Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1861-01-16

slave property as they would themselves.
| Applause. My hope is that by taking this posi-
ton in the Union, and other free States doing the
same, a convention of the border States may be
held, and that we, by our action in that border
convention, may cause fanaticism at the North
and fanaticism at the South to pause and consider
/ their course lcheers, and, by possibility, we
NAV by that means be enabled TO settle the un-
happy difference between the North and South,
and save the best government in the world from
the horrors of disuniOn and civil war.
will not, gentlemen of the convention, detain
you committee will be appointed and they
will present to YOU the position which we deem it
due the Democracy of Indiana to take, in order
that the people of this government may know
that Indiana is unmistakably UnOn-loving
State
Mr.. Mcdonald moved the appointment of one
Vice President from each Congressional district,
which prevailed, and the President requested gen
tlemen from the several districts to designate
those they desired to assume that duty. The
following gentlemen were nominated and APP
proved and came forward and took their seats on
the stand:
First District-Richard Owen, of Posey county.
Second District-A. NJ. Black, Orange county.
Third District. F. Carr, of jackson county.
Fourth District-A. b. Line, of Franklin
county.
Fifth District-Jere. Smith, of Randolph
county
Sixth District Hendricks of Shelby county.
Seventh District-A. johnson, of Putnam
county.
Eighth District-James Odell, Carroll county.
Ninth District-Norman Eddy, of st. Joseph
county.
Tenth District. d. G. Nelson, of Allen
county.
M n To..1 Of Lodi
son county.
JJ. Bingham, of Marion, was chosen Secre-
tary, and A. E. Drapier, C.. J. Barker and N b.
Risinger, assistants.
On motion of Hon. T. A. Hendricks a COM
mittee of one from elch Congressional District
was appointed to report resolutions expressive OF
the meeting. The President constituted the COM
mttee as follows, naming Mr.. Hendricks as
chairman:
First District. p Edison, of Posey county.
Second Dstrct-H. Heffren, of Washington
county.
Third District-Smith Jones, of Bartholomew
county.
Fourth DISTRICT. " Bemusdaffer, of De-
catur county.
Fifth District-w W. Frybarger, of Fayette
county.
/ SIKH Dlstr1ct-l nOmaS a. nenurlcks, OF Ma
rion county.
Seventh District-H. X. Wilson, of Sullivan
county.
Eighth District-L. B. Stockton, of Tippe-
canoe county.
Ninth District--John c. Walker, of Laporte
county.
Tenth District-Pliny Hoagland, of Allen
county.
Eleventh District R. Slack, of Huntington
county.
The committee then retired, and the Hon.
Joseph E. Mcdonald being loudly called for came
forward and addressed the meeting in a speech of
great power and eloquence. A full report of this
speech is not 70 be had, to be embodied in these
proceedings, but it is hoped that it will be pub
lished, that its noble sentiments may reach every
part of the State.
Mr. Mcdonald repealed the charge that
the Republican party had been misrepresented
by the Northeia Democracy, and to prove that it
had not, he read the following resolutions from
the various platforms adopted by the sectional or
carnations.
/ The Buffalo convention in le43, that NOM
mated Birney for President, adopted the follow
ing:
RESOLVED, That the fundamental truths of the
Declaration of Independence, that all men are
endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable
rights, among which are life, liberty, and the pur
suit of happiness, was made the fundamental law
of our National Government, by that amendment
of the Constitution which declares that no person
shall be deprived of life, liberty, property with
out due process of law
Resolued, That the General Government has,
under the Constitution, power to establish or
continue slavery anywhere, and therefore that all
treaties and acts of Congrets establishing, contin-
uing or favorng slavery in the District of Column
bia, in the Territory of Florida, ON the high
seas, are unconstitutional, and all attempts to
hold men as property within the limits of exclu-
sive national jurisdiction, ought to be prohibited
by law.
The Van Buren, convention in ls4s adopted
the following:
| Resolued, That our fathers ordained the Con-
stitution of the United States, in order, among
other great national objects to establish Justice
promote the general welfare, and secure the bless
ings of liberty; but expressly denied to the Fed
eral Government, which they created all consti-
tutional power to deprive any person of life, lib
erty or property, without due legal process
| Resolred, That in the Judgment of this Con-
! vention, Congress has no more power to make
slave than to make king; no more power to in
stitute or establish slavery than to institute or
tablish monarchy; such power can be found
among those specifically conferred by the 0onsti-
tu6on, or derived by just implication from them
Resolved, That it is the duty of the Federal
Government to relieve itself from all responsible
| ity for the existence or continuance of slavery
wherever the Government possesses constitutional
authority to iegslate on that subject, and it is
thus responsible for its existence.
Rcsolred. That the true. and I'm the Judgment
of this convention, the only safe means of pre-
venting the extension of slavery into territory
now free, is to prohibit its extension in all such
territory by an act of Congress.
The Republican convention in 1856,
Resolved That with our republican fathers we
hold it to be a self evident TRUTH that all men are
endowed with the inaenable rights to life, liberty
and the pursuit CT happiness, and that the primary
object and Interior designs of our Federal Gov
eminent to secure these rights to all persons
within its exclusive jurisdiction; that, as our re-
publican fathers, when they had abolished slavery
in all national territory ordained that no per-
son should be deprived of fe liberty or property
without due process of law, it becomes our duty
to maintain this provision of the Constitution
against all attempts to violate it for the purpose
of establishing slavery in any territory of the
United States, by positive legislation prohibiting
its existence or extension therein. That deny
the authority of Congress, of Territorial Legis-
lature, of any individual or association of indi-
viduals, to give legal existence to slavery in any
territory of the United States, while the present
Constitution shall be maintained.
The Chicago convention adopted as their eighth
resolution the following:
Resolved, That the normal condition of all the
territory of the United States is that of freedom:
That as our republican fathers, when they had
abolished slavery in all national territory or
dained that 'no person should be deprived of life
liberty or property, without due process of law"
it becomes our duty, by legislation whenever such
legislation is necessary, to maintain this provision
of the Constitution against all attempts to violate
it; and we deny the authority of Congress, of a
Territorial Legislature, or of any individuals, to
give legal existence to slavery in any territory of
the United States.
If the Republican party has been misrepresen-
ted it has misrepresented itself by protesting one
thing and believing another If there was any
conservatism in the Republican party he would be
glad to know it. If this crust of Abolitonism
which surrounds its organization contains any