Political text-book for 1860 : comprising a brief view of presidential nominations and elections, including all the national platforms ever yet adopted ... with the most notable speeches and letters of Messrs. Lincoln, Douglas, Bell, Cass, Seward, Everett, Breckinridge, H.V. Johnson, etc., etc., touching the questions of the day : and returns of all presidential elections since 1836

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168 A POLITICAL TEXT- BOOK FOR 18ot John llrO\vn's sentimenta arc right; 11.nd thci: uenun- ' It il!ln vain to say that this coulu be onllurou . it Is slJ» elation~ against the Constitution, 1md against the most p ly lrnposslhle. ' h~\llowed uames connected \fith It, are perfectly justlUa- ~ What, then, rcm<\lns to be <Uscna~cd? We. Tho nt!gro race it! upon u:1. With :.1. Oon~ti tutlou whlo' 'l'h friends of truth-the patriotic Americans who woulcl held them in bondage, our Federal Uniun might be pr~ su..~tain their r ountry's honor against foreign rivalry, and served; but if so holding them lu bondage be 1\ thlu~ fo• dJ fcn.l their country's interests again:lt :til assallantl!, err bidden by God :\nd Nature, we cannot lawfullv ~(1 ho~ grcall.r wlwn th..:y contend with th..:::1c men on un.Y point them, ancl the Union must peri:ih. • but 1>nc. 'l'hl'ir gcncml principles cannot be refuted; Thill L; the ine,·itable retmlt o! that conillct whk.h h~U t!1~ir logic I · irrcsi;;tilJlu ; the erro r, if any th ere be, I:~ In now reached Its climax. thdr pr c mi~L'S. '!'hey o.sscrt that n cgro ::\lavery i3 unjust. Among us at t he n orth, tho sole questit>n for reflection 'l'hL~, and tlli>~ nlon ·, of all they say, ill capable of being stucly, and friendly Interchange of thought :~houltl be-1~ fai rly argued l.l ~ain!:!t. negro Slavery unju~t ? The mtion:\1 ancl tliHpa~~io nute If till::! pro po~;ilio n cannot be re futed, our Union cannot ln4ui rer will 11nd no tllniculty l11 an·lring at my coud u-cotlurc, and it ought not to endure. sion. lt ill 11t :mel proper; iL i:;, in itK own nature M 110 Our negro bondmen c:w ucilhcr he exterminated nor lnl!titution, benetlcial to both raceH ; ancl the clrc~:t' of u.u transported to A fric:~. 'J'hey nrc too numerou~ for either ass 'l'tlon !11 not diminished by om admitting th11t m:my proce s, unci either, if pmcticable, would lnvol ve n. viola- fault~ are practised under lt. I t~ not such the fact In re· tiou of humanity. If they were cm:mclputcd, they would spcct to all human ln.ws nmllnstit utionH ? relapse into barb:u-ism, or a set of ncgro St:\tes wouhl lam, gentlemen, with great rel:!pect, y oms trulr ari;;e io our midst, possessing political equ:~lity, and cnti- OuAHL.t>s O ' U~l<OR. Ued to social t•qu;dit.y. 'l'he division of p;irties would soon make the n egro members <L powerful botly in Congrcss­woulu place some of them In high politicnl stations, and occasionally let one lnto the exe\1Ullvo chair. To Mt•ssrs. Leitch, llurnet & Co.; 0 Pn. W . • t: .Tt•hlu.l R;•ttd; BruiT, Brot.her & Sea.n~ r; t;. B. llatt'lt & t:n. ; !lad ~. Nnu lc & l 'o. · \\'csson & \Jox; <Jr ouln, llurxthal & .