The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1860-06-13

SPEECH OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN,
Of Illinois, delivered at the Cooper In
stitute, Monday, Feb1uary27, 1860.
Mr.. PRESIDENT AND FELLOW CITIZENS
OF New York: The facts with which
shall deal this evening are mainly old and
familiar; nor is there anything new in the
general use shall make of them. If there
shall be any novelty. it will be in the mode
Of presenting the facts, and the differences
and observations following that presenta.
ton.
In his speech last autumn, at Columbus,
Ohio. as reported in the N. Y. Times,
Senator Douglas said
"Our fathers, when they framed the
Government under which we live, under.
stood this question just as well, and even
better than we do now"
fully endorse this, and | adopt it as a
text for this discourse. SO adopt it be
cause it furnishes precise and agreed start.
ing point for discussion between Republi.
cans and that wing of Democracy headed
by Senator Douglas. It simply leaves the
inquiry: "What was the understanding
those fathers had of the question men.
toned ?"
What is the frame of Government un-
der which we live ?"
The answer must be The Constitu.
ton of the United States" That Consti.
tuition consists of the original, framed in
1877 land under which the present Gov
ernment first went into operation), and
twelve subsequently framed amendments.
the first ten of which were framed in 1889
Who we're our fathers that framed the
Constitution ? suppose the thirty nine =
who signed the original instrument may be
fairly called our fathers who framed that
part of the present Government. 1t is al.
most exactly true to say they framed it,
and it is altogether so to say they fairly rep
resented the opinion and sentiment of the
whole nation at that time. Their names
being familiar to nearly all, and accessible
to quite all, need not now be repeated.
take these thirty-nine," for the pres
ent, as being our fathers who framed the
Government under which we live
What is the question which, according
to the text, those fathers understood just a:
we'll and even better than we do now?
1t is this: Does the proper division Of
local from federal authority. or anything in
the Constitution, forbid our Federal Gov.
ernment to control as to Slavery in oul
Federal Territories
Upon this Douglas holds the affirmative
and Republicans the negative. The affr
native and denial form an issue and this
issue-this questions precisely what the
text declares our fathers understood better
than we
Let US now inquire whether the thirty
nine," or any of them, ever acted upon this
question and if they did, how they acted
upon it-how they expressed that bette,
understanding.
In 17S4-three years before the Consti
tution-the United States then owning the
Northwestern Territory-and no other
the Congress of the Confederation had be
fore them the question of prohibiting slave
ry in that Territory and four of the thir
ty-nine who framed the Constitution were
in that Congress and voted on that question
Of these, Roger Sherman, Thomas Mifiin
and Hugh Williamson voted for the pro
hibition-thus showing that, in their un
derstanding, no line dividing local from
federal authority, nor anything else, proper
ly forbade the Federal Government to con
troll as to slavery in federal territory. Th'
other of the four-James McHenry-vote,
against the prohibition, showing that, 70
some cause. he thought it improper to vot
for it.
In 1877, still before the Constitution
but while the convention was in session
forming it. and while the Northwestern
Territory still was the only Territory owne'
by the United States-the same question
of prohibiting slavery in the territory cam
again before the Congress of the Confeders
ton and three more of the thirty nine
who afterwards signed the Constitution
were in that Congress and voted on th
question. They were William Bloun
William Few and Abraham Baldwin /; an
they all voted for the prohibition thu
showing that, in their understanding, u
line dividing local from federal authorit!
nor anything else, properly forbids th
Federal Government to control as to slav'
ry in federal territory. This time the pr,
' hibition became law, being part Of VIII;
is now well known as the ordinance
'S7.
The question of federal control of slav'
~ in the territories, seems not to ha,
been directly before the Convention whie
framed the original Constitution; an
hence it is not recorded that the "thirt
5 nine" or any Of them, while engaged {
that instrument, expressed any opinion {
that precise question.
: In 1889, by the FIRST Congress whit
sat under the Constitution, an act was pass
to enforce the Ordinance of 'S7, includil
: the prohibition of slavery in the Mort
western Territory. The bill for this a
was reported by of the thirty-nine," Tho,
as Fitzsimmons, then a member of t
House Of Representatives from Pennsylv
MIA. 1t went through all its stages wit
out word of opposition, and finally pass
both branches without yeas. and ma,
> which is equivalent to an unanimous pa
age. In this Congress there were sixte
of the "thirty-nine " fathers who fran