The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1860-09-01
Lincoln's Endorsement Of the bred
Scott Decision--HeR epudiates the
Republican Platform!

LinCOln'S Endorsement or the bred
Scott Decision--He Repudiates the
Republican Platform!
The nuJ of the bred Scott decision is,
that it declares slaves to be recognized as
property by the Constitution. This point
established, the other, that Congress has
not the power to abolish slavery in the
territories, follows as an inevitable logical
sequence Nobody pretends that Congress
or territorial legislature can exclude
from the territories horses, oxen, mules, or
any such property, the rightfulness of
which Congress nor the people Of the terri
tories question. The only dispute is about
slaves The republicans say they are not
property, but persons, and while the former
cannot, under the Constitution, be ex-
cluded anywhere, the condition of slavery
as attached to the latter can be detached
from them in the territories. The whole
dispute turns upon the point whether or
not slaves are property.
Now if we prove that Abraham Lincoln,
the republican candidate for the presi-
! dencv, subscribes to the bred Scott doc
]
/ trine that slaves ARE PROPERTY, then we
also prove necessarily his assent to the in
evitable logical sequence that Congress has
not the right to exclude them from the
! territories.
l. Abe Lincoln assents to the bred Scott
| doctrine that slaves are property when he
acknowledges the right of the South to a
fugitive slave law. In his Freeport speech
he SAID:
Il have never hcsitated to say and do
not now hesitate to say, that think, I'M
der the Constitution of the L. s, tho
people of the Southern States are entitled
to q Congressional fugitive slave law
And further along he said, ~ would
not be the man TO introduce at this time
a proposition to modify the present law"
Now il the southern man holds no right
of prIety in his slave, we should like 10
he chooses to emgrate TO the tn
Repatriation IS an unalcnable right of all
men.
. Abe Lincoln subscribed TO the bred
Scott doctrine OF slaves being property in
the bill he introduced in Congress to
abolish slavery III the District OF Columbia.
In that bill, (>ee Wiswam Edition OF
Life Of Lincoln, p. 2S,) he not only speaks
of them over aud over again as being
o,cqed like all other property. but provides
that their 0tracrS shall receive full com
pcnsation for their property, and the bill
makes the President, Secretary OF State
Of oppralsers to appraise the value Of each
such piece of property when presented tC
I them.
>. And lastly Abe Lincoln acknowledge.
the bred Scott doctrine Of property IL
negroes in his Freoport speech. where hC
says lac would consent 10 the abolition o
the slave trade between the States only or
condition that compensation should b,
made to slave owners for losses they might
sustain 10 their property by reason of such
abolition (>ee Grcel"ys Text Book, p $50
Heres a republican antiDrcd Scott can
didste for you,
The Democrats bow 10 the bred Scot;
decision; say we acguicsce that slaves ar,
property and the slave owner has a light
10 take them 10 the territories, but, in III,
languaguc Of Judge Douglas, when they
arrive there, we apprehend they must b.
held subject TO the local laws, and thes,
local laws may make them very poo
property.
! The republicans say, we admit, if tn
bred Scott doctrine is correct, that til
Constitution recognizes slaves as property
no power can exclude them from the ter
) ritories, for we scout your doctrine o
popular sovereignty but we ropudiate tn
bred Scott decision. Slaves are uowher,
in the Constitution recognized a. property
And here is the republican candidate
Abe Lincoln, in no less than three il
:, stances, recognizing the bred Scstt doc
trine Of property under the Constitution
a in slaves, and thus kicking over and spi,
!, ting upon the republican platform whicl
= rests sole y upon the denial Of that prop
# siton.