Year: 1860

nine" trainers of the original Constitution,
and the seventy six members of the Congress
which framed the amendments thereto, taken
together, do certainly include those who may
be fairly called "our fathers who framed the
Government under which we live And so
assuming, defy any man to show that any
one of them ever in his whole life declared
that, in his understanding, any proper di-
vision of local from Federal authority, or any
part of the Constitution, forbade the Federal
Government to control as to Slavery in the
Federal Territories. go q step further
defy any one to show that any living man
in the whole world ever did, prior to the be-
ginning Of the present century, (and might
almost say prior to the beginning Of the last
half of the present century, declare that, in
his understanding, any proper division Of
local from Federal Authority, or any part Of
the Constitution. forbade the Federal Gov
ernment TO control as to Slavery in the Fed
eral Territories. To those who now so de-
clare, | give, not only. "our fathers who
framed the Government under which we
live but with them AL other living men
within the century in which it was framed.
among whom to search, and they shall not
be able to find the evidence of single man
agreeing with them.


/ HOW FAR THE WISDOM OF TIE GATHERS Should
! CONTROL Us.


Now, nnd here letme glarl little against
being misunderstood [ 10 not mean to say
we are bound to follow implicitly in whatcv-
er our fathers did To do so wculd be to
discard all the lights Of current experience
toreject all progress--al improvements. What
/ | do say is, that if we would suDDiant the
opinions and policy of our fathers in any case
we should do so upon evidence SO conclusive.
and argument so clear, that even thoir. great
authority, fairly considered and weighed.
cannot stand; and most surely not in a case
whereof we ourselves declare they under.
stood the question bestar than we. If any
man, at this day, sincerely believes that
proper division Of the local from Federal All
/ thority, or any part of the Constitution, for
bids the Federal Government to control as to
Slavery in the Federal Territories, he is right
to say so, and to enforce his position by all
/ truthtul evidence and fair argument which
he can. But he has no right to mislaad 9th
erS, who have less access to history and less
leisure to study it, into the false belief that
"our fathers, who framed the Government
under which we live" were OF the same
opinion-thus substituting falSehoCd and de-
ment. Ifany man at this day sin ,arcv be-
| levcs "our fathers, who framed the Gnvern-
ment under which we live, used and annlied
principles, in other cases, which ought to
have led them to understand that proper
division of local from Federal authority, or
some part of the Constitution, fprbils tf,n
I Federal Government to control rs to Slavery


in the Federal Territories, he is right to say
so. But he should. at the same time, brave
the responsibility of declaring that. in his
opinion, he understands the principles better
than they did themselves; and especially
should he not shrk that responsibility hv
asserting that they understood the question
just as well, and even better, than we do
now" But enough. Lee all who believe
that ''our fathers, who framed the Govern
ment under which we live, und rstood this
question irISt as well, and even better than
we do now" speak as they spoke, and act as
they acted upon it. This is all Republicans
ask-all Republicans desire-in relation to
Slavery. As those fathers marked it, so let
it be again marked, as an evil not to be cx-
tended, but to be tolerated and protected on
| ly because Of and so far as its actual pres
ence among us makes that liberation and
ties those fathers gave it he, not grudgingly,
but fully and fairly, maintained For this
Republicans contend and with this, SO far
as know or believe, they will be content.


FEW WORDS To TIE SOUTH


And now, ifthcy would listen-as snp-
pose they will not-I wonld address a few
words to the Southern people would say
to them: You consider yourselves reason
able and just people; and consider that in
the general qualities of reason and Justice
you are not inferior to any other people
Still, when you speak of US Republicans, you
do so only to dcnounce us as reptiles, or, at
the best, as no better than outlaws You
will grant a hearing to pirates or murderers,
but nothing like it to "Black Republicans"
In all your contentious with one another,
each of you deems an unconditional con-
demnation Of "Black Republicanism" as the
first thing to be attended to. Indeed, such
condemnation of us seems to be an indispen-
sable rerequisite-license, so to speak
among you to hc admitted or permitted to
speak at ali. Now, can you, or not, be pre-
vailed upon to pause and to consider wheth


er this is quite Just to us, or even to your
selves? Bring forward your charles and
specifications, and then be patient long
enough to hear us deny or Justify. Gou say
We are sectional. We deny it. That makes
an issue; and the burden of proof is up
on you. You produce your proof; and
what is it Why, that our party has no
existence in your section-gets no votes in
Your section The fact is substantially true;
but does it prove the issue? fit does, then
in case we should, without change of prin-