The Portland daily press., 1863-04-18
J. C. Woedman's vindication-Conclud


INtHiA live years. Duiliir I'LL lHdl Tune nave
looked upon slavery as the greatest of evils.
During all that time have never doubted that
a large number of shareholders aimed to over
throw the government and destroy the Union.
have never doubted for a single moment
that in the end slavery would involve the ma
ton in civil war, unless that calamity could
be averted by seasonably commencing pro-
cess of gradual emancipation.
did not unite with Mr.. Garrison, because
regarded the Union as of incalculable value,
and because have always associated disunion
with interminable war. / did not unite with
Gerrit Smith, because there was fifty years of
practical construction against his views of the
Constitution.
Being determined to do the most l could to
ave my country, nineteen years ago last win
Ter, in the House of Representatives of Maine,
1 drew report in which l endeavored TO
prove that the Constitution prohibited slave
holding in all national territories, including
the District of Columbia. believe no report
declaring that doctrine had previously been
presented to any legislative body in the Unit
ID States. Although i could present the ar
argument in a much stronger light now, l
have never seen any attempt to answer that
eport. 1t is quite satisfactory to me now.
To my mind slavery has always been the on
y thing that endangered our government.
On the other hand, have always agreed with
Washington and jefferson, that unless such
catastrophe could be prevented by a system
pfp Gradual I'M npi NAT the nation wpnld nj
length be involved in a civil war, and slavery
20 down in blood, and perhaps the Union also.
To this end labored tor the restriction and
Encouragement of slavery, hoping that eman-
:ipation would begin in the border States in
eason to save the nation from the dreadful
.vils of such war as this.
When Massachusetts, New York, Connec-
ticut and Vir .inia ceded to the United
States their claim to the vacant terri
,ory northwest of the Ohio, slavery was ex-
cluded by law. If this policy had been pur-
sued, in all probability slavery would have
been abolished in the six original States where
it existed at the commencement of the war,
long since. The number of slaves in Mary
land and Delaware has always been small.
If slavery had been abolished in those States
thirty or forty years ago, and no new slave
States admitted, it could not have been main
tanned till 1850 in Virginia, Georgia and the
Caroinas.
With these views, / have regarded every
man who labored for the extension OF slavery
and the bringing Of slave States into the I'm
ion, as practically working for disunion, how
ever innocent he might be of any such pur
pose.
When the territory now constituting Ten
nessee, Mississippi and Alabama was ceded to
the United States, it was provided, in defiance
of the constitution, that slavery should contin-
ne therein. When, louisiana and Florida were
acquired from France and Spain, in defiance of
the constitution, slavery was allowed to re-
main and spread in those territories. From
those territories and the western part of Vir-
ginia, eight new slave States were brought into
the Union. This was done by Shareholders and
men who called themselves compromises, in
order TO strengthen the shareholders sufficient
ly to enable them to govern the country. This
course of policy repressed the advance of free
and Delaware. At length the shareholders de-
manded the annexation of Texas, without any
treaty, for the dcoced purpose Of strengthen
ing stdcery; and the compromisers gave it to
them. Then they demanded war with Mex
leo to acquire more territory for the purpose
of spreading slavery and strengthening the
slave power; and the compromises made the
war. Then the Shareholders demanded that
large part of the territories acquired by the
Mexican treaty, should be annexed to Texas.
The compromises did it. They demanded
that provisions should be put into the acts for
organizing New Mexico, Utah, Kansas and
Nebraska, designed to make those large terri
tories sayeholdng. The compromises did
that. They then demanded decree from the
court overturing the constitution, and making
all national territories, slayehoding. The COM
promisers had control of the court and obtain
ed the decree.
The shareholders now felt strong enough to
make war upon the government and destroy
the Union. They named disunionist and
traitor at heart for President and demanded
that he should be chosen and If he was not
chosen, threate2ed to make war. Some of the
compromises labored TO that end, but without
success; for many of the compromises began
to inquire what would be the end of all this.
Then some of the shareholders demanded
that the constitution should be so changed as
TO make all our free territories, slaveholding;
to make all other territories that we might
hereafter acquire in the South, slaveholding,
as soon as we should acquire them; to make
slayeholding in the District of Columbia, and
in all our forts, arsenals, dock yards, and on
board Of our ships, constitutional; and finally
to provide that our government should be
piratica, slaveholding government so long as
grass grows and water runs. Some OF the COM
promisers insisted upon doing all this. These
are the men, who hypocritically claim that
they are in favor of " the constitution as il is,
and the Union as it was" They could not
succeed. Most of the shareholders had already
unitedagainst the government and commenced
the war. They felt strong enough to destroy
the Union and were determined to do it.
Many of the old compromises had got their
eyes open to the storm they had raised.
| That the shareholders were encouraged by
| the course OF the compromises TO commence
4. L. 4.