The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1860-03-29
Letter from Hon. Edward Bates...Yiews
ON the Leading Questions of the day.

Letter from Hon. Edward Bates..-yiews
ON the Leading Questions of the day.
Below is the reply in full of Hon. Ed
ward Bates to certain interrogatories
propounded by Missouri delegates to
the Chicago Conventions: sH.
GENTLEMEN IL have received Your
letter propoun,ling to me certain queS-
tions, seven in number, which you SUP
pose will cover most, ii not all the
grounds OF controversy in the APP
preaching Presidential election.
a Preliminary Explanation.
With pleasure will answer your
questions. Before doing so, allow me
to glance ut the peculiar circumstances
in which | am placed, and the strange
ness of the fact that |, Il mere private
man, am called upon to make avowals
and explanations with any view to take
me from the shades of private life, and
place me at the head of the Nation. l
came to this frontier in my youth and
settled i'm St. LouiS when it was II mere
village. All my manhood has been
| ar. -, -: n a..
spent III SiiSso"r', 'i''' ""ri'S al '"'S
time, 4 nave lol'""ea preieSS'o''
winch 'e,' my c''''I"c'e, '''' c"''"'c,
while it has been my constant habit
freely to express my opinion of public
measures and public men, the pc ,rle
of Missouri, of all parties, will bear me
| "A iturss that | have never ObtruSiycly
M'"tSS ',i. " ~ ":'.' "u
NUS ~.
''c.''' e. '''',''' ." '.' -, ~
once, anu So'S"' "I,e -" ,',''e '":'''
'"e".. -"'e '. "
c"n'>'',ct' c"' '.'e S'''"o''''"'.
"''c,! l .ee' III 'roeN"S VIC ,F0e'''
:" '''''
n"ehce "i III! ie''o" c''.zp''S' rS'
'nr ""p"Si''"' '''t'i"t,s "' '"e M'>S""-
II LeS'S'''"'e ''rc,,''e" '"r,' nv, !"c'v'e'oI
i"r '''c 'tS c'''''t''''''. 'e'. '''''" w
W! ""'',''',,'"" ~ N""'t'''.o', y, ."'''
pose" Oh an inc e'e'''e"'S :" Tue Opp"-
S',"n III '"'s s1: Ira's. nn" ''"M ."e Nv. Nv.
T,: :..... LII :, G. ,,;.
Eoh'e'''ln. J"1' ~ .'e'' )" 81: .aS,
nave re;'i,lr'ae' u, nv '"'''''.''on' .'''.
propose" ~. ti:'' ",'.S''tr' C :: f'eS'''' f'''
me 10 '"t N''1,n"i Oo'' e''i''', >'''''
I" ne 'e'' 1T O".c"S"' IL e""''''''e
ior ~, ,'e i''S' o'hce III '''c h''"''
lncSe '"'''", ',,'''''S'.a''.'''s l.1 III NY
own o''.f arc a'''"'H y: sr.a''!'hs !" me,
nec'"S' ''e! ''ii','' '',e S'''".ec' l'"',
'hat my NAME n:'S 'ee' !"'' ,'"""r''
"mi i ".;,h . hn,'. of ure~c,,;n., III Ii;
| .mI ,,,,,r.,.rs,. .mnntr thos.
who. for their own safety and public.
rood ourht tu he united in their action.
For all this am deplv or ,tcful and
,s f,r as concerns me pcrsonallv. I
must declare in sinl!c truth. tl,a, if
the movement ro on further. and pro.
.lpc. mn nrrson,l rrsnl,s sill nm u,il
and nyer,aid for a life of labor. and
far whatever of zealous effort and pa.
t;.nt w,trh;nr have been abb, to be
s,nw in snnnnrt of q line of Govern.
mn,tI noli,r wh;ch I believe to bc for
I'm. nr,sort and ncrmaueut ro,d of th.
.nuntry
NJ oo,,,emon nrorood - IN.
swnr yonr ours,inns briefly indeed
hu, frilv n,,;nIv and with nil mnssil,le
fr.,in.s, ,nd / ln this ,be mare. will.
;m"r,,, ho.,uSa 7 harn rnc.;v,J from in.
,l;y;,lr.,ls many l.,tcrs-t,o many tn he
s.n,r,,,.ly ,nsworrd-,nI have soon
:, ,n,,y nu,,l;,. ;,prn,ls articles maxim,
urrrut calls mon m. f,,r such s,,,e.
ment NJ nv r;n,vs
CO.. , =.
1'-o'o0e'J "T" 10 t1o'e"0'o" ~ '"'
1eF'""f"eS'
On this subject, III the States and IN
the Territories, haze no new opin
ions-no opinions formed IN relation t'
the present array oi Par,ieS. am c"
evai WIN inc missouri question %
1919 20, having begun my political lift
IN the midst "t that struggle.
AT that time my position required
me I" seek all the means ot knowledge
within my reach, ana To study th'
principles involved will, all the powers
of my mind, and arrived at the con
illusions which no subsequent events
have induced me to change. The ex
!, 'tence of negro slavery IN our conntr,
! had ITS beginning Ill the early time 1"
: the colony, and was imposed by th'
;. mother country, against the Will o
: most OF the colonists. AT the time o
the Revolution, AMI long after, 1t wa
c"''''.o.,s 'e'e. q, ~, ~, ..n' '.''P'