·car . .; ; At wa~t:r, ~lul!o.·J & Co. · ~--- IIERSCIIEL V. JOIINSON ON SLAVERY IN TilE TERRITORIES. On the 7th of July, 184.8, while the bill to e tabli h the Territorial Gove rnme n t of Oregon wa, under con ·idcration in the United tates Senate, the lion. llc r c h cl V. John. on, then a member of the Senate, from Gcor·gia, and now a candidate for Vice-President on the ticket with Mr. DouglaR, made a lengthy speech from which we cxLract the following : It remains now to consider the question involved In the amendment proposed by the Senn.tor from Mls•is· sippi (i:\lr. Davis). 'l'hu.t question is, whether it it~ the duty of Congre~s to guarantee to the slaveholtlcr, who shall remove with his salves Into the territory of the United State$, the undisputed enj oyment of h is property In them, so long as it continues to be a. Territory. Or in other words, whet her the inhabitants of a 'l'crritorv' during their Territorial condition have the right to pro~ uibit lavery th erein. ) l'or the purpose of this Question, It matters not where the power of l egisl:~ting for the Territory n.~i rle.;­whether exclusl vcly in Congress, or j ointly in Congress and the inhabitants, or exclusively in the inhahitunt.s of the Territory; the power Is precisely the same- no greater in the h:wds of one than the other. In no event, can the slaveholder of t ho South be exclude•! from settling In such Territory with his property of C\'ery description. If the right 11f exclusive legislation for the 'l'erritories hclungH to Cnn!l"ress then I have ~:~hown that they have uo Constitut ion ttl p~wer eithet· cxp1·e~sell or implied, to prohibit Slavery thercil;, Uut suppose that Congress have the right to es tabli h a 'f erritorial Gov­ernment only, and that then, all fu rther governmental control c~a~cs; can tlae Territorial Legislature lla~5 an net prolnbtting Slavery? Surely not. !<'or the mo­ment you admit the right to organize a Territorial Oov­~ rnment to e~ist In Congress, you admit, neceil~al'ily .he subordlnntwn or t he people of the 'l'erritory- thl!ir lcpendence on this Government for un organic l!\w to ~lve them po.litical existen ce.. lienee all their legisla­\ wn must be tn con formity w1th the organic law · t11ey c~n pa. ~ no act in violation of It- none but such ds per­nuts. wee, therefore, Congress has no power us I have shown, t.o p ro hibit Slavery, they cannot delegate B~Ch ll. power ~0 the inhabitan~s Of the 'l'erritory j t hey oa~n o t author11.e t he 'J'errltor1al Legl~ latu re to do that whtch. they have no power to do. The stream cannot rl~e lughcr than i t:~ source. This is as true In govern­ments a · in physics. It ill ltllc, however·, to dl.,cuss this question In this form. For if Congrc!'