The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1860-06-14

FOR CLERK OF SUPREME COURT
JOHN P. JONES, of Lagrange.
FOR SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION,
MILES ]. FLETCHER, of Putnam.
81 The Old Political Landmarks.
Neither Mr.. Lincoln nor the party which
advocates his election have anything in
their political creed which is inimical to the
constitutional rights of the South, or any
other part of the Union. We have publish
ed his opinions at some length that the pub
lie might judge of their correctness, and no
fault has been found with them in any
quarter. In fact, on the great question
which agitates the country, the subject of
slavery in the Territories, he and the Re-
publican party occupy exactly the same po-
sition with the founders of the Govern
ment We call the attention of our readers
TO the remarks on this subject of one of the
oldest and most conservative statesmen of
the present day, an able constitutional law
yer, and well versed in the political history
of the Recommendations. Thomas Corwin,
of Ohio:
ait is my wish to show that the Repub-
lican party, which proposes to prohibit
slavery in the Territories is in that princi-
pie following the example of the men of the
Revolutionary period, both before and at
ter the adoption of the Constitution. The
ordinance of 1887, prior to, or rather CO.
temporary with, the Constitution, shows
that the men who, under the Confederation,
enacted that ordinance, thought it most
wise and beneficial towards slave and free
States both, to prohibit slavery in the North
western Territory. Now if those men
were wise-if they were patriots-then
what is the Republican party? 1t proposes
to continue their policy; to initiate their ex-
ample; to follow in their footsteps; and this
is all on the subject of slavery which we pro-
pose to do. Were the men of 1887 wrong,
then indeed in this particular is the Repub-
lican party wrong. If they were right in
the policy which dictated the ordinance of
1897, then is the Republican party right,
and the Democratic party wrong-totally,
entirely wrong.
''Now, what did the men of that day be-
lieve? They were wise men, philosophic
statesmen. The terrific storm of the Revo-
luton had blown over them; and we all
know that the minds of men, after having
been much agitated, and relieved from the
causes of that agitation, then become so
calm that in no period of their lives are they
so well situated for cool reason or calm re-
Election as Immediately after such an event.
They were Americans They were Repub-
lcans / do not use the terms in a party
sense. They called themselves Republicans.
We call ourselves so now and we do be-
lieve we are following in our principles this
day right after them. What l beg anybody
to convince me of is, that l am mistaken.
When so convinced, if that be possible, /
shall surely acknowledge my mistake, and
abandon my present convictions. The
great, the good as we'll as great men of
1881 ordained by law that there never
should be any slavery in that part of Vir-
ginia which had been coded to the United
States by the deed of 1884. Would they
have done SO, if they had considered slavery
to be a good institution? | think not.
al am not considering nor whether or
not these great men were mistaken. | only
WISH at this point, to say, that this much
abused Republican party, so much misun-
derstood to-day, is acting exactly as these
men acted in 1887, who, whether under the
Constitution or under the Articles of Con-
federation, forbade slavery in all the North
western country, and forbade it because
they thought it, as all their declarations at
that time prove, a great evil. | mean TO
say-and / hope all sides Of this House will
unu6ESlduQ me " Sdl-LudI II luO lHCh VI
1881 had believed that slavery was not only
d benign institution, but one that was friend
ly to the white man in that climate they
would not have prohibited it. They were
not the kind of men to do anything for a
party expediency. They were laying deep
the foundations Of this mighty Empire; and
they acted under the profound responsibility
which such a condition of things imposed.
They spoke with sincerity they acted with
sincerity, in the presence of that God who
they believed, and believe, had most man.
itestIy barred his right arm in every bat
tle-feld of the Revolution in favor of our
right of self-government and independence.
They, then, seeing that there was a territory
not vet comprehended within the limits of
any State, having no power to do anything
as IA State, prohibited the existence of slave
~ therein That is what they did; and
such men must have done that act for the
reason that they believed it right, and
thought, as we Republicans think, that
slavery is a great evil, at least in any eli
mate where white men and free laborers
ca4l live and work
'The Republican party say, eve will
exclude slavery from the Territory (situa-
ted similarly to the North Western Terrific
ry) the trainers of the constitution under
the confederation did exclude it from just
such territory And if we do that, are We
to be charged with an attempt wiliully Ia
subvert the institutions Of this country aud
TO do wrong TO the South Ii those Old
Fathers of the ReyolutiOa-odr Fathers