The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1860-06-13

taken statement, and reconsider the conclusion
based upon IL
And then IL is TO be remembered that "our
fathers, who framed the Government under which
We liver-the men who made the Constitution
decided this same constitutional question in our
favor, long ago-decided it without division
among Themselves, when making the decision /;
without division among themselves about the
meaning of it after il was made, and so far as any
evidence is left, without basng it upon any mis-
taken statement OF facts.
Under all these circumstances, do you really
feel Yourselves justified to break up this Govern
Inent, unless such a court decision a. yours Is
shall be @. once submitted to as conclusive and
final rule Of political action?
But YOU will not abide the election Of q Repub.
lican President In that supposed event, you
say you will destroy the Union; and then, you
say, the great crime Of having destroyed it will
I've upon us
Tha, is cool A highwaynan holds pistol to
YOUR ear, and mutters through his teeth, Stand
and deliver, or shall kill you, and then you will
ne a murderer"
To be sure, what the robber demanded OF me
my money-was my own; and had right to
seep it bu, i. was no more my own than Dy
.ots is nv own; and the threat OF death TO me,
% eItort my money, and the threat Of destruc-
ton To the Union, TO extOrt my vote, can scarce
ly be distinguished in principle.
4 few words now to the Republicans.
1t is exceedingly desirable that all parts OF this
great confederacy shall be at peace, and in har-
Iuony, one with another. Let US Republicans do
our part TO have il sc. Even though much pro-
.oked, let US do nothing through passion and i'll.
temper. Even though the Southern people will
not 90 much as listen to US, let US calmly con-
sider their demands, and yield to them if, in our
deliberate view Of our duty, We possibly can.
Judging by ell they say and do, and by the sub
,ect and nature of their controversy with US, let
10 determine, If we can, what will satisfy them.
Will they be satisfied if the Territories be un-
conditionally surrendered to them? We know
they will not. In all their present complaints
against US, the Territories are scarcely mentioned
Inyasions and Instructions are the rage now.
Will it satisfy them if, in the future, We have no.
thing to do with invasions and Instructions? We
know it will not. Weso know because We know
xs never had anything to do with invasiOns and
instructions; and yet this total abstsning does
no, exempt US from the charge and the denun-
citation.
The question recurs, what will satisfy them
Simply this: We must not only let them alone,
but We must, somehow convince them that We
10 let them alone. This, we know BY experience,
is no easy. task. We have been 30 trying to con.
vince them, from the very beginning of our or
ganization, but without success. In all our plat
forms and speeches We have constantly protested
our purpose to let them alone; but this has had
no tendency to convince them. Alike unavaiing
TO convince them is the fact that they have never
detected man of Us in any attempt to disturb
them.
These natural, and apparently adequate means
al failing, what viii convince them? This, and
only this: cease to call slavery crong, and Join
them in calling it right. And this must be done
thoroughly-done in acts a. well as in cords.
Silence will not be tolerated-we must place our
selves avowedly with them. Douglas new sedi-
ton law must be enacted and enforced, suppress.
sing all declarations that slavery is wrong, wheth.
er made in politics, in presses in pulpits, or in
private. We must arrest and return their fugi-
tive slaves with greedy pleasure. We must pull
down our Free State constitutions. The whole
atmosphere must be disinfected from all faint of
opposition to slavery, before they will cease to
believe tina. all their troubles proceed from US.
am quite aware they do not state their case
badly say to US, "Let US alone, do nothing to us,
and say what you please about slavery" But We
do let them alone-so that, after all, it is what
We say which dissatisfes them. They will con-
tinue to accuse us of doing, until we cease say.
ing.
1 am also aware they have not, as yet in terms
demanded the overthrow of our Free State
Constitutions. Yet those Constitutions declare
the wrong Of elavery, with more solemn empha.
sis, than do all other sayings against it and
when all these other sayings shall have been 81
fenced, the overthrow Of these Constitutions will
be demanded, and nothing be left to resist the
demand. 1t is nothing to the contrary, that
they do not demand the whole of this just
now. Demanding what they do, and for the
reason they do, they can voluntarily stop no.
where short of this consummation. Holding, as
they do, that slavery is morally right, and So
ciallv elevating, they cannot cease to demand a
full national recognition of it, as legal right,
and social blessing.
Nor can we justifably Withhold this, on any
ground save oar conviction that slavery is
wrong. II slavery is right, all words, acts, laws
and Constitutions against it, are themselves
wrong, and should be silenced and swept AWAY
II it is right We cannot justly object to its ma
tionality-its universally; if it is wrong, they
cannot justly insist upon its extension-its en-
largement. All they ask We could readily grant,
Il We thought slavery right; all We ask they
could as readily grant, if they Thought it wrong
Their thinking it right, and our thinking it
wrong, is the precise fact upon which depends
the whole controversy. Thinking it right as
they do, they are not to blame for desiring its
full recognition, as being right; but thinking it
wrong, as We do, can We yield to them? Can
We cast our vote with their view, and against
our own? In view Of our moral, social, and po-
htical responsibilities, can We do this
Wrong as We think slavery is, We can get
afford to let it alone where it is, because that
much is due to the necessities arising from its
actual presence in the nation but can We,
while our votes will prevent it, allow it to spread
in the National Territories, and to overrun US
here in these Free States
If our sense Of duty forbids this, then let us
stand BY our duty, fearlessly and effectively.
Let US be diverted by none of those sophisti.
al contrivances wherewith We are so indus
triously Piled and Observation-Disclosures such
IS cropping for some middle ground between the
right and wrong, vain as they search for man
xho should neither be living man nor dead
man-such policy Of "don't care on ques-
ton about which all true men do care-such as
Union men appeals beseeching true Union men
to yield to Disun;onists, reversing the divine
rule, and calling not the sinners, but the right
eous to repentance-such as invocatiops to
Washington, imploring men 10 unsay what
Washington said, and undo what Washington
I'D.
Neither let US be slandered from our duty by
false accusation against US, nor frightened from
it BY menaces Of destruction to the government,
nor Of dungeons to ourselves. Let Us have
faith that right makes might and in that faith
let us, to the end, dare to do our duty, az We
understand it.