The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1860-07-25
Abandonment OF Congressional
Intervention Dying-AsOnies OF
RepubIicaniSni.


When party abandons the principles of
its Organization, it may boast of its youth
and Vlsor; but its vitality is gone, and in the
natural course OF events, it must soon be
numbered among the things that wers.-
While as "Old Gid" would say, it comes
squarely up to the issue it has made and
faces the music, there is sons hope for it;
but when 1t is seen abandoning its distinc-
tive principles, its doom is sealed, and its
fate cannot be averted by all the political
qasck medicines ever invented.
The Republicans in 1856 set I'D the doc
trine OF Congressional Intervention, or Con.
gressional Sovereignty over the Territories
IN opposition to the d mocratc doctrine OF
Non Intervention or Popular Sovereignty
in the Territories as well as in the States.
The campaign in that yesr was conducted
upon that issue. The Republican Conven.
tion at Philadelphia which nominated Ere.
mont, adopted the following as the main
p' ank in their platform:
"RsSolUed, That the Constitution confers
upon Congress sovereign power over the
Territories OF the United States for theil
government, and tn at in the exercise of ,hi.
power, it is both the right and the duty O
Congress to prohibit in the Territories those
twin relies of barbarism, polygamy und
slsvery."
| This is clear and explicit. There is no
''doughjaceism" in it. The sovereignty ol
Congress over the territories and their rilh,
and duty to prohibit slavery therein are
broadly stated. The Chicago Convention
met in May last and nominated "Abe Lin.
c'ln", man who declared hss than two
years ogo, that he was impIiedIy, if not ex.
pressly pledged to the above principle ia
the Philadelphia platform. Yet the Con
ventlon at Chicago abandoned that pfinc; :.
CLIP lie, and in the place of coming out boldly
and squarely as at Philadelphia, adopted tht
following milk and water resolution:
8. That the normal condition of o Il tbt
territory OF the United Statesis that OF free
domJ that Os our Republican fathers, whe.
they had abolished slavery in oil our nutona
territory, ordained that "no person Shout,
be deprived OF lie, liberty, or proper,,
without due process of law" it becomes on
duty, by legislation, whenever such leuisla
tion is necessary, to maintain this provision
,, OF the constitution against all uttempts I,
violate it; and Wa deny the authority O
Congress, OF Territorial Legislature, or o
any individuals, TO give legul existence t.
slavery in any Territory of the Unite,
States.
Now we ask candid Republicans to com.
pare the Philadelphia and Chicago resoln
tions together, aud see what a lnl,ino n,
there is in the latter from the former =
The latter is in fact virtual ubandonmeu
u of the principle annou need in the phi|ude
phla platform. When party becomes 4
dlshonest and corrupt as to abandon il
principles, 1t Is time tor honest men to abau
don the party. 1t is true the Chicago feso
luton is Interpreted by Giddings, Chase 1
Co., to mean the same thing a 5 that Odop,e
at Philadvlp phia; but that iolerpretation
: denied by all the conservative men VIII
> still absurdly hang on to the Republicu
= organization. All such men, if honest, can
= not but rePudiute party that has no fixe
u principles.
: So great change has, within the Ia:
four years, come over the public mind tn
:, the Republican organization is struck wi,
: fatal paralysis. Its friends may decei,
= themselves with the hope that it may
~ reused from this deadly supor; but it
. evident that such hopes are utterly yain.-
:, The very medicine which Republican dot
:, - tors are administering to the patient, al
y poisoning it to death. They hops to cure
=. upon the ulIopathic principle that contrarie
: ! are cured by contraries, and so admnistt
;. minute doses Of Popular Sovereignty. Blu
) alas, the medicine does not agree with i
= constitution, and will kill it.
- Pleasantly aside, 1t Is u fact which Il
= Republican masses cannot avoid seeing tn
- - there is hardly stumper or an editor
- :, the party that dare speuk out in favor of Il
- once cardinal doctrine of the pirty-Co
!, gressional Intervention for the prohibitic
OF slavery in the Territories. Some of Il
u - leading Republican journals even go SO
e as to deny that there is any necessity
- - such Legislation by Congress. What fu
~ ther proof is wanting that the party
- - either dead or very near its final disso luton
~ Statesman.
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