The Portland gazette. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1818-1824, 1820-12-26
SYTUaTTON or MISSOURI.

When the bill for In. admission Of Missouri,
based upon the asceptsace Of her constit utisn,
wa. rejected by the House of Representatives,
Mr.. Lownde., with the expression Of much re-
spect for the decision If the majority, called up
that body 70 provit. the req lisite securities
for the protection Of the properly, ierriorY, and
al III, nights ofths United State an the Misso,ri
sonpry"
One Of the Georgetown p,p.rs. including the
. pesce and ,n,rals' Of Missouri in the arms Of
the proposition, reports that these observations Of
Mr.. Lowndes - usre rery n1pr.stvs,n and regrets
that they .'eoud moi accurately indersidnd thsr,
Their readers will probably l,Nour under the
same embarrassment.
What are the g. right, + M United Safss
supposed to he jeopariyisi hy this rejection
What i. the j,s ardy in which they are conceived
TO exist And what is the necessity for adopting
such strenuou. measures for their relief and .ecu
riiy These questions are as obvious and palpa
bic. as the obscuri,y Of the danger. so dubisusly
indicated by Hr. i.owndes will permit 10 be raised.
But We nay perhaps be relieved from IN 9, ans
ietv Of conjecture on this interesting topre. by
recurring TO the course Of argument insisted upos
by those who have recently advocated the m
conditional admission Of Missouri. The nam
point Of contention was that she was no longer
IN the etrgsa',s that sh. was already HIte--
and that her eonsiiuiion had nothing to do with
'asss u W1s same @DttncT Congress
accepted IL or not. This was tho train Of argu
ment employed by Mr.. Lowndss and Nr Barbour,
and other gentlemen in the house and SENATE.
The occasion for the foregoing remark, of Mr..
l'owndss, therefore, probably alluded 10 the spe-
Gle. Of tnierregnum which he masined might be
produced by the result Of the repulse.
Bat what is the perplexty in this case Mis-
souri, was seTr'sery Of the United States the
property OF the union occupied by portion of
its Citizen. aud irhabitant, in part only-nndar
the protection Of the nation and the particular
government Of Congress.
Missouri applies for admission into In, union
Congress agrees, upon condition that she shall
first form constitution, sipulating that it shall
be republican In its character and not repug-
naut 10 the constitution OF The United States
Missouri presents her constitution for acceps
lance. Congress upon examination pronounces
its provisions incompatible with those Of the na
iionsl compact. The condition i. not formed,
Missouri therefore Is not admitted
What then becomes OF Missouri She remain.
as che was before. She relapses into her puni-
tive state. She resumes the condition Of a terri
Tory. What is to prevent il, or bow is il TO be
avoided?
But Missouri has formed her consultation, has
organized her government. has chosen her legis
iaiure, elected her governor. appointed her judg-
e., and performed many acts of sovereignty in the
interim . True ; and she has done more. She has
chosen Senators to Cougrsss--a and they have
gone boms again. She has gone further. She
has chosen electors, who have probably given
their votes for President aud Vice President
and they will certainly not be counted. She has
gone great way further still, aud undertaken TO
lsterpret the constitution in such manner as
to cast out free blacks and mulatioe,--like those
who undertook in old times TO prophesy and cast
ot devils and do many wonderful works, in
sne that knew them not, and with spirit that
rendered them reprobste.,