Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1847-01-28
s believe unconstitutionully, introduced

pendent
The motive which, with such undigni6ed haste
annexed the State of Texas TO this republic,
gives a profound Importance to the subject
That motive appears with much clearness though
on the part OF some there is effort to conceal IT.
: But one distinguished public function1ry,to whose
eihciency its SUCCESSES more to be ATTRIBUTED,
perhaps, than to the efforts of any other man,
unwilling TO conceal the truth, publicly declared
the measure to be necessary to give perm0ncncy
and security to the institutions OF the South
With manlness and bodness which belong to
his character, he proclaimed to the world the rea-
son which led to this great enterprise.
Since the consummation Of the act he has re-
, affirmed this motive under his own hand, and
said that its promugatjon alarmed the friends of
the measure at the South, because it might drive
their friends ut the North, upon whose aid they
relied to carry it, from its support.
Dsdaining to attain his object by indirectiou,
he frankly declared it, and, although numbers in
both houses Of Congress from his own section of
country, were constrained by their own sense Of
the injustice and unconstitutonality Of the meas
IRE TO vote against it, members enough from the
free States were to vote for ito carry it.
Texas was annexed as a slave State, and the
overthrow Of a protective tariff, and war with
Mexico have thus far been the consequences
1t has extent Of territory enough to mako five or
six other States of large re. The President,
in his message to Congress, "congraulates them
on the success which has attended our military
and naval operations" and says, eve have ac
CURED military possession of a territory larger
i'll extent than that embraced in the original thlr-
teen States OF the Union Are other slave states,
carved out of the territory of Texas, or of other
foreign territory acquired by conquest or by
treaty, to be hereafter admitted into this Union !?
| Tins is question upon which the people of
the free states, who love the Union, and who in
tend to stand by and vindlcae the glorious Con-
sltutlon under which they have been prosperous
and happy, and under which we have become q
great and powerful republic, ought to ponder and
reflect with seriousness and soemnity Decom-
ing the magnitude Of the subject.
Judging from the past, it Is not improbable
that 1t may practically be presented at no distant
day. 1t may, In some form, come before the ma
tlonal representatives,, for their decision, during
The present session 0. Congress.
LIE Institution of slavery preceded the exis-
tence of the Federal Constitution. That Consu.
tuition leaves 1t, where it found it, State inst-
tuition. AS compromise, it did confer political
power upon States which held slaves, by reason
OF their slaves; but was it intended that that
power should be extended beyond the States
who were parties 20 that compromise? The peo-
pie OF the free States have always been told by
their brethren of the slave States, that slavery
was entirely "A State institution, and that the zen.
eral Government had nothing to 90 with it, II
has been conceded that this was the true eXposi-
lion Of the matter. But has it been practically
so regarded by the South, when the support or
extension of the institution required the action
OF the Federal Government
AT the time OF the adoption Of the Constitu-
ton Of the United States, there were seven free
and SIX slave States The published opinions Of
leading statesmen OF the Sonth, and other his
n At tl,o G,,oI
OF the Institution was looked for at no very dis
tant day. So carefully was the Constitution
formed, that when that event should take place
not one word or phrase of it would require to be
altered, and no expression in 1t would give no.
tice to PROSPERITY that such an institution ever
existed.
In 1894, a committee of the Continental Con-
gress, consisting of Mr. Jefferson of Virginia,
Sir. Chase, of Maryland, and Mr.. Howell, Of
Rhode Island, reported bill for the temporary
government Of the Northwest territory Of the u
nitod States, one provision of winch was "that
after the year $500 Of the Christian era there
shall be neither Siarery nor invoiuntny servitude
in any of the States" to be formed out Of said
territory. That bill did not become law. The
whole or nearly the whole of that territory had
been claimed by the State of Virginia. Prev-
Gus to this time she had ceded her right to the
coniederacy. Massachusetts had also claimed
part OF said territory, and in April 1855, she &C.
ded all her right to the conirderacy On the
18th day Of July, 1877, Congress passed an or
dlnance for the government of the territory north
west of the river Ohio; the 9th article OF which
provides, g that there shall be formed in said ter
rltory not less than three nor more than five
States; and the 9th article declares " there shall
be neither slaUs,y nor inroltmtary SerriIude in The
said erriiory othericise thin in the punishment OF
crimes" The delegates from eight States were
present and voted on the final passage Of the or
dlnancc; tue Of those ,cere Stnue StdieS, and The
uote Of euery State tcGs unanimous. Maryland,
the other slave State, was absent The FIVE new
States provided for in that ordinance, added to
the seven then existing, would make twelve free
to the six slave States, then in the Union.
For proposition, which was in effect to give
to the confederacy twice as many free and slave
States, every delegate from the five slave Suites
present, gave his vote. Under the constitution
OF the United States, the ordinance of 1857 is
recognized and is now in full force. 1t would
be doing violence to reason 10 suppose, for mo.
nent, that at the tine Of the passage Of the or
dinance of 1897, or the adoption of the Consti-
tuition Of 1889, any party to either of those great
instruments expected desired that the time
would ever come when, by the acquisition Of for
elgn territory, there should be numerically an
ascendency of Slave States in the Union. A
proposition looking to such a result could not
have been sustained in tie convention which
made the constitution, and constitution with
such a provision in it could never have received
the concurrence of the States But what is the
state of facts which the history of little more
than half century presents to the world? This
Union now consists of twenty-nne States. The
original thirteen, six new free, and four new
slave States, formed out of the original territory
OF the United States; one new free and four
; new slave States, formed out of territory acquir.
ed by treaty since the adoption of the consltu-
} ton, and one foreign slave State admitted into
the Union by joint resolution OF Congress-
) making in all, fourteen free and fifteen slave
! States. During this progress Of things, and the
action Of the Federal Government, which has re-
, yersed the relation of the tree ana slave States
: in point of numbers, our southern brethren have
not failed TO remind us of the north, that the
General Government has nothing TO do with the
subject OF slavery or with slaves, and, that 10
touch either, in any Of the districts or territories
} Of the United States would be palnabe viola
, ton of the rights of the south.
The people Of the free States have been taught
, by the action Of the National Government, in
voked by the south to enlarge the limits and give
security to the institution of slavery, that that
T power may be exerted to restrict its limits and
abolish its existence in the districts and terrific
, ries of the United States, taking care not tc
t NEEDLE with it in the territory Of a State.
Must they continue forever to lend their aid
] IN tha off, institution which ho