.S po:;scss the power to organize temporary jl;Overn~ent.s, i~ 1uust then possc~s the power to l egi~h'\te !or the ll·rntmws. If they may perform the greater, they rua.y tJ1c les15; the major incluues the minor proposition. Jlcnce Congress has, ln nil cases since the fnuudation of our go,•ernmcnt, reservetl a veto upon t liP l egi~lntlon or thc territorial gO\'Crnmcnts j it lR a{J~o/ ult'l?l nel"€8/lfli'!J, ln orucr to restrain them from violationR of lhc Con Lill). tloo and infringements of the ri~ht:~ of the StiLtcs, a~ j oin~ ownc1·s or the public lancls. Jf, thr refore, the uct of tho Territorial Government, prohibiting. ' Ia very, lioultl be scnl up to Congre~s for approval, the.r would be hountl to with· holtl lt, upon the ground of its being an act which Congro:&l themsch•cs could not pn~s. But ~ u ppo~~e the right of le gl ~l ation for the 'l'errltory be In Its lnl mbiliwtt~, can they prohibit ~ l av e ry ? Stt~•e tu 110t; ancl for reasons similar to those wlaich show that Congress cannot. 'l'he 'l'crrltorlcli! arc not lmlepentlent, of, hut subonllnnte to, the United ::-tatcs; nntl therefore their leglsl:Ltion mus\ be ~u b o rtllnate. Let us look at some of the limitations which this tnnclition hnposcil. UrHkr the Constitution, "No tille or nobility shall he grantl•t: hy the United States;" "Ooug rr ·s :;halluwke no law re ~pectlng the c~ tahli::~hm e nt of religion, or p •rtaining to the free exercise thereof; no rl!ligious tc!:lt shall he r l'quin•cln!l a. qualiflca­tion to any ollice or puhlic trust uutl •r the United :itates," etc. It i.'i true, th ese rest l'ict iorrH tlo not npply in terms to the 'l'crritorlet ; hut will it he conterHletl for n. momc!.U t.hat tltt•y woultl have the ri.rht hy l e~-:i~ l:dion to lny these impositiuns upon cit izen!:l ~f tlic Htatcs who emigrate thither for s.:ttl cment? . • • Sovereignty follO\fS the ownership or tiiC domain, a.nd th cn ·foro the sovcrel.c;nty O\'Cr the 'l'errl torics is In tho • ta le!; in tht'lr confederate(\ capacity· hence the reason that the lcgi~lation of Congres~, ;u; t.he 11tgent of the St1~tes r e~p ec ting the Territ-ori es, must he limited by the ObJect of the trust, the situation ancl nat urc of the property to be ndministererl, antl the r •spcetivc ri ~-:hts of the proper owner!:!. Now if the ilove rci,nt v 0\ cr the Territories 11 In the ~tates, <~wl the right ott •gl~lation not In Congress, hut in the lnh:tl)itants of the 'l'crritories, it 1:; evident thn.~ they can lmvc no higher right of 1 •gishttlon than Congress coulll have; they must be hound hy limitations just m~o­tioned; anrllf the prohibition of ~lave ry in the TcrrltonCll by CongreKs he Inconsistent with t h e~o limitations, Its pro­hibition by the t errltoda!lcgilllature would he so llkew13e. If possc:<slng the right of ll·glsl:Lt ion t.he lnhal>ltants of the Territories a rc bounrl ))y the llmlt atlous to which I have nlluclctl, lt may he nskecl who holds the check upon theh· a ction ? I r eply, that it iii indl,;pelts:\IJI? for C?1}o gre1:1:~ to exercise the veto upon tla clr le)<islalron. "ho else shnll prevent their pa~slng lawH In violation or thtt cq u: ~l rights of the tate:i In the 'l'l' rritory, which is tho common property of all? Without the retention of II