Page:History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century Volume 1.djvu/528



It was in the midst of this gathering of the contending forces for the final struggle that the first General Assembly which convened at the new frontier Capitol met. The dominant issues in National affairs could not be ignored. Governor Grimes was just retiring from the executive chair, which he had filled with commanding ability. He was a prominent candidate for United States Senator to be chosen by the Legislature; a radical of radicals, aggressive, courageous, able and born a leader of men. Time serving, timidity and neutrality were qualities foreign to the nature of this superb fighter. He was the man for the occasion and in his retiring message sounded the keynote for the rank and file of the young, conscientious Republican party, which he had helped to organize, for warfare against American slavery and which never in Iowa had an abler leader. In this historic document he struck sturdy blows at the new edict promulgated in support of slavery by Chief Justice Roger B. Taney in the famous Dred Scott decisions, in which he says:

“I am aware that except upon the single question of the citizenship of Dred Scott, the opinions of the Judges are entirely extra-judicial, and entitled to no more weight than the opinions of any other citizens. But they are worthy of your consideration, because they foreshadow the opinion that will be authoritatively announced whenever the proper state of facts shall be presented that may seem to justify it. It is declared that the constitution plants slavery upon all the public domain, and there nurtures and protects it.

“It is no longer held under this decision that freedom is national and slavery local, confined to limits of the States that see fit to uphold it. It is fastened upon every foot of soil belonging to the Government, and there is no power in Congress, or in Territorial governments to expel it. Whatever territory may be acquired by the United States will instantly become slave soil. Wherever the flag of the country goes, there goes slavery with its chains and manacles.

“The logical result of this decision goes still farther; it carries slavery into every State in the Union.

“It needs no argument to show that this decision is unwarranted by the facts presented to the court; that it is revolutionary in its character;