Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1860-04-27
MistellanruuS.
From the Evening Post.
John Sherman's Speech at the
Cooper Institute.

toOptT Institute WIS ucHScly tToWuCu
on Friday night, ON the occasion of Mr.
Sherman's address on the princi Piles of the
Republican party. Several distinguished
men were on the platform, including Gov
ernor Banks, of Massachusetts, and
Thomas Ford, of Ohio. Mr. Sherman
was introduced by Mr.. Rodgers, Presi-
dent Of the Young Mems Republican I'm
ion, and was received with great enthusi-
1 asm.
The crowded state of our columns for
bids the publication Of Mr.. Sherman 5
powerful speech entire but we give some
extracts embodyng its most important
points
The President of the nited States, in
his last annual message to Congress, de-
clares that it has been established that
every citizen owning slaves may take
them into the territories of the United
States, and there hold them as slaves ;
and that his right to do SO must be pro-
tected by the judicial, Legislative,
and Executive branches of the govern
mcnt He further declares that neither
Congress, nor any territorial legislature,
nor any human power has any authority
to annul or impair this vested right. In
a former message he says that slaves are
regarded by the Constitution of the Uni
ted States as property-the same as hor-
Sc, or cattle-and may be carried into
the territories of the United States, and
there held as slaves, not only without To-
cal or Congressional law, but in defiance
of both. The democratic party adopts
these propositions as part of its political
creed fairly state them as among the
recognized principles Of that party-l
mean Of the controlling majority which
guides its councils, and not the exception
al fragments that hang upon its outskirts.
The Republican party denies these
propositions, and insists that slavery is
the creature of local law, dependent en-
tircly upon the law Of the state in which
it exists, limited only to the jurisdiction
of the state, excepting only that if the
slave escapes he may be recaptured.-
And the Republican party afirms that
slavery is social, moral and political
evil, aud that it is the right and duty of
Congress and of the people to prevent its
extension into free territory.
Upon this issue, mainly. the Republi-
can and democratic parties are about to
enter into a contest for the administration
of the government for four wears and,
i, perhaps for generation This contest is
no factious strife 1t is constitutional
trial between opposite ideas, to be con-
Quoted in the mode prescribed by law,
before the great jury OF the American
people. Before that supreme tribunal
the Republican party is willing to discuss
its case upon its merits; anl TO its YER
diet whatever it may be, it is pledged in
advance to yield cheerful submission.-
The democratic party, however enters the
contest in different spirit. Wcare met
at the outset with the distinct and oft-re-
peated threat made by democratic Gov
crnors, Senators and Representatives, that
if the Republican party, should in the
regular constitutional way, by the votes
of the majority of the Electoral College
and of the people, elect a Republican as
President of the United State, they will
dissolve the government, break up this
fair fabric of liberty and divide into hos
tile fragments the Union of these states.
The Republican party is only six years
old, but it, principles are a. old as the
government Its cardinal doctrine was
first formally announced in July, l7s7,
by the Congress of the Confederation,
which prohibited slavery in all the then
existing territories of the United States
by an ordinance declared to be irrcvoca-
bic.
The National Convention. then in ses-
sion, and composed in part OF the same
persons, engrattcd in the constitution Il
provision that Congress shall have power
to dispose Of and make all ncedtul rules
and regulations respecting, the territory
e or other property belonging to the United
States
The first Congress approved, ratified
and confirmed the ordinance Of 1877
against slavery. Since that time Congress
has repeatedly exercised its plenary pow
: cr over the territories by prohibiting the
,. importation of slaves into them
In 1910 the Supreme Court of the
b United States (sec Peters i, Cranch 1850
affirmed this power a. follows: The
power of governing and legislating for a
territory is the inevitable consequence Of
the right to acquire and hold territory
Could this position be contested, the con-
stitution declare, that Congress shall have
power to dispose of and make all needful
rule. and regulations respecting the ter
ritory or other property belonging to the
United State Accordingly, we find Con-
gress possessing and exercising the abso-
lutte and undisputcd power of governing
and lcgislating for the territory Of Or
leans"
In 1870, after full debate on the act
admitting Missouri, Congress enacted
That in all that territory ccdcd by
France to the United States, under the
name of Louisiana which lies north of So
: 80 of north latitude, not included within
the limits of the state contemplated by
this act, slavery and involuntary servi-
tude, otherwise than as the punishment of
crimes, shall be, and is hereby, forever
prohibited.
This prohibition received the unanimous
sanction of President Monroe and his cab
| met, of which Mr.. Calhoun and Mr. j,
n 4 jame were LEADING members