Year: 1861

as an lndvidual, utterly deny-the correct
ness of this position, by referring to the deca
Judges themselves, Justices Curtis and Nc
Lean, when they say that there was no occa
sion for such decision, and the court had no
power to 60 outside of the question which was
at issue, to decide whether Dred Scott was a
slave or not. ".r


assert that this decision of the court,
under these circumstances, is null and void,
and Of no account-not that do not, and the
Republican party do not, acknowledge our.
selves bound in all cases whatever to submit
TO the judicial decisions Of the country, but be.
cause we hold that the highest authority of
this Government, SO far as reason and expert
ence are concerned, prove it is no law, no decs.
ion at oil. Applause.


WE'LL then, we say to our Southern brethren,
although we went through the battle at the bal
lot box in 1860, on the 9Th Of November, up
on this issue of whether we the people and our
children Of the free States, and we the people |
of the laboring classes Of the slave States-the
eight millions who are interested in having |
these Territories free, just as much as any slave
holder south of Mason and Dixon's line three
or four hundred thousand, if you please. AL.
though we put it to the great arbitrsment Of the
people themselves to determine whether or not
they must have Slavery in these Territories,
and the victory was decided in our behalf
and honestly it is not disputed, we say to our
Southern brethren, in the hour of victory and
oftriumph, magnanimously we come before you,
and we give you all, every single square inch Of
the common territory of the United States that
you ask or have ever asked-even your most ultra
men--up to go 30/ north latitude. And here
men Of Kentucky and Of the United States, fel
low Republicans everywhere, if we have to go
to battle at all, would it not be well for us 10
have 1t in our power to say to each other, as
the blood shall flow, "Oh l fear that we have
acted too magnanimously; we did all that was
possible in the case to do before we allowed
ourselves to be precipitated into this great al.
tentative"


Well, now, gentlemen, that proposition, re-
ported to the House of Representatives by the
committee of thirty three, l believe, of which
the Hon. Mr.. Corwin, of Ohio, is chairman, and
projected by that distinguished citizen aud il.
1ustrous name which will ever be illustrious as
long as liberty is known among men-Mr.
Adams, of Massachusetts-that all the Terri.
tories south of $50 3O< belonging to this Govern.
ment, known as the Territory of New Mexico,
where slavery exists de ,tacto, and which can.
not be repealed except by majority Of both
Houses, the sanction not only Of the House Of
Representatives, where we have the political
power, but also of the Senate, where we have
not the political power; regarding it as Stdtu
quo-s fixed fact, that we cannot change the
responsibility for this establishment Of slavery
The curse, il it be curse, rests not upon us,
but upon the Democratic party, who in 1850
declared this most solemn compromise that was
never to be violated, and in which the whole
North, in all her then existing political organ
cations, sanctioned, and uttered anathemas and
curses of political damnation against me, and
every other man who dared question it. Yea
remember the declarations that they made in
reference to that compromise, and excluded
every man that questioned it forever, not only
in these United States, but even the insign if.
cant Offices in the States themselves.


Well, then, got it by legalizing an enabling
act of the South. know that many say that
it is Trojan horse, Timeo Danaos ct dona .te
rentes. They say, you give us slave State, while
practically it will turn out to be free State,
and briug two free Senators against US. l say
it to the South, we give you all that we have a
right to give. Take the Territory and enter it
as you please, and bring all the influences you
can to bear upon it to make it slave State,
and il, in spite of all the influences you bring
to bear upon it, you acknowledge that it will
still be free State, then Gods will be done.
Laughter and applause.


Now ask my Republican friends what com.
promise of principle is there here? l say here,
as elsewhere, that if it can be proved to me by
any course of ratiocination depending upon
the principles Of logic, merely that by so doing
we abandon single principle of the Chicago
platform, then / am willing to abandon the
whole scheme, and go with them but if, on the
contrary, it shall be found that we find our.
selves in the midst of revolution before we
have gotten into power, perhaps more by the
peculiarly of temperament of the Chief Magis
trate himself than by design on his part to do
harm with the conclusion which naturally
arises, and that terrible engine Of power, the
press, that would arraign us when we find our.
selves in this most extraordinary attitude, and
when q leading journal of leading State shall
say that the Union abandons all its principles,
and another leading journal Of leading State
calls upon us, in tones of equal authority, to
save your principles by abandoning the
Union" say, then, if the party is demoralized,
it is net such as l who have done it. Why,
gentlemen, have we assumed to be simply phi.
losophers, cold abstractionists, alchemists -
which is necessary, proper and glorious, to be
done, it is true-abstract principles, by which
practical men are to guide the vessel of state
Then let us retire into closet, and rest in
that vocation to which nature has fitted US, or
which we will assume. Let US not undertake
TO be statesmen; annunciators OF these great
principles which will ultimately triumph, but
which it is the duty Of the statesman, by lawful
balances and expediences, to carry into execu.
ton. Then we must take these surroundings
as they exist not as we would have them, my
Republican friends, but as necessity has
placed them around US. Let us make the best
Of them.


Suppose, then, this is accomplished; that the
border States are satisfied as have reason to
believe they will be, with these other guaran'
ties and that, when they are satisfied, the pres.
ent States whether they will or not, will at least
be obliged to be satisfied, Laughter, and peace
shall be restored and any man, hearing that
miserable caumny, which could not be consider.
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