New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-02-28
ABRAHAM LINCOLN, of Illinois.

s Ply mouth church courss of lectures the seats ofthe
arrest hall were nearly all flied and large numher
81 people preferred standing TO sitting in the rear se''
Upon the platform were ex-GOv. John A. h'og' |
David Dudley Field VIM. c. Bryant, Gen. james
W. Eye AlSnsHouse Governors leaae j. Ohver am
Washington Smith, L. Delaield Smith, Dr. . L"unS-
berry A. Dittenhoeffer, esq., Judge T. ~ Nu's'
Theodore Triton, Thomas b. stilman' ss"ue, gu
.l.;, I 6. Gibbons; in fine il was crowded WIN ais
t,u,pi,bed Republicans. A considerable number 0i
Aafts orsced the occasion by their presence
NJ 9;,coln was escorted into the room by Dsvld
Drdlev Field ana VIM. c. Bryant, amid ioud anu pro-
Isnp.d spplause Mr. FIELD ssdi
g.',nI REPUBLICANS: ( beg leave to nominate |
:. Chsirnan Of this meeting Republican whom yon |
Al know well-William Cullen Bryant lCneers'I |
5be of Won who are in favor Of Mr.. Bryant viii cay
Ave General al d Humorous " aye; Iho5e ~ T you
who are not in favor will say NO. lShehce'l Ihere
l. 10 No. Laughter and applGuse'I
, Mr. BRYAsT on taking the chair said:
Nv fneuds il is a grateful Office that perform IN
AsroApcDg 70 you at this tine an em'reot e'1en Oh
abe Wet whom you know or wao you onse =,
hitherto only by fame, but who has consented 70
.Sdress a New-York assemblage this evening
rs Greet West, my friends, is potent anAll'ary
:, the battle we are hRhtiog tor Freedom aga"es
Sisyery; in behalf Of civilization aEaihss oAIoas
So. for The occupat on Of 30 neOf the latest re
9;Ops of our continent, on winch tht settlers
sre now building their cabins. cay Il hlSner aul
a VI
sAai have 6lled with hardy populat en- the vast aao
fertile re zion which forms the western part OF tne
valley Of the Mississippi, race OF man woo are no;
ashamed 10 till their with their o~n aands aoo
.ho would be Ashamed to sabsst by The a6or OF tae
dave lCheers.l These children OF the Nes', my
frierds form living wal SaTK agalns' 'ne auVaSe g
Of slavery and from them 10 resulted tne wang S.u VI
sAe srmies Of Liberty. lApplsTse'l zoe VI Vueni
Iii a.resr before this yening pre-snt 10 you
gallant soldier of the political campaign o. loOV ~no
chen rendered good sefvc e to tue Hepuossn Ssu5e
he chn al Il
srnooo which took pace two years later Tor Inc so
premScy in the Legislature Of llaois, VINO look es
held fhep against Douglas aod VINO "ou'o nave tue a
won victory hut for the upust appcrnonmehl law OF
fhe Stale mich allo wed minority OF the people 70
elect the majority of the Legislature. have only my
friends 70 pronounce The Dame OF horsn LlloCu - ~.
Ti,no;s oud cbeeripgl-I have only 10 pronounce his
~sme 70 sscure your profoundest attention Contin-
.ei applause and "Thhree cheers Tor Apram Lin-
eolnr1
Mr.. L,scoLY then, after prolor ged applause, s4id
NJ President and Ftl0u-C Citizens Of Heu- YORK;
~ fscts ri,h which | sha deal this evening age
manly old and familiar; nor ID there anything new ln
Chs general use shall make of them II there soal
be suy novelty il will he in the mode OF presenting
the iac's and the differences and observations Ioow-
In his sreecb last Autumn, at Columbus Ohio, as
reported in The heT- York Times, Senator Douglas
Woor fathers when they framed the Government
sser which we live understood THE question Just as
well, end even better than We do nov. , 70. nj.
fully indorse this, aud adopt i as text Tor tn'
sisoourse so adopt it because it furnishes precise
ard an agreed starting point for discussion oe@sei
puhlcans and that wing Of the Democracy neane'
Senator Douglas. 1t simply leaves the inquiry
sWbai was the understanding those fathers had OF tn
question mentioned = L. ..h;.h ,,
What is the frame Of Government under which W
Hye' =,
United States" That Constitution consists OF tn
original fran ed in 1877 land under which the presen
Government first went into operationj, and tTele'
subsequently framed amendments, the fret ten O.
which were framed in 1889.
WAC were our fathers that framed the Constitution
suppose The "thrty -Dine" who signed the original
INST ument may be fairly called our fathers who framed
shAt part of the present Government 1t 10 almost ex-
ety true 10 ray they framed IL, and II IL altogether
saw they fairly represented tho opinion aud SEN
fHept of the whole patton at that time. Their names
being familiar 10 nearly all, and aeceesiole 10 quite
toke tbese "thirty.nine for the present. az being
s.onr fathers who framed the Government under
which we live"
What is the question which, according TO the text,
these fathers understood inst well, and even better
than We do row 60,
Federal authority anything IN the Constitution Tor
A,d OR Federal Goverpnen TO control as TO Slavery
IN our Federal Territories
HON this Douglas holds the affirmative, and Re.
rubiicaus the negative. This affirmative and denial
5oru an Issue; and ths issue-thls queston-is pre-
seIy hat the text declares our fathers understood
batter than we. ,.,..:, 49,
ny Of them ever acted upon his question; and # they
I'D. bow they acted upon t-how they exprefaed that
better understanding.
IN I7S4-tbree wears before the ConstitutoD-the
ru;ted States then owning the Northwestern Terri
tory and no other-the Congress OF the Confederation
hsd before them the question Of prohibiting Slavery IN
that Territory; and four of the thirty nine VINO
alter ward framed the Consultation in that Con-
greeP and voted on that question. Of these, Roger
Shern,ap, Thomas Miffin, and Hugh Williamson voted
for the prohibitioD-thus showing that in their under
standing 90 line dividing local from Federal Authority
thing else properly forbade the Federal Govern
rnept to control as to Slavery in Federal territory
The other of the fourJames McHenry-voie1 az tir-t
Che u,ohbitlon. showing that, for some came, no
Thought il improper 10 vote for II. =.
Ia 1887 sii before the Consii.-cOn' Uu mihe sne
Convention was IN sesaS' s was the only territory
SUI e ~ r4,ted States-ihe question OF
owRgao y WSayery in the Territory again came be-
81 ~ congress of the Confederation and three
o u9the thirty nine" who afterwaId signed The
xnttitution were IN that Congress- and voted on the
aueSion They were William Blount William Few,
~ Abraham Baldwin; and they all voted for the pro-
sEc:tion-ihus showing that in their underst sndng no
linz dividing local from Federal authority nor anything
sse properly forbade the Federal Government 70 con
4-o ss 10 Slavery in Federal territory. This time the
prohibition became law, beInga part OF whist 10 no"
well kaown sc the Ordinance OF ~. ,
The question of FEDERAL control OF slavery 10 tne
seems not to have been directly before the
Eopyestion which framed the original Constitution
and hence is no. recorded that the th1ty-nine or
any o. lhem while engaged on that instrument, SA-
pressed asy opinion on that precise question: i,
10 l7S9, by the first CoDgrsss which Fat under zoe
orSrudoD an oct Wac passed TO enforce me Ore-
nance OF q including the prohibition OF slavery Ia
Che koFth'He Territory The bill for this net
was reported by ore Of the thirty.pine," Thomas
kItzsimmone, then Member Of the House of Repre-
senatives from Pennsylvania IL went through all its