vct:o upon tho lcgislatlon of the 'l'erritorial Oovcrnmcnts, woultl mn ke the iohahltants of the 'l'crritory intlepentler of CongrcHs; aye, it woultl establish the propo~itionl th the moment you conquer 11 peot,!e they rise super ~r the government that cou4'lo.Jr~. Nt•w-Mexico aud Cal· TIERSCUEL V. JOII~SON OX POPl fLAR SOVEREIGXTY. n1 OU11Ihyhcllt.Y· butforallthepurposes of thlsar- ~ a majority OllC by twen ty nlCnlhCrS Of t!1C a 1\e~~t we have 1\cqulrt!d th em hy conl]uest. 'l'o assert, Comlllittcc nnc.l a minority one by fo ur me1 guru , tl at th ey have the rlHht to ll!gblo.te over ali i 1. l' ) cJ' . . . 1 l. l 11 l thPrefore, 1 .1 't .,.1 • ·y fl · ~Jiite the consent of the ht' n! w IH! 1 alter IVIS10ll 1nc Ut t'< c rsc H bjects to prohl su . ) l • tt \ cr ' ~ V J l I I . . d d l d !=(t t"a is to S'\Y that by our conquel!t of th em, . o mson w 10, ns c H\ll'lllllll 1 111tro uce t JC tU.hn,r tcb C(''O laii C- ~in-VCHt.crl W'.l lh ri~h' t t!U!) •n· or to t 1I O~e 0 f 0 Oll· llll·J lOl'·l ty repOrt. r~r~. The in!ltltulion of ,'lav t•ry is aua,·antn.d by the T he i.wo reports wcr disc u ~~ed hv v:ni o u:~ g c · i 1u nf the Uullccl :'ta.t ,•~t, ~tnt! It has the .,ame . . . . Con~trt.tu.t ( tl nwrr around It whkh J.{Uanl:i our dtizent~ perf- Oil~, ?llr. John ~<on d<'f e n d lllg lu ~, ttnd Howell PI"Oft>t' IIIII 1r . · · · · . t thl' ~-(ran ting of titl e~ or nobility or the clltubllsh- Uobb 'ecret:Hy of the Tre asury , a cting as paclh-an) H'('lIlIltf l~of· r,•lir.tiun ; t1 t~ ~>re.f·0 1 "1' <•' 1 111 0 n 11 ·' w, 1 ul rl be l),• mucA 1 1 1 1 ' • • •• , ('at or. The latter ,.,.e ntleman s talc t t mt t 1ert') I 1 veto .111 ·~ct of Tcrntodal le)W!l at\on pr ohtbttll1g . 1. t? l . . l . J bounr 0 1' 1. ,', tl " t!C ri «ll tl! of every citizen of the wa:; "no dtf erc n cc 111 t lC pr1 11C.:lp 1'::1 (' JJUIIC1 a t l' It a~ 'lll act. \' o ,l olllJ.;" 1-. .. • • U . . tt' · 1 ' n· in b o th tho llHIJOnty nn llllllOn t y r t• p ort~. e~;~~. \~;;n ~nn~._:.'l'ltis l~ ll fr rc 'l'nrlt~ry < ~ •w-~l~xlc~) 1 ' l'h <'rC were only two minor ll ifli ·n ·r; t:l'S; ouc v ~ 1eakliw a hout. Hu p p• t~e a !S ortlt Caroli r11nn em!- l ... · . · 1 .. , l l nmHO\ · 1. ,., .·. ' tl II l · v ·~ ·1 thcy lnHHt cit!ter bc W:IS that tiC m,IJOUly r cp01t ll llOISCl llC ltl('S to 1\ ~·w-.\lcxu o WI l l ~ ~ .L c.,. ' . 1 Cl 1 C . gr · 1 1 .1~ 1 ,r0 11n ty or not · who has t he right to J eter· -: r e c. :;1011 from t JC HH cston ou ventton-rcco~ n 1.rc • v • ' • • • • 1 u min. tlt at qucstiou '! . while the nuuo n ty UC1thc t· HH o rse n o r COlll - Mr .. lohnson.- l think thn.t q ut·st1~11 bas alr~acly . h ·en 111c 11 <1ed the action of t h e Gcor•Yi:t d eleg ate :'! decldccl hy the late t reaty (with .\l t·x H'O;. . . ow, IS nt~t , o lavery ir; th•~ L"nitetl :-\tall-:; a pnlil.it-al as wr ll :~!1 a mum- th e r e . . . clpalln~titution? It is mt r n ldp~d, 111thnt It>~ (:nor~ coutrol T he res ult was, that the lll:ljOl"lty I' po rt was an(l cnnli nuancc bdong to th' ::;t;Lte In whkh It l'XI~ts ; anti ·Hln pt 'd b y n vote of 29 ~ to 41 wh ' 11 t he It l wi lt ic:d h "CiLUHe it h n ·n \l{lll7.1!tl hy the or l{anlc Ia w • . . 