Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1860-01-24
now az CHANGED Az OPiNIOS.

territories" even to the prohibition OF
enactment of Slavery.
HOW re CHASGED An OPlSIOS-
Lam going TO own up myself l confess
that always believed, until l read the
opinion of Justice Curtis, 1 always believed.
with the old Free Soil party, that under
the Constitution of the United States you
could not establish Slavery in any Terri
tory. 90 now confess. that after reading
the decision of Justice Curtis, that It was
so clear. aud the argument so irresistible
that they could practice legislation IN eth
er way, that was bound to acknowledge
that the power to prohibit also carried
with 1t the power to establish, and the
converse that the power to establish
Slavery, also gave the power to prOhibitit.
therefore Welded up my old opinion, Il
know not " hat others may dO)I because IN
this dicta of Justice Curtis, If Congress
has power simply because there is NO limit
mt upon it, that It has power on either
side: that is, it has OmnipOtent sovereign
power. although this is government IN
general of limited powers, inasmuch as
the Constitution does not limit Congress
from establishing or abolishing Slavery.
The power is not denied by the COnstitu-
ton, therefore it has il. There am
bound to change my opinion upon that
subject, and now ] agree that Congress has
the power to establish or prohibit Slavery,
because as said, the acknowledgment Of
the one power cOmpels us to acknowledge
he possession of the reverse.
Well now it is at least brought TO this:
Congress has the right TO establish Slavery
or TO abolish Slavery in the Territories
It Is then n matter upon which we appeal
to the country for decision. viii you go
for Slavery or Freedom? believe that to
be the doctrine of the Republican party,
and that is the whole sum and substance of
the controversy between US. We say with
Washington, jefferson, Madison and Henry
and Lee, and all the distinguished fathers
of the Republic, not that Slavery is q
blessing and Divine institution, and all
that, but we admit it to be an evil, moral
", socially and politically, and weak
ness in the Commonwealth.
SLAVERY WEAK INSTITUTION.
Well now, gentlemen, it has gone forth
in this commonw ealth that / should not be
able to speak in Frankfort. Why is that2
Why is it that John Brown spread such
CONSERVATION through. all Virginia? Are
we to believe that the Virginians are all
towards? MOI There is in Virginia just
as gallant blood rs flows in the world; it
was simply because Slavery was weak
institution from the beginning to this
time; that it WAS what James Madison told
South Carolina and Georgia; it is because
Slavery Is what Mr. Randolph told Mr.. Ey-
erctt. We tell you that it is a source of
weakness in the State, and therefore as
patriots and lovers of cur country, We say,
to the several States enjoy your institution
as long as you choose, but SO far as we
are responsible we so against it all the
time. There is the whole front of our of
fauding. Is it not right?
THE ADMISSION OF SLAVE STATES.
Another charge made Is, that we pur-
pose s:to prevent the admission, in any
latitude, of another slavehOlding State"
deny that that is the platform of the Re
publican party as made up in 1856, or as
it is to be made up in 1860, and if you will
allow me will refer to the record. can
not read all of the platform, but give you
nv word there is no such clause in IL.
will read one clause however:
"Rcsolvcd, That with our Republican
fathers we hold il to be n seIf-eVidcnt
truth that all men are endowed with the
inalienable right to life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness, and that the prina-
nv object and Interior design of our Fed
eral Government was to secure these
rights to all persons under its exclusive
jurisdiction" Mark me, now, that does
not apply to States. ''that our Republican
National Territory, ordained that no per-
son should be deprived of life, liberty or
property, without due process of law, it
becomes our duty to maintain this prOvis-
ion of the Constitution against all attempts
to violate it for the purpose of establish
ing Slavery in any Territory of the Uni
ted States, while the present Constitution
shall be maintained"
In that part of the platform have said
7 ii hot Fan-
son, in the call of the present Convention
we leave out that which has reference 10
the last sentence which read. will read
that call to you:
ga National Republican Convention will
meet Mt Chicago, on Wednesday the 18th
day of june next, at IL o'clock noon, for
the nomination of candidates to he sup
ported for President and Vice President at
the next election.
"The Republican electors of the several
States, the members of the Peoples party
of Pennsylvania, and of the Opposition
party of New Jersey, and all others who
are willing to cooperate with them in sup
port of the candidates which shall there
be nominated, and who are opposed to the
policy of the present Administration, to
federal corruption and usurpatiou, to the
extension of slavery into the Territories, to
the new and dangerous political doctrine
that the Constitution of its own force, car
ries Slavery into all the Territories of the
United States, to the opening of rhe Afri-
can Slave Trade, to any inequality of
rights among citizens; and who are in ia
vor of the immediate admission of Kansas
into the Union, under the constitution re-
Gently adopted BY the people, of restoring
the federal administration to a system of
rigid economy and to the principles of
We shiu0ton and Jefferson nf uaintaininor
inviolate the rights of the States, and de-
Tending the soil of every State and Terri
tory from lawless invasion, and of preser-
wing the integrity of this HMM and the