The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1860-09-19

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ftcemen, the Independent citizens ftum IN coun.
tries were to be met with some such discouras.
ing policy - this! What would you have 70
supply the place Of that great busy, enterprising
free labor which now Distinguishes YOU Whsi
could you have, but what South Csru6n and
Georgia fell back upon to replace the need Of
Tree labor settlers-the importation. namely.
through the captains of New York vessels. Of
African negroes, at $l0O head, to sestle, and
clear up, and develop the State Of Michigan.
Now you have happily escaped that one great
esli OF having Africans brought here compulsori.
| ~ to perform that labor. And hov have ron
been enabled to escape il. Bv the v;sdom and
foresight OF our forefathers, Who, by the Ordi.
nance OF 1857, declared that neither savsrv nor
involuntary servitude should exist in al YOUR bor.
ders Because there we're men in those days
wise enough TO look scrOsa the broad fields of the
| west and anticipate that there would be thoss
who would seek to cover them with slavery.
Is there . man in the State Of Nichiean Who
would be willing to-day that there should exis,
one single. solitary slave, obliged and bound TO
perform involuntary labor within the State of
Michigan. tCries Of "No! No!"l II 1 take
out freemen and put in slave, what happens,
More than the loss Of an entsrrrising end useful
citlSen-the loss Of virtue-the lose Of the spirit
and energy that exists only with entire freedom
y.
ist here, and all the emigrants would desert
Michigan at once. The two systems Of labor can
not exist as permenant form Of civilization TO.
gether Ihere Is an irrepressbe conflict
Loud and iongcontinued cheers. Introduce
| slavery, and you expel freedom Introduce free.
dom, and sl.very will, sooner Or later. die.
Now, from the beginning Of nv existence in
politics, have seen this conflict, and l have
considered that my bounden duty a a patriot
was to see TO IL, SO far Is il depended upon INV
action, that every new State should be Q free
State. and to diminish is 10 the slave States 80
tar as, constitutionaly, il could be done.
That Is the whole question. II am wrong,
| am grievOusly wrong.
Let US see what ia the slternat;ve IL 4 am
wrong. Did YOU ever know Of State peopled
exclusively by ireemen that vas in any danger
from domestic insurrection, foreign invasion. or
civil war! Is there any slave State but What
WIZ coniesstself to-day in danger of nsurrecton.
Not one. few madmen organized 1t Chatham.
I'D Canada, enter the Oldest and proudest Of the
Southern States OF this Union with handful of
pixies and spears-and straightway the Common
wealth OF Virginis quivers and shakes With the
terrors OF domestic insurrecton and seryile war.
Kentucky e1pels from her borders freemen who
defend freedrm within her limits, and Tennessee
who visits with the stake and fagot slaves who
aspire to freedom. What do we see this mo-
ment IN Texas State young aud vigorous like
Michigan, and pridng herself upon still srsater
slgnificance and poWerr She il couvulsed with
an almost universal panic because slavery Ia dis.
cussed among portion Of her citizens.
But, l am asked, Why interfere in this mat.
ter. Why not stand aloof, and let il take care
Of itself, and adopt that Illinois Senator'S maxim
Of entire nOn-intervention.
l will tell you why. We are maintaining n
standing army, at the heavy cost OF one thousand
dollars per man and a standing navy, which is
large, though not very effective and what are
We maintaining il tOry To take care Of Michi.
gan: To protect New York, or Massachusetts,,
or Ohio against internal and external violence
NO; there Is no. nation on the face of the
earth, which would dare to attact these free
States, or any OF them, il they were even disuni.
ted. But We are doing it in order that slaves
may not escape from slave States into the free.
and to secure those States from domestic insur.
rection and because, il We =. evoke foreign foe.
slavery cries out that II +, LANCER
have right TO say t..At would rather not
have an army and navy-rather not wiring from
the hands OF free labor its earnings To tost<r an
army II its Office is 10 be, ~ extend Slavery. and
TO protect it in its extension.
What then, fellow citizens, are INV lim;ts.
Simply these. The Constitution Of the United
States makes you and me sovereieus over the
unOccupied, unimproved; and il isft 70 thrm.
selves, the cupidity Of the slaveholder and the
slave-trader would lead them to enter them and
colonize them with slavery And this would
be done BY surprise-by movement which.
while it might not people the Territory with
slavery, would introduce enough 70 dsmoralize
all the people, and turn them all into apoIoeist.
for slavery, upon principle which, am ashamed
to confess, has ruled this nation for forty years
1t is this: that for the sake of peace. OF hsr-
mony, OF quiet, We will sacraice justice, freedom
and the welfare Of posterity. IL il that for the
sake of iivlng on good terms with your neighbors.
while they will not give up an error. or preiu
| dice, or a principle, yox riH There Il no yir.
| tue among us-no reliance On God-no Justice
| no public conscience, that is equal to our drsai
| to the OFT repeated menance, that il We don't
give up freedom. right, justice and everything
else, they will set a-re this great temple Of con-
! sututonai liberty, and consume US an. loud
Ulcers Fellow citizens, l have no hope for
these United States, but in the existence of sucb
| hencst, candid, considera,e citizens as xiII iooL
! earnestly into these things and interest them.
selves in their just determination. Give me such
q man, and care not whether he votes now for
Douglas or Breckinridge, Ill have him a friend
of freedom before he dies, Applause, or if no
goes an unrepcntant Democrat to his grave. IN
have his children. Hearty cheers
Feilow-citizens, If Gen Csss had 40 adm;n;.;.
tered your territorial government of Nichie.n "A
TO encourage the introduction Of ono thousand
slaves, your noble commons ealth would pov
have been a slave State. That's what hss been
done with Texas, whers, in q Gne agricultural
State adapted 70 free labor, slavery IS not only
established, but ~e are bound by the very act
OF admission, TO accept four more nev dave
States out OF her soil. That's what would have
been done with Kansas, had We not fought and
struggled against it, with all the energy Of free.
! men.
Now, fellow citizens. il the man Who owns his
own land is TO be replaced by man vho in
! willing that another man should ovn hin, a
slave, the quality Of society 10 deterorated. and
believe, that If you bring the question right
home TO any sound, rght-min man; he would
say, would much rather you would make slave
Of me, than 70 forge your manacies for any man
who is under my protection and care
! All that Is wanted in order TO settle this mat.
ter rightly, is to make sure that al our efforts
converge 10 the one great end Of Fostering free
dom and discouragng slavery.
They tell US that Popular Sovereignty will
work out the result Of freedom. SO il would, il
in Congress and in the Administration, YOU had
the active friends of freedom instead of men who
are on the other SIDE. But whenever YOU have
got to that point, you have arrived where the
advocates Of that convenient doctrine viii not
follow you. Popular sovereignty is good only TO
- ela Tee