1• I l u f M . i l > oC ~l~e Oonrc:leru.cy , and cannot he changl'(l or a l.tcretl by lll111 0 n ty, u n <. c r t lC ca 0 1 .. o l\1 on, se-c ·e " w'rthout 1m amenclnwnt to the 'on~tltut1o n; and c e cled orc•alllz c u anothe r Convt•nllon an J np-on! P h~, I r ftl f tl • • I? • I because it is :t fun tlarn 'lata! law .• that t 1ree- 1 18 o I\: pointed I\ ful l lkle t•atiou to B al t 11110 re , w 10, ehlVC~ arc r ·prcseut.etl In ~he 'ratt110 11,',~1 ~·~gl~~~~~.·~~\n~~~\~ft after d CIII:tiHlinrr the ir ,ca tA, wi th drew the ir political upon the E:xecutwn o lC L rea y t::. . . ,., l b •f . t l AI , leo 'it extended eo i n8ta11ti, over t h•! 'l'crntorles .or clallll:i, and r c ttr cu fr om t 1e c ontc.Rt e 01 c \C N~~. M ~;-.i co ar.cl Callforni:~. 'l'h ·n, 1 <~ay, if a fcllow·Cit i- Con ven tion hnd d ecided the qt1e!:it10ll. ten or the Rcnat?r rr.om ·or t.h Carolina t tllr: l'\1 ~\ll~.~:;') The f'ollowi n" is the repo r t p n ' ·utcd to there· •re to remove wtth lw; Hlaves lllto N ·w-.Mcxlco, hi~ !If; It b ' • I '1 J l ~~\bdr u~e and servicc ls gu:1mntced by the ConHtitutlon gular Milledg eville Con vent1011 J)' u r. 0 lllSOI\: .. or the United ~tu.tes, antl uo power on earth can d epr~v~ :\UNORITY nEPOitT. hlm of t la!'m, . . 1 t ill a mi application of te rm~ to ~peak of proh iiJit in ~ , lavery In the t erritory or the L uitetl l~tcs. lt already exists in cont.cmplatlon of law, a.n~l the legis la­tion proposed wrohihition) arnounts ts nhohlll)!l· . . . Hut su ppose, l\lr. l'n·~itle nt, y ou ha ve lhu n ght to pro­hibit ~l;L\'l'ry in the 'l'erritorles or the Cnited • tal es) what hl~h politic;tl con::~idcmtlo n require!:! y ou to exerct:>e .It? All must <ICC that it •an not he o!fl"I!C l l cl without pro~lucur g a. ponultLr ' co1uvul11ioru 'll'ltich will Jn·ouauly dtssvl;ve tkis U1~ion. 11 CAl'JTAL SllO LILO OWN LAIIOR." Mr. TT c rA~.:h e l V. J ohnHon made n. speech n.t a Dcn1ot.:mtic meeting in Philade lphia on the 17 t h of 'cpt e mbcr, 1 5li, in which the n c wsp:lp<' r:'l r eport him as having Rai l1, among othe r tl11ng~: "We h elieve that capital sh ould own labor; Is there nny doubt tlutt t.herc mu!it he a laboring cl ass every ­where? 1 n all countric:1 and under every form of ' Oclnl orgaulza tion th ere mw;t he a lahorlng cla. s-a clnss or men who get t lteir living hy the sweat or t!1eir brow; an~i then the• c must he nunthcr clltH!I that cont rols anu dl­rects the Ct\pital of the country." MR. JOIINSON1S VlKv\'S ON POPUl, Alt SO \" ER~; !(;:\TY. Afte r the adj o urn1n nt of the D c moc r u ti.c Nation;d Conve ntion from Cltarle~ ton to lhlt1- more a DclllOcmtit.: State Convt•ntion met at Milleugc ville, Ga., on the 4. tl~ of June, to ~ak c action in reg ard to the ccc s1on of m o Rt of the G o r g itt u c leg tltes at Chnrlc ton. It • ~ems tha~ a Business Uommittcc of 2·1 wus appollltcd', o.1 which Herschel V. Johnson was o ne. 11us Committee disagreed as to th '.propriety o~ ap­pointin ~ uew dcleg n.tcs to 13altullorc, tlte fnc n~~ of the Scccdcrs opposin ...,. anu a ~ w who pr c­fc rre u to sec Dourrlas elected to a di. solution b of the p a.t·ty, favori ng that step; and the con~c-qucnce wus, that two reports w e re prcscutrd - J~cllolrerl, 'J'hnt we r eafli r m the ~incl un atl Platforlll, wl~h the follow i n ~ atltl itional propoHilrom!: 1~t. 