Year: 1861

very In Oregon. This continued until
1859, when Oregon became a State
Hence, from the beginning of this Gov
ernment down TO 1859, slavery was pro
hbited by Congress in some portion of
the territories of the United States. But
now, for the first time in the history of
this Government. there is no foot of
ground in America where slavery is pro-
hibited By act of Congress.


You of the other side of the Chamber,
by the unanimous vote of every Republi-
can in this body and every Republican in
the House Of Representatives, have organ
lied all the Territories of the United States
on the principle of non>intervention by
Congress with the question Of slavery.
leaving the people to do as they please,
subject to the limitations of the Cons'itu
ton. Hence | think the Senator from
Kentucky fell into grave error of fac, as
well as of law, when be said the other
day that YOU had not abated one jot of
your creed that you had not abandoned
your aggressive policy in the Territories
and that you were now pursuing the poll
cy of excluding the Southern people from
al the Territories of the United States
You have by unanimous vote this year
declared in the most solemn form that
such is no longer the policy OF your party
The Senator from Kentucky was led into
this error by reading the Chicago plat
form. He read the platform adopted be-
fore the election as evidence Of what the
party intended to do after election. That
was great mistake. Ihe result proves
that 1t WIS mistake. What you may
have said before the election was one
thing. What you felt it Your duty as
patriots to do imme iiateIy after the eec
ton, is very different thing. Afie,
having secured the power, you went to
work and organized all the Territories
that we have now got, on the principle OF
non intervention and popular sovereignty,
according to the model Of the compromise
measures of 1850, and the Kansas NebraS~
ka bill of 1854, without prohibiting sla
very anywhere. Hence we are bound to
infer and forced to admit, as an act of
simple justice, that YOU have abandoned
your crusade against slavery in the Ter
rtories and have recognized the right of
shareholders to an equal participation iu
all the Territories Of the United States.-
In fact, there never has been time since
the Government was founded, when the
rights of shareholders to emigrate to the
Territories and carry with them their
slaves and hold them on an equal footing
with other properly, was so fully and dis
tint..y recognized in all the Territories as
at this time, and that, too, by the unani-
nous vote of the Republican party in
both Houses of Congress.


The Senator from Kentucky has told
YOU that the Southern States now in the
Union will never be satisfied to remain in
it unless they get terms that Will give them
tiler a right, IN common with all other
States, 10 eirigrate into the Territories or
that will secure 20 them their righ.s in
the Territories on the principle of An
eou, able division. These are the only
terms on which, he says, those Southern
States now in the Union wild consent to
remain. | wish to call the attention of
that distinguished Senator to the fact that
under the law as it now stands. the
South have all the rights which he claims
First, Southern men have the right to
emigrate into all the Territories, and carry
their slave property with them, on all
equitable partition of the Territories as
signed by law all slave territory up to 81 o
instead Of 36o 80 half degree more than
they claim The Senator was mistaken
therefore, both in law and in fact. in sup
posing THAI the South had been excluded


lie will not say that the Kansas n ebraska
bill excluded the South, nor that the com
promise measures of 1850 excluded them;
nor n he say that tie territorial bills
passed this year exclude them; for they
are all on the same basis, so far as the
question of slavery in the Territories is
concerned. The Senator from Kentucky,
supposing that the Republicans had not
yet yielded these points, gives US the fol>
lowing emphatic warning:


Whatever settlement NAV be made
on other questions, this must be set led
upon terms that vii. give them (lhe South J
either right in common with others. to
emgrate into all the Territories, or will
secure to them their rights on principle
of equitable division"


Now, under the laws as they stand in
every Territory of the United States, with
ont any exception, Southern man can
60 with his slave property on equal terms
with all other property. What are those
terms! All persons and all property GO
into the Territories of the United States
subject TO the local law. Congress has
nothing to do with the local Legislation
for the proteGtion Of persons ard proper
tv in the Territories. All that Congress
does is TO organize the Territory, define
the jurisdiction of the Territorial Govern
ment, allow the people to elect Legisla-
ture, and make laws for the protection OF
persons aud property. Congress las new.
er yet passed law To protect cattle, hor
ses, or merchandise, in the Territories
Congress has never Yet passed law TO
protect slave properly In a Territory
Congress never passed law to prof ect
any kind of property whatever in Ter
, ritory. All tha. Congress has done is to
say: The Legislative power of said Ter
ritory shall extend to all rightful subjects
OF legislation consistent with the Consti-
tu:lon of the United States" without ex-
cepuug horses, cattle. merchandise. or