Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1860-08-30

ofpropertv are trampled down. And this is slave
ry. Turn it over; look at it as you VIII, such u Is
and such it must be seen to beby every honest mind
To those who know thee net no words paint
And those who know thee know all words are iaiht-
Believe me- fellow-ciizens, do not present this
outline willingly. Gladly would drop vel over
the revolving features, But when audacious claims
are made for slavery, and you told by one candi
date that il travels with the constitution into new
territories, and you are told by another candidate
that the handful of first settlers can alone deal with
it in the territories congress sits poweress it be-
comes your duty to consider precisely what slavery
is and to study it in the law from which it derives
its character and TO follow it also in all its effects
Here the essential and vital part of the argument
the question OF constitutional law. It'll only
when this is done that how irrational is
every effort to give it constitutional sanction, to
save it from the action of congress within the ma
tional jurisdiction.
According to the claim now made, slavery exists
under the constitution everywhere outside the states
in other words, slavery is national; whereas just the
contrary is true. Everywhere outside the states
freedom must prevail; in other words, freedom is
national. Yes, freedom is national and slavery Sec
honal. Read the constitution and tell me if it be
not so. Surely, If pretension so peculiar as that
now set up could be found there, it would be plain
to all, so that no man could question it. Like the
decalogue, it would be in positive language: 'Ihou
shalt ensave thy brother man. 1t would be left to
no doubtful phrase or ambiguous words but would
stand forth in appalling certainty, like darkness WIS.,
ible." 1t would be stuck up, like Gesslers hat in
the market place. so that all could see it. But moth
ing is clearer than that in this we-considered in
strument there is not one clause word which sane
lions property in man; not one clause word on
which any such pretension be founded. Wher-
ever there is any imagined reference to slaves, ii is
at most only to Their possible existence in the states
under the laws thereof and then their designation
as persons shows that whatever may be their con-
dtion in the states the constitution does not regard
them ''property.m Thank God! the constitution
does not contain the idea that man can be the prop
erty of man. 1t was the declared purpose OF Mr..
Madison to exclude the idea So completely has
this been done that it is among the boasts often
made, that stranger in a distant country or fu-
ffiro lnNi M
other record of history, would not know that
any human being had ever been claimed as proper
ty' within the limits of the republic. The text at
least of the constitution is blameess. If men lind
slavery there it is only because they make ithe con-
stitution reflect their own souls.
And yet this pretension is now the shibboeth of
great political party; this is its single inspirations
this is its only principles this all its stock in trade
this is its "beall and endall" 70 this base use has
democracy come. In voting for Mr.. Breckinridgo
you declare, first, that man can have property i'll
his ielow-man; and secondly that such property is
recognized by the constitution of the United States.
The soul recois from both But even II the first be
true-which l utterly deny-it does not follow that
such property is sanctioned in the constitution.
Last in the order of the alphabet is the Douglas
party, whose single cry is popular sovereignty;n
last also in characters for who respect what we
know to be deceit? The statesman POUNDS himself
on principles; sometimes it is his Office to frame
pedients; but popular sovereignty as now put for
ward is not principle-oh no! not even an eXped
lent; it is nothing but device, preteXt,
ion dodge, trick, hoeHS pocuS, i'll order to avoid
- HAi'A ~
prohibited in the territories. That's all.
All hail to popular sovereignty i'll its true glory
This Is that grand principle first announced in the
Declaration of Independence which is destined to
regenerate the world. 1t is embodied i'll those IA
NOUS words, adopted by the republican convention
at Chicago; that among the inaienabe rights of all
men life liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
and that to these rights governments are in
stltuted among men, deriving their poavers from the
consent Of the g0rerned These are sacred words, full
OF life giving promise. n ot simply national indie
pendence was here proclaimed, but also the primal
rights of all mankind Then and there stepped forth
the genus OF Universal emancpation-speaking and
acting at once with fullboTn strength-breaking fet-
tiers, unloosing bonds and opening prison doors.
always ranging on its mighty errand wherever there
are any, no matter of what country race, who
struggle for rights denied-now cheering Garibaldi
at Naples as it had cheered Washington before in the
SHOWS of Valley Forge-and especially visiting all
who are downtrodden, whispering that there is
none so poor to be without rights which every
man is bound to respect.
The affrighted gods confessed their awful lord.
They dropt the letters, trembled and adored.
No man so degraded as not to be within its bcnef.
cent reach; no man lofty as to be beyond its re-
stralnlng power, while before it despotism and oil
garcy must fall on their faces, like the idols of Baal
and ana the people everywhere commence to govern
themselves. such is the popular sovereignty pro"
claimed by the Declaration OF Independence.
