The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1860-08-30
TERMS. --sl25 PER AMNUM.

Of property In SLAVE is distinctly and
expressly affirmed in the Constitution.
An inspection Of the Constitution will
show that the right Of property iu slave
is not distinctly and expressly affirmed in
it. (Applause) Bear in mind, the
Judges do not pledge their j1dicial opinion
that such tight is impliedly affirmed in
the Constitution, but they pledge their
veracity that it is distinctly and expressly
affirmed there" distinctly that is,
not mingled With anything else; express
ly---that is in words meaning just that,
without the aid of any inference, audsus-
ceptible of no other meaning. If they
had only pledged their judicial opinion
that such right is affirmed in the instru-
ment, by implication, it would be open to
others to show that neither the word
" slave" nor slavery" is to be found in
the Constitution, nor the word property
even, in any connection with language
allGding to the things slave or slavery
(applause)-and that wherever in that
instrument the slave is alluded to, he is
called "person :" and wherever his
master legal right in relation to him is
alluded to, it is spoken of as service or
labor due, as Il . debt " payable in sers
vice or labor
Also, it would be open to show, by CO.
temporaneous history, that this mode of
alIudinr to slaves and slavery, instead of
speaking of them, was employed on pur-
pose 20 exclude from the Constitution the
idea that there could by property in man.
To slow all this is easy and certain
When this obvious mistake of the judges
, shall be brought to their notice, is it not
, reasonable to expect that they will with
draw the mistaken statement, and recon-
slider the conclusion based upon it? And
then it is to be remembered that sour
= fathers who framed the, Government un-
{ der which We live the men Hho made
t the Constitution decided this same cons
! stitutIonal question in our favor long ago
decided it without division among them
: selves about the meaning Of it after it
was made, and, SO far as any evide0ce IS
J left without basing it apon any mistaken
statement Of facts. Under all these cir
F .cumstances, do you really feel yourselves
justified to break up this Government,
. unless such court decision as yours is
, Shall be at once submitted to as a con-
{ elusive and final rule of political action?
But YOU will net abide the election Of a
f Republican President. In that supposed
event, you say you will destroy the Union,
2, aud then, YOU say. the great crime of
having DESTROYED it will be upon us -
t. (Laughter) That is cool. (Great
iaughter) A highwayman holds pistol
to NV ear, and muttcrs through his teeth,
I" STAND and deliver, or | shall kill you,
and then you will be a murderer !"-
Continued iaughter.) TO be sure, what
the rcbbcr demanded Of me--my money
was my own, and | had a clear right to
4, keep it but 1t was DO more my own than
my vote is my own; O. That's so,' and
/. applause } ard the threat Of death to me,
10 extort my money, and the threat of
destruction to the Union, to extort my
vote, can scnrceIy be distinguished in
principle.
y few words now to Republicans. 1t
is exceedingly desirable that all parts of
this great Cunfederacy shall be at peace
and in harmony one with another. Let US
Republicans do our part to have it so.
g We WILL" and applause.) Even
f though much provoked, let us do nothing
through passion and i'll temper Even
though tie Southern people will not SO
, much as listen TO US, let us calmly con-
, slider their demands, and yield to them,
if, in our deliberate view Of our duty, we
possibly can. Judging by all they say
and do, and by the subject and nature of
their CONTROVERSY with us, let US deter
mine, if we can, what will satisfy them,
viii they be satisfied if the Territories
be unconditionally surrendered to them
We know they will not. In all their
present complaints against US, the Terri
tories are scarcely mentioned, Inyasions
and instructions are the rage now. Will
it satisfy them, if, in the future, we have
nothing to DO with invasions and insur-
rectiCns! We know it Will not. We SO
know because we know we never had
anything to do With invasions and INSTR
rections, and yet this total abstaining
does not exempt US from the charge and
the denunciatou.
The question recurs, What will satisfy
them? Simply this: We NEST not only
let them alone, but we must, somehow
convince them that we do let them.
alone. This, we know by experience. Il
no easy task We have been trying to So
convince them from the very beginning
of our organization, but with 10 success.
In all our platforms and speeches, 40
have constantly protested our purpose '''
] Let tham alnne hnt his has had no tei..