'l'laat the t:il iz ·ns of the l 'nitctl t' t1.1tt•S laa~e llll.('f(UUI rlglat to :~l:lt lc with tlteil" propert!/ (>j Oil!/ kuul, Ill the organize<! Ter rito ries of the lJnite<l H~at• H, Hll_'l lln~ t uncler tl , decision of the Supreme Court ot thc L nlt l'd late!! in t~u c ~e' or ])re<l Scott w!.lch we rccog1 ai~,., a~ the correc~ •x~>o~\tion of the COI~Rtitution in tl1is pa rt icular, ~Jlwoo e'1·operty stand.~ 'l.tpon the 8fL?IIO j oo(ill(/ u., ul~ , oth.er ~eBcriptivn ., of p roperty, and th at 111!1/hn·llte (, <1WI al (} YV()I' /t'l"lte1lt NOit ANY 'J'Ell i\ITOH I.\1. UonmNM~: N 1:. CUU cl;stro1; or ·i~tpair U1e right to ~<lwne JII'OJ!t'l'ly Ill th~ comm<in Terr itories, any mor • than the rit-(ht to any ~tha dexcr·iptiOlt of J)I"Vjl61'ly j that p rOih'.rty of, a ll kmliS: slaves ns well as any oth er !lpcrtc~ ot propl rty, ~n th.c 'f~rritorlcs stand upon the S~\11\C equ:~ I and hrm~d co.n~tl­tutlonal bt;sis,ancl suhj cct to hke pri.n~rplc.s c?f r~coyntll<:'' mut JJI'oteetivn in the LEG ISJ.ATrn :,.l tuhct.ul null t'\te<: tl-­t 've departmenl ll of the f./vvermnent. t 2d. 'J'hat we will support nny !l"lll " ho mar_ ~>.e n.or~1~· t ' I by the liultlmore Convcutwn, for the lr c~itlenc) ' n~ c ~ oldd t/te 1>rinciplex set fo rth in the foregomg pro­w ~~r' and who will give them /li.'l ·illrl<n·Hemelll, anu pos JOn, Ill , t llol·' ourselves bourHI to support any lllan, that we w 11.1 " • · ·I 1 . ·,._ l I ' tile nominee who cntcrtaws pn nc p LS t w 10 11111Y ) C ' • 1 • ltion • ' 8 t •nt with those set forth m the a .>ove Jl!?POll , t~n'~L~ILoc denie.~ that hlcrve J>r·opel"ly Ill t he I erritnric.s ~ocs stl~nd on WI I'<J ll ll ljiwti n(J, anti on .the Bame Colllsll-- tui i uallHl·~i., of othe,· rll'•'criptivn~ O.f prOJHll"lY. t~ vi ·w ut' the fi~Ct that I I l ar~c nwj ont ~· of the. d~lcgnt~~ (' . f It it to be their tl utv to \\ rtlnlnt\\ from t c f.r~ l·nl)~~~~r;~~~~t lc Convention at Charlc~ton , tl~erelly ~~l:­;~ i~iug ~his :'tate of h ~r vote therein, accordrng to t le ~ el·lb ' 1 of ::~ultl UonHntlon. . , ~ull!ved 'J'h·\t thi::! Oouv ntion will nppomt . twenty e v four ' rrom the Htate ut lar)(e, and two frolll delcgntes- . 1 D' t-' ctr-to represent the Demol~ratic each 01>11(-:~·~::~s::~~la in ~;~~ 1 utljournell Conv1•ntlon at Haiti­party of U coq~ r.t,l . t ltl tli 'Lt S'litl delc••atcs be and more, on til u, I t. 1 tns . • !ll .' u' t the. jV• I"' I'fJ01· 1l!l }11'0· the): ~re hereby llls~· ut~te!1, t~1{j~1~11on f,y the Natio 'w~ polii/Wll ·~, (lll~l (1,/l,. . leU li~:HSC.:Iil'!!. V. J orrNSON, J)emoc.;ratlc cowt cutum. 'l'uos. 1'. 8 ~ n-or n, 11. K. McCAY, A. COL.YAIU>.