Arkansas true Democrat., 1860-09-22

clude any d{sription of property. The
 other party akumed the ground that the
 territorial l(islature had such power
 It was a constitutional question, and
 they agreedfot to make 1t matter of legis-
 latiyc dispu, lut to make provision in
 the bill to Bfer to the supreme court for a
 decision, d all parties were bound to
 abide by te decision made by that august
 tribunal. Upon this constitutional oues
 tion let now prove that there was such
 an agreeent. Ordinarily bill cannot be
 taken frsl territorial court through the
 supremeourt of the United States until
 the matr in controversy amounts to S1,-
 900; in order that this question might be lltried bore the supreme court, clause was Iinserte to meet the contingency, and neu- Itralitygle eed on during the perio between
 the psage of that bill and the decision of
 the sreme court. All persons on each side
 entea eained their own opinions. We in
 the outh held that the territorial legisla-
 turlid not have the power. Mir. Doug-
 leind his friends held that the territorial
 lislature did have the power We sus.
 ,nded that question: and referred it by
 III to the supreme court of the United
 tates to determine the constitutional ques- lon therein involved. There was now Iody to whom we could refer the question, md we thought it unnecessary further to lebate it, each party agreeing to acquiesce the decision as rendered by said body. I think that is pretty plain statement on that point, and l make it to show that there was VOW taken by the southern friends of the measure in Congress-among them, your humble speaker-to support the de- cision. Mir. Breckinridge here read some extracts from his speech delivered in the House of Representatives in 1854 We were willing, he continued, to have the question decided by the courts of the United States. Again, l say that 1t is contended upon the one hand upon the idea of the equality of the States under the constitu- tion and their common property in the ter ritories, that the citizens of the slavehold- ing States may remove to the territories with their slaves and legally hold them un- til the territory is resolved into State, and in that capacity exclude them. On the other hand, il is said that slavery, being in conflict with common right, can exist only by force of positive law, and it is de- nied that the court ever furnished the law l said that we demand that all citizens of the United States be allowed to enter the common territory, with the constitution alone in their hands, for that instrument protects the title of the master to his slave m the common territory. You cannot com plain if 1t does not protect his title. We ask no help from Congress If difficulties occur, we will let them be submitted to the courts.
 Now, upon my own personal vindcation, the doctrines announced by me in that speech were just such as l have ever dcclar- ed in the commonwealth of Kentucky such as 1 have ever declared in every pub lie address which I have made in Ohio, h. diana, Michigan and Pennsylvania. After ward, when 1t was understood that 1 had been charged withit was reported to have admitted that this power belonged to the territorial legislature In the month of September, 1856, the editor of the Ken lucky Statesman, published in this city, alluding to the charge, made the following statement, to which 1 beg to refer you Mark you, this was before the presidential election of 1856.
 Mr. Breckinridge then read from an edi- torial in the Kentucky Statesman of Octo- Der, 1856, in which it was stated that dur ing his tour through Indiana and Ohio, that he (Bleckinridge) avowed the sentiments he had often proclaimed in Kentucky, and which are clearly embodied in the Cincn- natl platform; that he denied that the de- mocratic party was in its federal relations pro-slavery party; that it was neither such party nor an anti-slavery party; that 1t rejected the interference of the federal go- vernment either to introduce or exclude slavery; that it left the territories open to common settlement from all the States; that each State was entitled to form its own constitution, and enter into the Union W1thout t".,~.....ia-..-:--.4 4D, congress vn .,o- count of its allowance or prohibition of slavery, and that the statement that he (Breckinridge) advocated squatter sover- eighty" was untrue.
 Mr. Breckinridge continued: In the au- tumn of the same year, 1 received Lou isiana paper containing remarks made by Gen. Miles, who heard my speech, in which he denied that had admitted this doctrine of the territorial power. He sent me a slip containing his speech. In the same month before the presidential election, answered him, saying hands off the whole subject by the federal government, except for one or two protective purposes mentioned in the constitution; the equal rights of all sections Tn the common territories, and the abso- lute power of each new State to settle the question in it's constitution. These are my doctrines, and those of our platform; and what is more, the constitution
 Now, fellow citizens, against the state mcnts of that distinguished Senator in which he undertakes to prove allegations against myself, and thus oppose my own statement, next in proof read to you from my speech in 1854, in Congress, the article in the Lexington paper before the presiden- tial election, the testimony of Gen. Miles, who heard that speech in Tippecanoe, and my own letter in answer to the latter gen. tleman, containing my opinion of the ques. ton at that time, and what has ever since been my opinion.
 A voice-Now you are talking.
 Mr. Breckinridge-It think have proven as fully as could be expected in the iimita- tions of speech that the chargeis unfound- ed. In fact, l will add that the position assumed was that taken by the southern friends of the Nebraska bill, and by a DOT tion of its. northern friends. These were ourprivate opinions; these are the opinions we sought on all proper occasions to ex- press. But we did not undertake to force all others to agree to them. We had agreed to refer that to the highest tribunal in the Union
 Now gentlemen, having vindicated nv. self and the constitutional democracy from the charge of having abandoned the posi- ton they took in 1854 in 1855, and in IS56, 1 turn upon my accusvr ant, u.r ertake to show that he himself abandon ed the agreement solemnly made at the time the Kansas Nebraska bill passed the Congress of the United States tre- mendous cheering, and I will not take my self as witness against him to do it, but will prove it by himself I Voice: "Good," {" "Good," and loud applause. On the se- cond dav of ,Tu1v 1SS6 in dabo+o ,,,o, .