Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1861-01-16

to aid the Sheriff. If a pocket is picked
and swell mob attempts rescue, you
must help convey rickpoclset to jail
But enough. You agree to enforce fu-
gitive slave law?
REP. Willingly. Tell the South that.
DEM, will. Now as to the Personal
Liberty bills. They amount to nothing,
you say, but is not their anamus bad, AMI
ought they not to be repealed
REP. never was in favor of them.
They were the measures of ultra mon,
and am decidedly in favor of repeating
them, and so are majority of our party.
For, you must understand that there is q
division in our party. l belong to the
conservative wing, and claim Mr.. Lin
coin as belonging to that wing. We can
and we will repeal the Personal Liberty
bills. You may tell the South that.
Dem. Nothing remains but the Terrific,
ries. Can we agree as to that?
REP. l think not. will never surrcn-
der an inch of soil to become slave terri
tory.
Dem, Then you expect 10 get rid of sla-
very by walling it in the South.
REP. ha, e nothing to do with getting
rid of it. / only say that into the Terri
tories, where | have voice about it, it
shall never come. The States may take
care of it within their borders.
DEN. But, my friend, you and l mus.
not close our eyes to the future of our
country. Suppose the Union TO survive
and your principle of~ee Territories to
prevail, do you, dare you, close your eyes
to that nation of blacks that is increasiu
so rapidly ir the Southern States The
patriot who looks to the future shudders
at the idea of closing slavery within the
present limits What will, in twenty, or
fifty, or hundred years, become of those
millions of slaves? Which race will out
Igrow,-oyerpowe the other? How soon
will yod have empire of blacks in the
South? These are the questions that are
vastly more important than the abstract
question of the right of Southern men to
carry slaves into the Territories.
Have not the Republicans, over and
over again, declared that they had no
fear of the Dred Scott decision? That
you know the immigration into the Ter
ritories will take care of that question p
That the whole dispute has been one of
abstract principle, and not of practical
Importance?
REP. So | believe; but it is principle,
nevertheless.
DEN. Well then, has it not been q
question ofprincirle under the Constitu-
tion ? in point of fact, a purely legal
question, whether under the Constitution
slavery can exist in Territory or any
where, except by express legislation
REF. Yes, Constitution and common
law.
DEM. We'll. then, let us 90 back ofthat,
and end the question. claim that sla,
very is lawful in every part of the Terri
tories. You claim that 1t is lawful no.
where in the Territories. Let us draw
the Missouri line. and agree that it shall
be lawful South of that line, aad lot law
full North of it; always leaving open the
omnipDtent power ola State 10 legislate
it into its Territory North, or out of it
South, whenever State arises. That will
be no sacrifice of your principle. Besides,
what il it is .he sacrifice of a principle?
What is your principle worth? What is
its aim, object, basis? Is it not the Uni
ted States? their good, their benefit
their future interests? Well it is plain
as daylight now, that you can't have both
the country and the principle. You
must yield the principle, or you lose the
country, for whose good you uphold it.
Take your choice, then. You may have
the country without your principle, or
you may have your principle without the
country
REP. Has it come to that?
Dem. IL has come tojust that. The re-
sponsibility of the crisis is on you and
your party. We and our party are pow
erless in this emergency. We fought
with you 10 the end and are beaten. We
foresaw the result, and it has come as we
anticipated. With us and our party at
the North, the South will not, cannot
treat for they regard us as conquered
and poweress. If we offer them terms.
they deny our ability TO fulfil our promi-
ses. The secessionists among them abhor
tho Union. They tell us that they will
60, whatever is done. But you may save
the Union now by showing Georgia and
Alabama conservative men that you arc
not Abolitionists that there is strong
conservative party, even in the Republi.