The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1860-09-17

a.
torting money from women when they came
to worship? Surely the Democracy occu-
py ridiculous position before the world !
They are holding up their hands and cry
ing, You Cypress US, in keeping Us out OF
these territories For Gods sake, let us
take our niggerS there You may hang Us,
kill US do anything with Us, but let as go
there with our niggers I
Now we have an original question to
solve. Are slaves property in tue meaning
of the Constitution If so, they can be
brought to Indiana, and held. We hold
that they are not property, and appeal to
the action of those who lived before Us,
and point in triumph to the Ordnance Of
1887, in vindication of our position.
But say the Democracy, these old fellows
were tyrants. They oppressed the people
I of the Northwestern Territory. Well, you
old settlers of Indiana, you lived a long
| period of servitude-from 1887 to 1916!
Ohio was under the yoke until 1903. Hi
nois till 1919. Wisconsin later. Michigan
until very lately. All these magnificent
States, now poisoning as the rose and scat
| tered all over with schools and churches,
| were long time under a despotlsm, were
they not? Breckenridge and Douglas say
they were downtrodden. Bell don't say
| anything on the subject. He is mum. Bell
and Everett wanted to be taken on trust.
| He had great confidence in both gentlemen,
| but inthis momehtous crisis he wouldn't vote
! for any man as ruler on trust. He knew
| Bell better perhaps than any ole there
| esteemed him. Everett was regarded rs one
| OF the greatest literary lights Of the age.
! He was high priest OF letters. But they
might, if elected, depart frooI the law OF
Moses, and he wanted no heretics in bis
church.
The speaker asked why prohibitory acts
would not do as well in Kansas, Nebraska,
| Nevada, and other new territories, as they
did in the Northwestern Territory. See the
result of this glorious policy in these FIVE
| glorious States once composing the Nortt-
western Territory. In 1898 when he cross
| ed into Ohio from Kentucky, his birthplace
there were not $4,000 people in the whole
| of the wilderness composing the territory.
! Now, within his lifetime, there are between
| 7,0Ce, 600 and 5000, 0Oo. Go back through
| all antiquity TO the beginning of time, and
| you cannot produce SO great degree OF
! prosperity maturing in so short period Of
| time. Then it was all a wilderness inhabit-
ed by wild beast and savages. Now it is
| filled with an enlightened population, and
covered with school houses, where are
| educated freemen, and church spires-thOse
| lightning rods of the earth, to divert the
| wrath of God from the heads Of guilty men.
! He then alluded TO the grandfather OF his
! Young friend on the stand-Gcueral W. H.
| HarrIsOn-who did 50 Elighty a work for
| the eariy settlers of Indiana, and paid him q
| glowing eulogy. Aud all the people OF this
! great territory were under the yoke of a
| central despotisru & II that be despOjisrn,
said the eloquent orator, may God IN his
infinite mercy, shower down yokes On the
! gI,.,la of
! just such oppression -
He then went on to show that the theory
of government is 10 be discovered from
its acts and policy. The theory of the British
! Government is that it is Protestant, not a
Roman Catholic, government. This is to Le
found ia the fact OF its sOveregns, actual or
prospective, being forbidden to marry any
but ProteStdnts. There were also other
| circumstances which indicated Enthusiastically
that ProteSantism was The theory Of the
| British Constitution. So, the whole legis-
latIOn of the early days OF this Republic
| indicated that the theory of our Constitution
was adverse to the institution OF Slavery
| He instanced some of the legislation alluded
| to already, including the sanctiuniug OF the
Ordinance OF 1887, and mentioned the fact
| that the inhabitants of Indiana territory
pettioned Congress along about 1910 to
ttke from tle territory Il Q decree of pro-
h!bition OF slavery. The reason was, per-
sons emigrating from the free States stopped
in Ohio, and those from the slave States in
! Kentucky, aud there were not enough peo-
pie 10 cut down and clear away Tile forests
and settle the territory as rapidly as the in
habitants wished. But the committee il
Congress to which the petitions were re-
! ferred, at The head Of which was john Ran
doph, a Virginia s!as tholder, reported
against relaxing the prohibitions. Randolph
said, you shall not bave slavery; and Con
gress concurred IN the report unanimously,
with the exception Of one vote.rom Newly ork.
Congress, exercising paternal care ever The
infant territory, said to the people, " Bear,
my children, with your iuconvenieuces and
hardships do not lay yourself liable TO lie
cursed with this Institution. our are in
the wilderness now, but persevere, and
when you reach the promised land. you viii
be glad that you did not fail down and
worship this golden calf, and you VIII thank
US for not ndulglng your wishes There was
no murmnr OF rebellion heard against tie
decision Of Congress; the people bore
brave!y their trials and now is there man
in Indiana who has not reason 10 bless Con-
gress for refusing to grant the petitions OF
the misguided first settlers Of our State
While Mr. Corwin was dealing with this
branch ofhis subject, he was asked a question
by a getlemun present, who said his father
had held slaves during the time specified
and until Indiana came into the Union as p
State; aud wanted to know how this hap
pened. A colloquy of some length ensued,
Mr.. Corwin answered the querist in his
, humorous way, and told him in substance,
that his father had held his slaves contrary
to law. He wanted TO know " bat the hold
er had finally done with them. ''Sold them
when the State government was formed -
Mr.. G. then insisted that they were unlaw-
fnlly held. The answer Of Mr. Corwiu elicit
ed expressions of satisfaction from lie audi
ence,which seemed to provoke the questioner
without cause, and he waxed exceedingly
wroth especially when Mr.. c. told hiA that
f the Supreme Court Of Indiana had after
. ward decided that holding slaves under