Year: 1860

fec,ing the principle. achieved by the Rev
olution. Under that Constitution we are
now holding colonies just as Great Brit
ain did before the Revolution. And our
territories now demand the same right
that was demanded and enforced by our
fathers of the King of England. But we
are sometimes told by the opposition that
the territories are not entitled to this right
because it is not granted in their charters.
Our children may read that the Tories of
the Revolution made the sane claim that


to them by their charters. Our fathers
denied that tory doctrine, and believed
that they obtained their rights from God
Almighty, and that they could not be Ia
ken away. That was the very question
submitted to the ColoIIists IN the revolu-
tionary war, and decided by soldiers with
bayonets in their hands. The inherent
right of self government was ,he very
point at Issue Between the Co!onists and
Great Britain. another fact in this con-
nection cannot fail to be instructive at the
present day. The first serious controvef-
sy that arose between the Colonists sui
the Government OF Great Britain, WAS FL
reference to the slavery question. In
1772. the Colonial Legislature of Virgin
ia notified the King Of England, that ii lie
persisted IN his interfering with Virginia,
by forcing slavery upon her against tho
will of the people, lie would lose his
American possessions, In two years after
this blood was shed at Concord and
Bunker Hill, and in four years after inde-
pendence was proclaimed and the Colonies
were free anG independent States. Hence
it appears 10y the history of the country
that the irritatabe slavery question began
to produce mischief before the revolution.
and it has never ceased to produce mis-
chief until this day. The Colonies would
never consent to have such domestic
questions settled by the crown or by Par
Lament, or by the privy council. Nor
will we submit to have the affairs of the
territories iDtertered with by Congress-
And yet we find the country irritated by
the attemts of Congress to control the
slavery question, contrary to the wishes Of
the people who are Interested in it, The
country is irritaed with sectional strife,
and divided mo two sectional parties, each
appealing to the paejudiccs of the people
against the other. Both creeds turn upon
the same pivot of Congressional inteiveu-
ton. They both occupy the same reIs-
tive position as the two blades of pair
of shears. They turn upon the same pivot
but they cut in opposite directions. In
teryention by Congress is the pivot uron
which they both turn.


The Northern Republicans demand that
Congress shall prohibit slavery wherever
the people desire to have it. The South
erp seceSsionists would maintain and pro
tect slavery in the territories wherever the
people do not want it. Neither Of them
walt Congress to interfere except in direct
opposition to the wishes Of the people
The Republicans tell US that they don't
want slavery prohibited where the people
don't want it because they will prohibit
it for themselves. The Southern fire eat
ers don't want slavery protected where the
people want it, because the people in that
case the people will protect it for them
selves. Now, my felIow-citizens, inquire
seriousl y whether you can ever hope to
have peace between the North and the
South as long as the country is divided
between these two sectional parties.-
Hence, it is the duty of all conservative
! men, of all law-abiding men, of all Union
loving men, to combine to put down these
Two sectional parties, the Northern Repub-
lIcans and the Southern Secessionists, a. a
preliminary to the restoration of peace to
our distracted country. There can be no
peace uii we return to the principle If
non-interyemtion by Congress with slavery
IN the territories and everywhere else
The other day was shown piece of con
tnental money on which was engraved
tie words, "Mind your own busincss -
The meaning of these words WAS this:
Great Britain had attempted TO interfere
with the local affairs Of the American col
onies, and they said TO her, " Hands of
mind your own business"


Al this point heavily loaded steamer
was seen approaching the wharf. MIR.
Douglas said that there appeared to be
several thousand people on board who
must have had some good reason for COM
ING. And he was told that there wer,
several thousand people now waiting in
Providence for means of conveyance. He
thought that they had better make up
their minds TO trust in Providence, IA
they would never find means of getting
here.


Dir. Douglas proceeded All we ask
OF Congress Is to act upon and carry ont
the motto of the Continental Congress
Mind your own business" Never ran
we have peace till we banish the slavery
question from the halls of Congress- and
remand it to the people of the States and
territories interested in it The people
OF each State and Territory know better
what kind of institutions they desire than
we who never saw them and don't know
what they want. A great many people
think that if a law is good in one place it
IS good everywhere in consequence. and
want uniformity of legislation in the diff
terent states. Our fathers did not think
uniformity desirable or possible.


Our fathers knew, as well as we know