M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1860-09-13
ZALEsKI, Sept. 3, 1860.


marks on Speaker, size of audience
and town, all OF which are magnifed
to the utmost, Mr.. "Prex" declares
that it was conclusiyely shown thai
Popular Sovereignty did not come
into this canvass at ALL" that ''it was
shown by extracts from the decision
in the bred Scott case that the Su
preme Court had decided that slaves
were property, &C." that Congress
was bound to protect the slayeholder'f
right to his properly" and asks "What
rigb baye tie people OF the Terrific
|T b 1lcgislate about the matter al
NJ III 1'Ihe Supreme Court has de-
Il. ID the question for them" With
re. ard to the first assertion of "Prex, I"
it would be well for his party if it were
true; bat it is not. The great battle
cry is shall the people of State and
Territory be left perfectly free to regu-
late and have their own domestic in
stitutions. The only effort the Re.
publican party is making, that Con-
gress may take from organized Ter
itories the power Of governing them
selves, and rule oyer them as it
pleases. AS to the second assertion
OF his. the Supreme Court has said
nothiDg more than is expressly de-
clared in the Constitution, and his
third assertion, "That the Supreme
Court has decided the question for
them" is without foundation in truth.
The court never made such decision,
nor WAS the question Of Territorial
power before them. We believe the
Supreme Court decided as follows;
lst, THAT negro, the descendant of
an African, a slave at the adoption of
the Constitution, is not citizen of the
US" 2nd, THAT Congress has no
authority to prohibit slavery in the
Territories of the D. s." 81, "That
when o slave owner takes slaves into
a free Territory, and returns with
them into slave State, their status
depends upon the laws OF that State"
Is there any thing in this that war
rants the conclusiOnl | think not
How then was it "proven conclusive.
Typ Undoubtedly by garbled ex.
tracts, and forced conclusions from iso.
lated opinions oil the Court. Let our
readers get the opinion ofthe Court,
and examine for themselves, and !
think they will not como to such il.
logical conclusions; but, perhaps,
aside from argument, the opinions OF
the Hon, Reverdy Johnson, legal
gentleman Of great eminence, will,
with sensible men, outweigh those of
q host of political peddlers whose
business is to distort and misrepresent.
This gentleman says: "uaving
argued the case twice, as the friend Of
the South, aud bestowed upon all
questions it involved the most careful
study | could, | state with perfect
confidence that tho question was not
only not decided by the Court, but
'cas nesther argued nor in any aoay
presented for decision. The single
inquiry in this connection was, had
Congress the power to prohibit sla.
very in a Territoryp "BGcn organ.
lied into government, what the Ter.
ritorlaI Legislature could do was not
beforethe Court, directly or indirect.
ly." Voters of Vinton, whose opin.
ion should have most weight with
you, that of the trickster on the
stump, whose sole object is to get your
vote or this Of Mr.. johnson, who has
every right to understand the ex.
pressed the opinion of the Court
Do you feel like supporting that party,
which under the pretence of giving
liberty to the black man, would deny
to your brethren the liberty of making
their own laws while living as citizens
OF an organized Territory Does the
citizen OF a Territory, who shortly
before helped make his own local laws,
and acted a part with other freetnen
in regulating their own concerns to
suit themselves, BECOME 90 deprived
Of reason, sense, feeling, necessity
and all that pertains to self.goyern-
ment, as to require a master that may
rule over him as a tyrantl And this
in violation Of the Constitution as ex.
pounded by the Supreme Court, touch.
ing the rigat to legislate upon slavery.
Remember, it tsays Congress has no
right to legislate upon the subiect;
but, undoubtedly, the power to act
upon slavery exists somewhere, and il
Congress has not the power, the Ter.
ritorial Legislature must have. In
this country the right to govern comes
from those who are governed, and not
from those who govern; consequently,
it should be the right Of every commu.
nifty Of people who are governed to
say ho,O they will be governed; and
as far as it concerns themselves, there
should be no interference. This pe-
culiar privilege, the Colonies deman.
ded of England, but it was denied
fhnn fond fha lnpo and hlooJu