The Yazoo Democrat. [volume] (Yazoo City, Miss.) 1858-18??, 1860-08-25
IFrom the National Intelligencer.
MIR. BRECKINRIDGE'S "TIPPECANOE.
SPEECH"

Huhs " - @@N@AAfH@@@esl
SPEECH" -
Several of our subscribers and correspons
dents in the Southern States have request
ed US to furnish the authentic report Of a
speech delivered by Mr.. Breckenridge, dur>
ing the Presidential campaign Of 1856, at
Tippecanoe, in the State of Indiana. In
this speech Mr. Breckenridge was charged at
the time (and the charge has naturally
been revived at the present day. with the
utterance of OPTIONS symbolizing closely
with those of the Northern Democracy in
their devotion to popular Sovereignty" as
an expedient for the settlement of the slave
ry question in the Territories Rebutting
also the allegation that the Democratic par.
ty was sectional and Southern in its leanings,
Mr.. Breckenridge was represented to have
said at the same time that che belonged to
no party which favored the extension of
slavery"
1t is known to our readers that we have
little taste for that species of political debate
which is often prosecuted by resort to the
drgun1e,tune dd hominen1 in its most disin-
genuous form. Fragmentary citations and
garbled extracts, torn from their natural and
logical connection, may be made to answer
the ends of an inscriptions party warfare,
but rarely serve the cause of truth and fair
dealing. Of this we have abundent illus
trations in the ungenerous and uncandid use
to which portion Of the Democratic press
are now attempting to put single sentences
and mangled excerpts, culled from the
speeches delivered by Mr.. Bell at different
periods in his long and consistent public
career.
We have not been able to procure an
authentic report of the speech delivered by
Mr. Breckenridge at Tippecanoe in 1856,
and we have reason to believe that no such
report was ever furnished to the press It's
within our power, however, to place before
our readers the substance of his remarks
made on that occasion, as acknowledged by
Mr.. Breckenridge soon after their utterance /;
for, question having been early raised with
regard to the accuracy of the reported speech,
a prominent Democrat of louisiana Mr.. r..
W. Miles, who was present at its delivery,
took occasion on the 9TH of October, 1856,
without attempting to give "the exact words
used by Mr.. Breckenridge" to state their
purport in the following terms:
"Mr. Breckenridge insisted that no party
whose patriotism was bounded by geograph-
ical lines, or that fixed lis attention exclu.
sively on a sectional interest, could honestly
administer the Government This Mr..
Fremonfs party proposed to do. 1t propos-
eel to array the people of st:cteen States
against those of fifteen Sthtes, not as man
against man, but as communities against
communities; the one side led on byillogical
prejudices and unreasoniug fanaticism, the
other standing firm in defence of property,
life, and liberty. 1t was against such par>
ties that the Father of his Country had raised
his warning voice in his Farewell Address.
In such contest no man could doubt the
result, and for such contest no true patriot
had any heart. But Continued Mr., Breck.
inridge) it was said tlat the Demo cratic
party was also sectional party that il
wishes to make the strong arm of the Fed
eral Government extend slavery. That was
not true The Democratic party rested its
claims to national support upon national
principles; it stands upon the principles Of
the Kausas,Nebraska bill and the Cincinnati
platform. 1t asserts that the Federal IGov,
ernmeDt has no power to establish or abolish
slavery. 1t asserts the principle of non in
tervention as the only true principle, leaving
to the people of the States and Territories
under the forms of the Constitution, the
right to regulate the subject at their OWL
discretion. The Democratic party could
therefore, no more make use of the strong
arm of the Federal Government to extend
slavery than it can propose to make use of il
to prohibit slavery"
Immediately after the publication of the
above extract, Mr.. Breckenridge, having
been Intercepted by Mr. Miles in regard tC
its accuracy, wrote as follows in reply, under
date of October 81, 1856:
"You have reported me correctly, and
thank you forit. AS you know, my remarks
were reported in a meagrc and imperfect
manner; still, even as reported, there is
nothing to warrant the attack. Hands of
the whole subject by the Federal Govern
ment, Except for one or two purposes men.
toned in the Constitution, the equal right.
of all sections in the common territory, anc
the absolute power of each new State tC
settle the question in its constitution; these
are my doctrines and those of our platform
and, what is more, of the Constitution. tt
claim that the Democratic party, in its Fed,
eral relations, is an organization to extend
slavery, is to advance doctrine that i.
constitutionally untrue, and, in its logicaI
consequences, ruinous TO the South"
It will thus be seen that Mr.. Breckinridpe
in his Tippeeanoe speech, was not calico
+ specifically to treat on that form of th,
Territorial question" which relates to tn,
"protection" of slavery as distinguished
from its establishment or prohibition. De
nying the power of the General Government
either to establish or abolish slavery in the
Territories, he doubtless left in allowance
any expression of opinion with regard to The
manner in which the inhabitants Of Terri
tory, during their Territorial condition
could regulate this subject in their own way
"under the forms of the Constitution Z
thouoh II, ooupof bo Ja,L4.1 ~ -.