Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1876-10-18
LETTER FROM MN. BLAINE
In Response to the Attack Of th<
Chicago Jlmoo.

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We have received the following let
ter from the Hon. james q. Blaine
1t was also sent to the Chicago Time,
on Saturday last, but has not yet ap
pcared In that paper. II Is In answer
to the silly but outrageous attacks o.
the Times on Mr.. Blaine's statemen,
regarding the Congressional record
of Charles Francis Adams. If Mr.
B. was familiar with the character ol
the newspaper assanlting him he
would hardly think It necessary te
make this response but as il Is. ht
can be pardoned for the following
very vigorous reply:
NoRwALK, Ohio, Oct. 6, 1876.
TO the Editor Of the Chicago Times.
have read your Incorporate and
ill-considered article in yesterday
Times In regard to my remarks on
Charles Francis Adams. You arc
wholly in error ON tho two or three
essential questions Of fact, and these
being corrected I will gladly omit ali
reference to the epithcts and adject.
ives in which you so freely indulge.
Tho constitutional amendment
which you quote is not the one to
which / referred at all. am per-
fcctly aware that the one you quote
was adopted by a two-thirds vote in
both Senate and House, that Mr..
Lincoln referred to 1t approvingly in
his inaugural address, and that It was
favorably received in, more than one
Leeisia.ure o. tnc i1ysl states. The
aInenumeh. WMcn ! denounced was
rSportea from the COMMITTEE Of
Inirty-thrce IN tnese words:
Articic.-. 70 amendment OF this
Constitutlon naving for ITS object any
interference within the States with
the relation between their citizens
ana tnose described ~ sectl0n second
OF the nrst article OF the Constitution
as ali other persons shdU originate
scatn any ctdte .aat does not recognize
t1ds fet0tsOn acsta,n ~ oscn Asnsts, or
shdN 0e calaa scatnout the assent et
every one cf the States composing TIE
Cnaon
Inc journal OF tnat committee, hap
ply preserved ana accessible, shows
tnat Mr. Adams WAS the author OF
tnis proposltion. Inc Congresss0nat
utoOe SHOWS tnat on the 5!st OF Janu-
ary, 1851, MT. Adams made an eiab-
orate speech IN support OF this afro
cious amendment, whicn, as SAID In
my speech, prOposca 10 give slavery
guarantee winch freedom mover
asked, 10 give II lootnold on
TINS continent from which 1t
never could 90 aisiodged: II you
ueslre Ialr play IN presenting this
q9estion, just turn 20 the Appendix
OF thc Congressiondt 0t0Oe, last vol
uIhe, Ihlrty-sixtn congress, ana re !.
pupiIsh IN the 1mes ~ MT. ADAMS
speech OIL January u, 1901, ana then
frankly say II " does not merit far
more Di!ter denuneiatlon than nave
oeen anie 10 give II; In tnAt speech
you Will find that Mr.. Adams gave
up the whole question OF prohibiting
slavery In the tcrritories, and pro-
posed 10 conslgn an the national do
main south OF 20 ~ to tho dominion
OF the slave-c0de then IN force In the
territory OF New Mexico.
AFTER Mr.. Adams speech the 10y
atty ana courage OF the North--anx-
lous as the North was for peace--re-
slsted against ms proposition, and on
Feb. 70, Mr.. Corwin, Ohio, called up
the amendment originally, proposed
by Mr. Adams, and would not per-
init It to come to direct vote, but
submitted as substitute, the amend-
ment you quote, IN these words:
mo amendment shall DC made to
the constitution which Will authorize
or give to congress the power to abol-
ish or interfere within any state with
the domestic institutions thereof, in
ciuding tnat OF persons held to SER
wee or labor ny the laws of said
STATE.
FOR TINS propositlon, which Mr..
Lincoln IN ms inaugural said, "mere-