The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Relations of the Federal Government to
Slavery, by Joseph Ketchum Edgerton

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Title: The Relations of the Federal Government to Slavery
Delivered at Fort Wayne, Ind., October 30th 1860

Author: Joseph Ketchum Edgerton

Release Date: February 13, 2009 [EBook #28064]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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THE RELATIONS OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO SLAVERY.

SPEECH

OF

JOSEPH K. EDGERTON.

Delivered at Fort Wayne, Ind., October 30th 1860.

"THE CONSTITUTION WHICH WE NOW PRESENT IS THE RESULT OF A SPIRIT OF
AMITY, AND OF THAT MUTUAL DEFERENCE AND CONCESSION WHICH THE PECULIARITY
OF OUR POLITICAL SITUATION RENDERED INDISPENSIBLE." _George Washington,
President of the Federal Convention of 1787 to the President of
Congress._

PREFACE.

The publication at this time of a speech of the Presidential Canvass of
1860, may seem uncalled for, and be imputed to other than the motives
that influence me. I nevertheless submit it to the candid consideration
of the public, and especially of such as having heretofore entertained
wrong views on the chief question involved in the canvass of 1860 and
the position of the lamented DOUGLAS, may desire truthful information.
The speech at the time of its delivery was intended as a vindication of
that noble-hearted, but then much-abused and misrepresented patriot. The
grave of DOUGLAS now shields him from the shafts of partisan animosity.
Even his enemies concede, that in his last and self-sacrificing efforts
to unite the Democracy of the North in support of an insulted government
and outraged constitution, he earned the meed due to eminent patriotism.
A perusal of the following pages may, perhaps, convince some, before
doubting, that DOUGLAS was as wise a statesman and as true a patriot in
November, 1860, as he was in May, 1861, when the people of Chicago w