existence
Of the Republican party at all, II | believed
that slavery was right In itself, and 1t nigh
be permitted in places where certain labor wa
or was not useful. l cannot see what priucipl
the Republican party could stand upon. Tn
whole ground is yielded. and this Republican
party is q nuisance, and this agitation is
crime, in my judgment"
Thus discourses Thad. Stevens. The reade
and the Journal will perceive thatit is asserted
and asserted by high authority in the Reput
liean party. that if Corwin's positions be true
then "this Republican party is nuisance, an
this agitation is a crime"
In our judgment it would now be proper fc
the Journal to define its position. Does it sti
support Corwinf Then it admits, with Stevenl
that this Republican party is a nuisance, an
this agitation is a crime" Does it go wit
Stevens and the Republican partyf Then
discards Corwin az outside Of its party, to
national for its aims. Will the Journal be fran
enough to give the people a fair answer?