But the Declaration, not content with announcing
certain rights inalienable and therefore beyond
the control OF any government still further Restraints
the sovereignty which is about assert by simply
declaring that the United States have full power to
uO al acS ana thlngS winch independent states may
OF RlGHI do. Here is a well-defined limitation
upon popular sovereignty The dogma tory law
yers and pamphleters-put forward to sustain the
claim OF parliamentary omnipotence and vehement.
ly espoused by DIR. johnson in his ''IaXaton no W
ranny-was openly that Sovereignty in its nature
t'anlta6te-precsely as is now loosely protested by
MT douglas for his handful of squatteIs. But this
dogma Is here distinctly discarded, and it is frankly
proclaimed that all SorTegnty is subordinate to the
rule OF right Mark now, the difference All exist
ing governments at that time-even the local gov.
ernnlents OF the colonies-stood on p0cer, without
limitation. Here Il government which, as
IL TOOK It's place among the nations, announced that
1t was founded on right, and claimed sovereignty
that was not consistent with right. Such again is
the popular sovereignty ofthe Declaration OF hide
pendence.
And yet this transcendant principle is now degrad-
ed into dodge, and the sacred name of popular
sovereignty is prostituted to cover claim to en-
slave our fellow men. 1t surged that handful of
squaters may righttully decide this claim, and the
ume-honored traditional power of congress
slavery in the territories is denied or voted down
10 protect this "vilIainyn-as j Ohm Wesley would
call 1.-THE right of the people to govern themselves
is invoked forgeful that this divine right can give
no authority to ensaye others-that even the people
are not onnipotent-and that never do they rise so
nigh as when, recognizing the everlasting laws of
right, they stoOp to the behests of Justice
But though bearing the name OF Mr.. Douglas and
now peddled through the country by him, this con-
tlVance Is not OF his invention. 1t comes from an
older head. 1t first showed itself in the Nicholson
letter OF lo4S, by which Gen Cass, as presidential
candidate, sought to avoid the Wlmot proyiso. La
ue IN preieA his venerable fun conary has afford
ed the formula by which men have voted for slave
ry, While making professions Tor freedom. lie is
Inc author OF the cOntrivance-reected by every
slave master and rejected by every lover of freedom
whose eyes are open, which, under the nickname OF
squattcr sovereignty has been the device of dough-
faces, enabling them sometimes to deceive the pub
Tic and sometimes even to deceive themselves. Ow-
ing TO the peculiar condition Of opinion at that time
not yet stihened against the compromise of human
rights, his very yacaton put him in harmony with
the public and gave him commanding position.
Once for the WImot pr0visO, which asserted the
power of congress the territories and then for
q pretended popular sovereignty, which denied this
power, he became the pendulum between freedom
and slavery, and, thus swinging, impaired motion
to a sham democracy.
The device next showed itself ON the passage of the
Kansas and Nebraska bill and here it became a
trick, as appears by the open confession of of
the parties TO it-and trick it has continued ever
since. ltwas proposed to repeal the old prohibition
OF slavery III the Missouri territory, established as
part OF the Missouri compromise. Butinstead of do
ing this openly and precisely-saying i'll many
words Tn Il IDS provision was repealed-language
was devised By which to mystify the whole question.
Thea appeared that stump speech in the belly of the
pill according 10 Col Benton, declaring shat the
intent was TO leave the people perfectly free to
form and regulate their domestic Institutions in their
own way, subject only to the constitution of the
United States.n AS the fatal bill containing these
words passed in the grey ofthe morning, Gen. Cass
rising from his seat-I remember well the scene
exclaimed This is the triumph of squatter soYer-
eighty" The old prohibition OF slavery was over
thrown, and his Nicholson letter was indicated
And now note well the trick. The slave masters
VINO voted Tor these words rejected with scorn the
ldea That the handful OF squatters could exclude
slavery. According TO them slavery went with the
constitution, and was beyond the control of the
tquatters. But the formal assertion OF this dogma
would have caused trouble, and it was accordingly
disguised IN these familiar wOrds-"Subject only to
the constitution of the United Statesn Mr.. Benia-
MN OF Louisiana, in his recent Speech let's us be-
mnd the scenes. lie tells that at caucus of sena-
tors ooth wings of the democracy agreed that each
should maintain its particular theory before the
puDuc-One side sustaining sQuatter "a nd
the other protection to slavery in the territories but
pledging themselves to abide by the decision of the
supreme Court, whatever it might be.n Such was
the secret conspiracy for long time from
the public. and only RECENTLY reYnaled Aud Me