The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1860-09-12
MISCELLANEOUS.

MISCELLANEOUS.
Ell Thsyer.
This distinguished and able Republican
is man after our own heart. We have
frequently written in our humble manner
the sentiments proclaimed by Mr.. THAYER,
and it is no breach of confidence to state
that many of our acquaintances Of the op-
posite party have agreed with us this was
almost universally the case when the Le-
compton question first came up. But since
that time Mr.. DOUGLAS fortunes have be-
come closely identified with what is face
tiously called his great principle" and to
oppose his elevation to the Presidency no
other means were left than to attempt the
ridicule of his views. Privately, the masses
Of the Republican party agree with DouG-
LAS, and but for the distribution of the Fed
eral patronage there would be no hesitation
whatever in adopting him as the best repre-
sentative Of their real opinions on this
much talked-of question. We would not
state this idea so plainly if we were not sus-
tanned in it by the following article of that
excellent and widely popular paper, the
New York Times. 1t is Republican sheet
undeniably, and the attention Of our read
ers is invited to close perusal of the arti-
Gle. If your sentiments are expressed in
~, "ny noI ue .o',s's.sn. ..n,, Iearles,
enough to vote with that party which rec.
ognizes them? Here is the article
POPULAR SOVEREIGNTY Eli Thayer, Re-
publican Member of Congress from Massa-
chusetts, is q thorough believer in Popular
Sovereignty. He scouts the whole system
IF CONGRESSIONAL Intervention in the affairs
Of the Territories. He would have the
people thereof left perfectly free to form
and regulate their domestic institutions in
their own way'-without any interference
from Congress or the Federal Government.
He believes they have a right thus to govern
themselves; he thinks they can do it far
more wisely and honestly than the Federal
authorities can govern them and he has
not the remotest shadow of.a doubt that
the interests of freedom would be perfectly
safe if left in their hands.
Mr.. Thayer has acted upon these convic.
tons in Congress. He voted with half q
dozen other Republicans against the bill
repeating the laws of New Mexico which
permit slavery within that Territory-and
thus defeated the bill. He has acted with
a good deal of independence and courage
in maintaining his position on this question
:. and the result is strong effort, in thu
" ranks of his own party to prevent his re
election. Mr. Thayer makes fight at home
just as gallantly as he did in Kansas and Al
Washington He means to contest ever,
= inch of the ground, and has thus far very
strong current of popular opinion in hi:
o. support The machinery of the party il
Q against him; the result, therefore, is doubt
to ful.
le We should be very sorry to see Mr.
Thayer dcfeated-not from any over-wean
q, ing attachment to his theory Of POpula
Sovereignty, but because his defeat will sig
g nalize a great lack of liberation and liberal
n ity in the Republican party. That he i
X thoroughly devoted, heart and soul, to tn
rs rs interests of free labor everywhere-an
ve that he has done more, practically, for thei
advancement than almost any other man j
the country, all concede. He organize
and directed the emigration movement fror
for New England, which did more to rescu
ed Kansas from slavery, than all the efforts
,,- politicians. He has set on foot a simlla
es, movement in Virginia, which cannot fail
T., tell powerfully on the social economy an
domestic institutions of that State. lie
- active, intelligent, untiring and enthosas
A tic in pushing free labor into close and az
tive competition with slave labor whcl
: ever it can be done; and this he regards a
the great practical agency by which SLAYER
must be eventually snpplanted. He ha
less faith than Mr.. Sumner and some oth'
!. conspicuous Massachusetts, anti-slaver
agitators in epithcts and denuncation, an
a good deal more in the laws OF social eco'
omy and common sense. His labors hav
therefore. been eminently practical an
-. effective and their results have been rcac|
Fl ed without arousing those personal amino
T. tiles which have done so much, in 9th
quarters, to check all inquiry into the SUI
ject
The services of such a man are of got
ork deal more importance to the Republican pa
ty and to the country at large, than any the
retical opinions on the subject of Territori
o"' government. Whether Congress has,
!. has not. power to exclude slavery from Il
Territories by law, is a matter of scconda
- importance altogether The main thing
A to keep slavery out and it is much bt
& ter in every aspect of the case, that tf
should be done by the people themselv
than by Federal law. So long, therefor
.,. as slavery is not likely to go into the IL
'"a in ritories, it is worse than folly to insist
the it's exclusion by an act of Congress. N
God Thayer insists that, if the whole questi'
is left to the free, unbiased, indepcnde
all action Of the people Of the Territories, s
, very will not be admitted into single Q
= of them,-for the simple reason that it
= against the interest of the settlers to ha
it there. They go there to better their Il
tunes,-to provide for themselves and tn
own families,-to build up schools, church
mo- mH. manufactures, arts, and all the attendar
any and instruments of high social devele
g of ment Slavery is Incompatible with su