Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1860-08-16


legged inequality. There is no pretence thar
southern people may not go into territory
which shall be subject to the Ordinance at
1877. The only restraint is, that they shall
not carry slaves thither, and continue that
relation. They say this shuts them aitogeth-
er cut, Why, sir, there can be nothing mere
l0acCurate IN point OF fact than this statement.
I understand that one half the people ho
settled Illinois are people, OF descendants Of
people. who came tGow tie : .thoTa States
Ard | suppose that one-third of the people Of
Ohio are those, or descendants If those, pt3
rumtgratct from the Seuth. And I venture
TO say, thai. in respect to those two States,
they arc at this day settled by people cf south
er1 origin in as great proportion as they are
hy people Of northern origin, according to the
general numbers and proportion Of the peO-
tie, SUth aui North. There are as many
people from tie South. in proportion to the
whole people Of the whole South, in those
States, as there are from the North, in pro
portion to the whole people Of the North
There js. then, no exclusion of southern peo
pie there is only the exclusion Of a peculiar
local law. Neither in principle nor in fact is
there amy inequality"
The question, whether 1t was not comFe-
tent Tor Congress to prevent its further IN
crease was met and answered by the same
authority in the same year Congress has
full power over the subject. itmay estab-
lisA any such government and any such
laws IN the Territories as IN Its discretion
it may see fit This was certainly the
opinion Of William piukuey, as derived
from his celebrated argument on the Mis-
souri, question, when he expressed the
hope that the whole subject might be dis
posed OF by a 'prrscyTptire prohijitioa of
slace,Y IN tie Icr<i52y aor.h and @est Of
U1ss0urj'
Does Mr.. Lincoln proclaim any new doc
trinc Listen to the old " hig champion
in the Senate, in February, 1850 - Sir,
have said that / never could vote for it;
and I repeat that never can and never
Will vote for it; and no earthly power shall
ever make me vote to plant slavery where
slavery does not exist" Two weeks later,
on the Z0th Of February, 1886, he said
again, in the same arena - From the
earliest moment when [ could consider the
institution Of slavery, ! have held, and
have said, that from that day down to the
present, again and again; and shall 90 to
the grave with the opinion, that it is an
evil, social and political evil
Look now then at what has been the
course Of our opponents upon this question.
1t IS not that the people Of the Territory
shall determine the question, although that
is the view Of one fragment OF the opposi- .
ton; but, that the CoaStttlsii0a Of itSolf
carries slavery into the Territories. And /
what has been the practical effect OF this |
indcial nstruction-nothing more than /
this, that slavery is to be forced into the
Territories as an clement Of political pow
er That the youthful Territory Of Kan
sas is to be dragged into the Union with
the iron collar Of servitude upon her neck
but never is to be admitted as long as
size persists IN wearing upon her brow the
civic crown OF Republican Freedom.
Against all such reasoning the people Of
this State most solcmnly protest. No ju-
dicial construction Of the Constitution has
to this hour ever justified it.
But, said 1Ir H., it is supposed that
Mr.. Lincoln has placed himself on a plat
form, a portion Of which is hostile to
Americans of the opposition. If Ameri-
cauism was the hostile and proscriptiye
principle which our opponents considered |
in 1856, there might be something in this /
suggestion; but have never 50 considered /
it.
In 1857, the American Convention hon
ored me with the nomination for the high
est Office in the gift Of the people of this
State. In that canvass, | spoke freely
and unreservedly to citizens, native and
adopted, in various sections Of the State.
In this city [ said with the right OF suf-
frage as to the foreigner who has immigra-
ted, or with his privilege to be naturaliled
under our present system, we do not pro
pose to Interfere It was to the faithful
and honest administration Of the naturali-
zation laws that the efforts Of the Ameri-
can party were directed how entirely una
vailing the recent developments at Wash
ington have strikingly exhibited.
Nor did the American party prescribe
any one on account OF his religion-the ar
oument was in favor Of an unlimited free
dom Of religion, and the unrestralned
right to adopt and practice any form OF
worship; the only qualification was, that
there should be no combination to control
the American ballot-box.
To these sentiments | have nothing to
add or alter / believed then as | believe
now, that the times demanded the organi-
zation.
Let us then unite and press on fer the
accomplishment of the great purposes of
the Peoples Party. Ije are oil Ameri-
cans, linked now and forev er to the fates
and fortunes OF our belov ed country. The
party of disunion is in the feld-the Vice
President of the P,epublic bears its stand
ard onward ard forward-the President
from the Ta1ndows of the Executive Man
sion waves encouragement, while motley
troupe are marshalling their forces eonloin-