The weekly pioneer and Democrat., 1861-01-25

hauled down, and in its place signal is run
up, which faunts the device of a lone star
or palmetto tree. Men ask, "who is the
stranger that thus steals into our waters?''
TIE answer contemptuously given is, "she
comes from the obscure Republics of North
America. Let her pass on"
Lastly, public liberty, our own peculiar
liberty, must languistf for time, and then
cease to live. And such liberty! free
movement everywhere throughout our own
and throughout the world free press, and
Tree speech, free suffrage; the freedom of
every subject to vote Oh every law, and Tor or
| against every agent who expOunds, admin
listers, or executes. Unstable and Jealous
confederacies, constantly apprehendiDg as,
saults without and treason within, formida-
BILE only to each other and contemplate to
all beside; how long will it be before, on
the plea of public safety, they will surrender
all this inestimab!e and unequalled liberty,
and accept the hateful and ntolerabIe es-
pionage of military despotism?
THE CONCLUSION.
have such faith 10 this Republican
system OF ours, that there is no political
good which L desire, that | am not
content to seek through its peaceful
form OF administration, without invoking
revolutionary action. If Others shall invoke
that form OF action to oppose and overthrow
government, they shall not, so far as it
depends on me, have the excuse that
obstinately left myself to be misunderstood
In such case | can afford to meet prejudice
with concllation, eXactiOn with concession
which surrenders no principle, and violence
with the right hand of peace. Therefore,
sir, so lar as the abstract question whether,
by the Constitution of the United States
the bondsman, who is made such by the laws
OF state, Is still man or only property,
L answer that, within that state, its laws
on that subject are supreme that when he
has escaped from that state into another,
the Constitution regards him as a bondsman
who may not, by any law or regulation of
that state, be discharged from bis service,
but shall be delivered up, on claim, to the
party to whom his service is due. While
prudence and justice would combine in
persuading you to modify the acts of
Congress on that subject, so as not to
Obllge private persons to assist in their
execution, and to protect freemen from
being, by abuse of the laws 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 other
recently coming from or resident in other
stetes, and which laws contraveDe the
Constitution of the United States, or any
law OF Congress passed in conformity
thereto, ought to be repealed.
Secondly. Experience in public affairs
has confirmed my opinion, that domestic
slavery, existing in any State is wisely left
by The Constitution OF the United States
exclusive ly to the care, manag gement and
disposition of that State; and it it were in
my power, | would not alter the Constitu
tlon ln that respect. If misapprehension of
my position needs so strong "a remedy, | am
willing to vote tor an amendment OF the
constitution, declaring that it shall rot by
any future amendment, be so altered as to
confer on Congress power to abolish or
interfere with slavery in any State.
Thirdly. While think that Congress
has exclusive and sovereign authority to
leglslate on all subjects whatever, in the
common territories of the United States,
and while certainly shall never, directly or
indirectly, give my vote to establish or
sanction slavery i'll such territories or any
where else in the world, yet the question
what constitutional laws shall at any time
be passed in regard to the territories, is, like
every other question, to be determined on
practical grounds. | voted for enabling
acts IN the cases of Oregon, Minnesota and
Kansas, without being able to secure in
them such provisions as l would have pre-
ierred; and yet voted wisely. So now,
am we'll satisfied that, under existing cir
cumstanceS, a happy and satisfactory solu-
ton OF the difficulties in the remaining
territories would be obtained by similar
laws, providing for their organization, if
such organization were otherwise practica.
BILE. Ii therefore, Kansas were admitted as
a State, under the Wyandotte Constitution.
as think she ought to be, and if the Or
ganlc laws OF all the other territories could
be repealed, could vote to authorize the
organization and admission of two new
states which should include them, reserviny
the right to effect subdivisions of them
whenever necf ssary, into several convenient
states; but | do not fol that sucn reser-
vatons could be constitutionallv made.
Without them, the uteror embarfassments
which would result from hasty incorporation
OF states OF such vast extent and various in.
terestS and character, would outweigh all the
Immediate advantages of such a measure.
But II the measure were practicable, should
prefer different course namely: when the
eccentric movements OF secession and disun-
ion shall shall have ended, 10 whatever form
that end may come, and the angry excite
ments OF the hour shall have subsided, and
calmness once more shall have resumed its
accustomed sway over the public mind, then,
and not till then,-one, two or three wears
hence--l should cheeriully advise a conven-
tlon OF the people, to be assembled in pursu.
ance OF the constitution, to consider and de-
eide whether any and what amendments of
the organic national law ought to be made.
A Republican now-as | have heretofore
been member OF other parties existing in
my day. nevertheless hold and cherish, as
| have always done, the principle that this
government exists in its present form only
by the consent of the governed, and that it
IS as necessary as 1t Is wise, to resort to the
people tor revisions of the organic law, when
the troubles and dangers of the state GER
talnly transcend the powers delegated by it
to the public authorities. Nor ought the
suggestion to excite surprise. Government
many form, is a machine this is the most
complex one that the mind of man has ever
invented, or the hand of man has ever
framed. Perfect as it is, it ought to be ex-
pected that 1t will, at least as often as once
IN century, require some modification to