The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1861-01-24

late to this class of persons, or any
others, recently coming from, or resi-
dent in other States, and which laws
contravene the Constitution OF the u nj
ted States, or any law of Congress
passed in conformity thereto, ought to
be repealed.
Secondly. Experience in public af-
fairs has confirmed my opinion that do
nestle slavery, existing in any State,
is wisely left by the Constitution of the
United States exclusively to the care,
management and disposition of that
State, and if it were in my power, /
would alter the Constitution in that re-
spect, if misapprehension of my posi-
ton needs so strong remedy. / am
willing to vote for an amendment of
the Constitution, declaSipg that it shall
not by any future amendment be so
altered as to confer on Congress a
power to abolish or interfere with slave
ry in any State. 80 1sasa 'iksis 45sdt
Thirdly While I think that Con-
gress has exclusive and sovereign au-
thority to legislate on all subjects what
ever in the common territories of the
United States, and while / certainly
shall never, directly or Indirectly, give
my vote to establish or sanction
slavery in such territories, or any
where else in the world, yet the
question, what institutional laws shall
at any time be passed in regard to the
territories, is, like every other question,
to be determined on practical grounds.
l voted for enabling acts in the cases
of Oregon. Minnesota and Kansas,
without being able to secure in them
such provisions as / would have pre-
ferred, and yet / think 1 voted wisely.
So now | am well satisfied, that under
existing circumstances, happy and
satisfactory solution of the difficulties
in the remaining territories would be
obtained by similar laws, providing for
their organization, if such organization
were otherwise practicable. If, there
fore, Kansas were admitted as a State
under the Wyandotte Constitution, /
would favor the admission of two new
States, which should include the re-
naming territory, reserving the right
to effect subdivisions of them whenever
necessary into several convenient
States; but l do not find that such re-
servations could be constitutionally
made without them. The Interior en-
barassments which would result from
the hasty interpretations of States of
such vast extent and various interests
and character, outweigh all the imme-
date advantages of such a measure,
but If the measure were practicable /
should prefer different course, name
ly; When the eccentric movements of
secession and disunion shall have end
ed, in whatever form that end may
come, and the angry excitements of
the hour shall have subsidized, and calm
ness once more shall have resumed its
accustomed sway over the public mind;
then, and not until then, one, two or
three years hence, should cheerfully
advise convention of the people to
be assembled in pursuance Of the Con-
stitution, to consider and decide wheth-
err any aud what amendments of the
organic national law ought to be made.
A. Republican now, as l have here
tofore been member of other parties
existing in my day, nevertheless hold
and cherish, as / always have done, the
principle that this Government exists
in its present form only by the consent
of the governed, and it is as necessary
as wise, to resort to the people for re-
visions Of the organic law, when the
troubled dangers of the State certain
ly transcend the powers delegated by
it to the public authorities. Nor ought
the suggestion to excite surprise. Gov
eminent is a machine. This is the
most complex one that the mind of man
ever invented, or the hand of man has
has ever framed. Perfect as it is, it
ought to be expected that it will, at
least as often as once in century, re-
quire some modification to adapt it to
the changes of society, and alterna-
tons of empire.
Fourthly. hold myself ready now,
as always heretofore, to vote for any
properly guarded law which shall be
deemed necessary to prevent mutual
invasions of States by citizens of other
States, and punish those who shall aid
and abet them. 5..;fss.s4-
Filthy. Notwithstanding the argu-
ments of the gallant Senator from Ore
gon (Gen. Lane, l remain of the opin-
ion that physical bonds, such as high
ways, railroads, rivers and canals, are
vastly more powerful for holding civil
communities together than any mere
covenants, though written on parch-
ment or engraved on iron. l remain,
therefore, constant to. my purpose to
secure, if possible, the construction OF
two Pacific railways; one of which
shall connect the ports around the
mouth of the Mississippi, and the other
the towns on the Missouri and the
lakes, with the harbors on our Western
coast.
If, in the expression of these views,
2 have not proposed what is desired or
Expected by any others, they will do
me the justice to believe that / am as
farfiom having suggested whatin many
respects would have been in harmony
with cherished convictions of my own.
learned early from Jefferson, that in
political affairs we cannot always do
what seems to US absolutely best.