The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1864-06-02
Letter Of Hon. s. r. Chase.
a9a.s In reply to AZ III
nA NIFL NCONNEIL

DANlEL sOfCONNELL.
sa CINCINNATI, Nov 3Oth, 1s43.
JIM. RAY. Esq, Secretary of the Loyal Ma
.tionaI Repea! Association a.t t2
Strive have the honor of transmitting
to your address an authenticated copy Of
certain resolutions which was unanimously
adopted by very large majority Of the
friends Of Ii oerty, Ireland and Repeal, he ID
in this city on the 10th II the present
month. t
= You will perceive that one Of these res
olutions impose on us the duty Of preparing
a letter to yonr association, expressing the
sentiments of the people there assembled
We proceed to the discharge of this duty
penetrated by mingled emotions Of plea.
sure, shame and indignation.
We have great satisfaction in assuring
you Of the deep sympathy Of the meeting
which we represent with the Irish people
in their noble effort for the restoration Of
their rights, and Of the profound admiration
with which we all regard ycur il!ustrious
leader who finds time and occasion, in the
midst of monentous responsibilities and
deep anxieties. to interpose his powerful
influence and pour forth his persuasive elo,
a lence in be- alf Of the wretched victims
cf oppression in distant land We are
ashamed that truth obliges ns to confess
that in this country, boastful of free institu-
tons, in the sixty eighth year Of our nation
al existance. two millions and half Of hu-
man beings, endowed by their Creator with
ina'ienable right to liberty, and held as
chat'le property by some two hundred and
fifty thousand citizens Of the United States
With shame and grief do we ackDowledge ge
the existance Of this foul and dishonorable
bolt on our national character; but our
shame becomes Indignation. and our griei
is turned into horror when we see neri
can citizens, whether native or naturalized
vindcating the continuance and extension
of Slavery in this country by elaborate
argument, and with unblnshing impndence
claiming for :his organized. crime place
among our national institutions.
We deem this occasion a At one for sta
tingto you the views held by us and by
many of onr fellow citizens Of the trua con
S,itutionai position of our National Govern
ment in relation to s,avsrv.,
No American at all coversapt with the
history Of this country, doubts that at the
peri, d Of orr revolutionary struggle an in,
tense love Of liberty and hatred of opnre 8
sion possessed the heart of all the leading
characters OF the nation The patriots o
that day refused to place the vindication o1
resistance to oppression upon any lower
equal ''that thew are endewi hy the
Creator with certain inalenable rights; tha,
among these are life, liberty. AMI the pur
suit of happiness"
Nor was the assertion CT these truths
confined 10 this declaration As nar,y as
177s the delegates Of the several colonies
assembled at Philadelph,a, bound them
selves aad their constituents by a snlemn
covenant, that they would ''neiiher impar,
nor pnrch"ase ary slave imported, after the
first ofDecember in that wear but would
wholly discontinue the slave. trade, and
neither be concerned in it themselves, no,
hire their vessels, nor sell their cnrpnodi
ties-or manufactures to those who might be
concerned in it." And at the close of the
Revolution. in an address Issued in April
1888. by the American Congress to the
States. il was asserted as matter of JUS
pride and exultahon tina: the rights for
which the contest. Just terminated, bad
been waged "were the rights Of human ma.
ture."
!, Other public documents and the private
writingsitf theimost distinguished men ol
that period furnish unequivocal evidence that
the existence Of negro slavery in America
was deeply deplored and its extinction
earnestly desired by all good men and pa
tviots. The light, however. which more
than half a century OF experience and the
combined efforts Of so many wise and elo.
quent philanthropists have since shed upon
the sui jet was denied to that age. The
safety and expeliency OF universal emanci-
pations had not been tested by the splendid
West Indian experiment. I'm ediate anil
general libertion vas dreaded as fraught
with evils to the master and slave. All
however, cnncsfred in desiring to put an
end to slavery wherever abolition was
deemed practicable and safe. The man
who should have dared to- advocate its
further extension would have been uni
vpsaliy eEeersted IS an enemy Of his spe-
cies.
The rsaiify and powar Of these sentinents
we're signaiiy displayed in the provisions of
he ordinance for the government Of the
erritory OF the United States northwest Of
ht river Ohio. promulgated in July. 1857
This territcry was ceded to the nation by
he States Of Virginia, New York and Con
,ecticut, all then slavehDlding States. No
'owsr had been, granted in congress BY arr
icIes OF the confederation to iegisiate for
he abolition Of slavery within the limits Of
he States. But in regard to this territory,
jongrvss possessed the same power over the
ppject that the States themselves pos.
f
essed yithin their respective jurisdictions;
nd in the ordinance providing for its gov
rnment the existance Of slavery was pro-
'iblted absolutely and forever. There were
layes in this territory at the time Of the
dopt'on OF the ordinance, held under the