Year: 1859

|
exists, without the addition of a single plank
or the removal of single pillar. Applause.
Standing upon this platform the Democratic
party assert that the eople of a Territory.
like those of State, have a right to decide
for themselves whether slavery shall or
shall not exist within their limits. The enc
mics of the Democratic parry. North and
South, deny the doctrine of non intervention
and popular sovereignty. The Southern in
tervrntionists demand intervention hv Con.
gresS Tor the maintenance of slavery; the
intervenlioniss of the North demand inter
ference by Congress fer the destruction and
prnhibliit OF slavery; the Democracy every
where deny the right of Congress to inter
iere, one way or the other, for or agninst
slavery, but assert that the people themselves
shall decide whether they will or will not
have slavery in their limits.


| These are the different positions of the sew.
eral parties, and our intention is not merely
to dwell upon idle speculative or theoretical
questions. They are practical issues, presen.
ted to the people of this day for settlement.
Already has New Mexico. on the one hand.
and Kansas on the other. presented case for
Congressional Intervention. You will re
member that several years after the passage
Of the act organizing the Territory Of New
Mexico, the Legislature refused 10 pass Il
slave code for the protection Of slave proper
ty. in the Territories, hut during last wear
the Territorial Legislature of New Mexico
passed slave code protecting and maintain
ing slavery in that Territory as domestic
institution, and furnishing ali offences against
slave property. The Republican party stands
pledged by their platform to repeal the slave
code which the people of New Mexico have
| "a fah all olo


pie have declared they want it. On the
other hand, the people Of Kansas Territory.
through their first Legislature passed l:w
protecting and maintaining slavery in that
Territory. but on the 9th of Feb. 1858, the
Territorial Legislature Of Kansas repea ed
their slave code. abolished ali the remedies
for the protection of slave property. and
withdrew from the courts any Jurisdiction
over the subject. BY this unfriendlv legisln.
tion on the part of Kansas, slavery is to. .dav
excluded from that Territory. Now, the
Southern opposition to the Democratic party
tell you that Congress must interfere and
maintain and protect slavery in Kansas
gainst the wishes Of the people and in def
ance of the local law while the Northern
Opposition, called the Republican party, de-
mand that Congress shall deprive the people
of New Mexico of slavery, and abolish self
government. against the wishes of the people
aud in violation of local law t. both of
these doctrines the Democratic party main
tain stern. inhexlbls and irresistible oppo.
>ition. (Cheers)


We assert that if the people of New Mexi
co want slavery, they have right to it
Cheers We assert that if they want a slave
code, they have right to pass it. We assert
that they, having passed such code thro'
their Legislature, it must and shall stand the
law Of the land until they repeal it them
selves. And in reference to Kansas, the Dem
ocratic party also assert that if the people of
Kansas do not want slavery il shall not be
forced on them. We assert that if Kansas
does not want slave code, Congress shall
never compel them to have it.


That if the people of Kansas prefer free in
stitutions to slave institutions, they have a
right to them, and the Southern opposition.
or Northern opposition, or any other oppOsi-
ton, shall not overrule the wish of the reo-
pie. (Applause.) Now, if the opposition to the
Democratic party. either North or South, are
sincere in their professions. they are compel
led at the next session of Congress to bring
forward law to carry OF their doctrines in
the Territories If Mr. Seward be an honest
man, he must bring in bill 10 abolish slave
| ry and repeal the slave code Of New Mexico.
If the Southern Opposition members. cleo
ted In Kentucky or other Southern States. be
honest men when they assert that it is the
| duty of Congress to protect slavery in the
| Territories ag inst the wishes ofthe people
| then they are bound to make laws to estab-
ish and maintain slavery IN Kansas in oppo-
siton TO the wishes Of the people Hence
say the question of intervention or of nom
Intervention If Cong es~ with the domestic
concerns of the Territories can be no longer
postponed That issue must he met Either
| the doctrine Of non Intervention and popular
sovereiguty must he aequiesced in, and car.
ried out In good faith, or else Congress must
interfere for orngainst slavery in opposition
to the wishes of the people in e ch locality.
| Now, let Inc ask you how you can ever have
peace on the slavery question long us
Congress is allowed to interfere with it p
| Any man VIII advocates Congressional inter.
veniion is an enemy TO the peace and har-
mOny of the States of this Union. There Gun
be no peace on the slavery question: there
can tie no truce in sectional strife there can
be no fraternity between the Northern and
Southern States. so long rs Congress is er-
mitted to interfere with the local aud domes-
tic institutions of any of the Territories OF
this Union.


That question was decided distinctly in
| 1850. when the Compromise Measures were
passed. You all recollect that during that
Struggle there was Southern party demnu-
ding Congressional inter venti0n TO maintain
slavery in opposition to the wishes of the
people and on the other hand there was nn
ultra Northern antislavery party, demand
ing Cong essionul Intervention TO abolish and
prohibit slavery, regardless of the wishes OF
the people or the local law. These two ultra
parties-these two intervenlionis s-the one
southern and the other Northern-disturbed
the harmony of the country and iml erilled
the existence of the Union.


In that great struggle the immortal Clay,
who had performed his mission on earth and
retired to the shades Of Ashland to prepare
tor better and happier world, in his retire
ment heard the rumbling of harsh discOrddnt
notes OF sectional strife and sectional contro-
versy, and came forth from his retirement tt
resume his seat in the Senate-that great
theater of his mighty deeds-to see if lac by
his experience his wisdom. and by the re-
nuwn of his famous name, could do some
thing to calm the troubled waters and re-
store peace and fraternity to a divided and
distracted country. (Cries Of Glorious Hear


Hear y


From the moment Henry Clay made his ap
pearance in the Senate all party strife was
hushed, all partisan controversy ceased the
voice of discord was no longer heard, anc
Clay was recognized and proclaimed leader
of all the Union men, North and South
Wings and Democrats. For a period of si'
months we assembled in caucus every day


with Clay in the chnir Cass upon his right


w ebster upon his left hand, aud the Wing


and Democrats ranged on either side. pro-
{ miseuousy supporting and sustaining Clay il
{ his effort. To devise n Dlan to restore pencI