Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1861-01-17


own wrongs, or to crafty their own ambi-
ton? Rather do not men live least of NIL
for themselves, and chiefly for posterity,
and for their fellow men Have the
American people, then, become all OF a
sRdden unnatural, as well ms unpatriotic !?
and will they disinherit their children of
the precious estate held only in trust for
them, and deprive the world of the best
hopes it has enjoyed sinee the human race
began its slow aud painful yet needfnl
and wisely appointed prUgress2
Here might close my plea for the
American Union, but tits necessary, If not
to exhaust the argument, atleast to exhib4
it the whole case. The diSuniopists, con.
sciously unable to stand on their mere
disappointment in the recent election, have
attempted TO enlarge their ground. More
than thirty years there has existed a COM
stderable-though' not heretofore formi-
dable-mass of citizens in certain States
situate near the delta Of the Mississip6in q
who believe that the Union is less condu-
Give toltbe welfare aud greatness OF those
States than smaller Confederncy, embra.
cling only slave States would be- This
class has availed itself of the discontents
resulting from the election to put into op-
Grafton the machinery of dissolution long
ago prepared, and waiting only for oc-
cnsion. In other States there is sore
ness because of the want of sympa-
thy in the free States with the eff
forts of Shareholders for the recnpture
of fugitive slaves from service. In
all the slave States there is restiveness
resulting from the resistance which has
been so determincdly made within the last
few years, in the free States, to the extern
sion of slavery in the common territories
OF the States. The Republican party,
which cast its votes for the successful
Presidential candidate on the gr0nnd of
that policy, has been allowed practically,
no representation, no utterauce by speech
or through the press, in the slave States:
while its policy, principles and sentiments,
and even its temper, have been so misrep-
resented as to excite apprehensions that it
denies importantcOnstitutiona obligations,
and aims even Nt interference with slavery
and its overthrow by State authorities or
| Intervention of the Federal Government,
| ConSiderablemasses even in the free States.
interested in the success of these nisrep-
| resentatiOns as q means of party strategy,
have lent their sympathy to the party
claiming to be aggrieved. While the
result of the election brings the Re-
publican party necessarily into the fore.
ground in resisting disunion, the preju-
dices against them which have described
have deprived them of the cooperation of
many good and patriotic citizens. On a
complex issue between the Republican
party and the disunionists, although it in
wolves the direst national calamities, the
result might be doubtful; for the RepubIi.
licnn party is weak in large part Of the
sUnion. Bnt on direct issue, with ali who
cherish the Union on one side, and all who
desire its dissolution by force on the other,
the verdict would be prompt and almost
Unanimous. i desire thus to simplify the
issue, nndfor that purpose to separate from
Elt NIL collateral questions, and relieve it of
all partisan passions aud prejudices.
/ consider the idea of the withdrawal
of the Gulf States, and their permanent
reorganization with or without others in a
distinct Confederacy as a means of advau-
tAge to themselves, go certainly unwise
aud so obviously impossible of execution,
when the purpose is understood, that
dismiss it with the discussion have al
ready bestowed upon it.
The case is different, however, in regard
to the other subjects which have brought
in this connection before the Senate.
Beyond doubt, Union is vitality impor-
tant to the Republican citizens of the uni
ted States; but-it is just US important to
the whole people. Republicanism and
Union are, therefore, not convertible TERMS
Republicanism is subordinate to Union, MS
everything else is and ought to be-Repub-
licanism, Democracy, every other political
name and thing; all nre subordinate-anl
they ought to disappear in the presence of
the great question of Union. So far as I
am concerned it shall be so; it should be
so if the question were sure to be tried, ms
| it ought only to be determined, By the
peaceful ordeal of the ballot 1t shall be
SO all the more since there is on one side
preparedness to refer it to the arbitrament
of civil war. have much faith in this
Republican system of ours, that there is no
political good which desire that l nm not
content to seek through its peaceful forms
of administration without invoking revo-
lutionary action. Ifothers shall invoke that
form of action to oppose and overthrow
the Government, they shall not, SO far as
it depends on the, have the excuse that ]
Obsttnately left myself to be misunder-
stood. In such u case can afford to meet
prejudice with cOnCiliation, CxacttOR with
concession which surrenders no principle,
and violence with the right hand of peace. |
Therefore, sir. SO far as the abstract |
question whether, by the Constitution of |
the United States, the boudsmau, who is |
made such by the laws of State, is still |
u man or only property, answer that, |
within that State, its laws on that subject |
are supreme; that when he has escaped
from that State into another, the Constitu-
tiOn regards him as a hondsman who may
not, by any law or regulation of that State,
be discharged from his service, but shall
be delivered up, on claim, to the party
to whom his service is due. While pru-
dence and justice would combine in per-
suading you to modify the nets of Con-
gress on that subject, SO as not to oblige
private persons to assist in their execu-
10 EfrnoVv, f.rvJ, bnfrc.
nbuse of the law, carried into slavery, l
agree that all laws Of the States, whether
free States or slave States, which relate to
this class Of persons, or any others, recent
ly coming from or resident in other States.
and which lnws contravene the Constitn-