The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1860-08-13


will now state what understand to be the
principles Of the Republican organization.
and as state them, | will ask If there be
any objections to any Of the principles they
avow. They start out by proclaiming their
devotion to the Constitution OF the country
and to the rights of the States. They re-
pudiate the idea that either Congress or any
one State has the right to interfere with the
domestic institutions OF another State. They
admit that each State has the right to con-
troll its own domestic institutions in It's own
way; T" hear, hear; but they insist that
III the Territories of the United States, where
slavery has never existed, it shall not be
permitted to GO SO long as the Territorial
condition continues. Was not that exactly
what the men who made the Government
did l come from the great Northwest
which was made free by the ordinance
adopted in 1897, which declared that Meth
er slavery or involuntary servitude should
ever exist in it, and that ordinance was re-
affirmed under the administrations of Jefer-
son and Madison, Monroe and Jackson
When we acquired Texas the authority Of
Congress to exclude slavery hot only from
Territory but from State, was asserted,
and that, too on the motion of Mr.. Douglas,
who claims TO be the champion of popular
sovereignty. No man in the United States
has ever made the proposition to interfere
with the domestic institutions of State,
except Stephen A. Douglas, and he propos-
ed as an amendment to the resolution under
which Texas was acquired, that in every
State which was formed of the territory thus
acquired, lying north of the SO deg. 30 min.
of north latitude, involuntary servitude
should be forever prohibited. The Repub-
lican party contends for no such doctrine.
They never asserted anything more than
the right to keep slavery out of the Terrific
ry until the people came to form q ConsUi-
tuition, and then everybody admits that the
people will do as they please upon this sub
ject of slavery. But Mr.. Douglas made the
motion, and it was adopted, and is a part of
the law of the land to day, by which slave
~ is forever excluded from the States that
are to be formed from that part of Texas
lying north of sc deg. 80 min. north lati-
tude. 1t i'll became him now TO go around
and claim to be the great champion of pop
ular sovereignty, and to deny the power Of
Congress to exclude slavery from the Ter
ritories when he was the very man to pro-
pose to exclude it from States. The Repub-
licans claim the right to keep slavery out of
the Territories under the Constitution of
the United States, which declares, in 80
many words, that " Congress shall have
authority to make all needful rules and
regulations respecting the Territories" and
as we believe that slavery Is an evil, adverse
to the interests of free men and free labor,
we are in favor of keeping it out of ali
countries where it does not exist, and we
have the power to do so. Are you not in
Pennsylvania in favor of keeping slavery
ont of your State " Yes Well, then,
if you are, are you not in favor of keepin g
it out of all the new country where your
children are to go? Yes" On the
same principle, while we legislate for the
Territories, we ought to legislate for the
best interests Of our friends who are TO go
there, and if we believe it to be for our best
interests at home to keep slavery out Of our
free States, tell me why it is not tor our best
interests when we 20 to Territory, or our
friends 20 there, 10 keep slavery out until
they become numerous enough TO form a
Government for themselves, and determine
what they will do ? There is the whole of
the principle of the Republican party on
this subject of slavery. We believe that
slavery can only exist by virtue of local law;
and that it does not exist where there is a
local or municipal law to sustain it. We
think that the Constitution OF the
| Cnlteu otales lmpnedly, II not directly,
declares this, and | will refer 10 the clause.
You recollect the provision in the Con-
sti1ution of the United States which says
that " Il person held to service or labor in
one State, under the laws thereof, escaping
into another, shall not be discharged by
reason of any law in the latter State, but
shall be delivered up on the claim of the
owner That is what is called the fugitive
slave provision, or the provision for the
rendition of fugitive slaves in the Constitu-
ton. Now, mark the language. "A per-
son held TO service or labor in one State.
How Under the laws thereof Does
not that show that it must be under the law
of the State that he is held, and does not
| that forbid the idea that he is held under the
/ Constitution ? The very statement of the
proposition makes it as clear and palpable
/ rs an hours argument could, and there
leave it, and | say 10 you that slavery can
not exist anywhere in any of the Terrific
/ ries of the United States, by virtue of any
! provision in the Constitution. If it is car
| ried there, it must be done in pursuance oil
! some law creating or recognizing it in such
| Territory.
/ CONCLUDED To- MORROW