Year: 1861

must help convey rickpocket to jail


But enough. You agree to enforce a fu'
} gtive slave law


REF, Willingly. Tell the South that.


DEM, Twill. Now as to the Personal
Liberty bills. They amount to nothing
you say, but is not their animus bad, and
ought they not to be repealed?


REP. never was in favor of them


They were the measures of ultra men,
and l am decidedly in favor of repeating
them, and so are a 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 tine Personal Liberty
bills. You may tell the South that.


DEM Nothing remains but the Terrific
ries. Can we agree as to that?


REF. l think not. will never surren.
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. have nothing to do with getting
rid Of it. only soy that into the Terri
tories, where have voice about it, it
shall never come. The States may take
care of it within their borders.
/


Dem, But, my friend, you and | must
not close our eyes to the future of our
country. Suppose the Union 10 survive,
and your principle of free Territories to
prevail, do you, dare you, close your eyes
to that nation of blacks that is increasn Q
so rapidly in 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
grow 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 VIII take care of that question .
That the whole dispute has been one of
abstract principle, and not of practical
Importance?


REF. So 1 believe; but it is principle,
nevertheless.


DEH. Well, then, has it not been
question ofprinciEle under the Constitu-
ton? ? in point of fact, 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.


Dew. Well then, let us go 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 not law
ful North Of it; always leaving open the
omnipOtent power ola State to legislate
it into its Territory North, or out of it
South, whenever State arises. That will
be no sacrifice of your principle. Besides.
what i it is The sacrifice of principle?
What is your principle worth? What is
its aim, object, basis? Is it not the Uni.
ted States2 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


REr. Has it come to that?


DEN. 1t has come ojust 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
With us and our party NJ
the North, the South will not, cannot
treat for they regard us as conquered
and powerless. 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
go, whatever is done. But you may cave
the Union now by showing Georgia and
Alabama conservative men that YOU arc
not Abolitionists that there is a strong
party, even in the Republi.
can ranks that you are willing to give
hem all the privileges Of copartuers in
jhe Union. At least, try this last resort