Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1848-12-15

TO adjust it as they may think proper when
they apply for admission as States, into the
Union. No enactment Of Congress could
restrain the people Of any Of the sovt reign
States Of the Union, old or new, North ur
South, sldvehOlding or non-slavrholding.
from determining the character Of their owl
domestic Institutions, as they may deem wise
or proper. Any and all the States possess
this tight, and Congress cannot deprive them
OF it,. The people vi Georgia might, IT they
chose, so alter their Constitution as to abolish
slavery within its limits and the people Of
Vermont wight so alter. their Constitution as
to admit slavery within Its. limits. Both
States would possess the tight; though, as
all know, it is not probable that either would
exert it,.
Ii is fortunate for the peace and harmony
of the Union that the question is in ita nature
temporary, and can only continue Tor The
brief period which will intervene before Ca
hfornia and New Mexico may be admittt as
States into the Union. From tho tide Of pc.
pulation now flowing into them, it is highly
probable that this will soon occur.
Considering the several States and The CT.
tizens Of the several States as equal, and en-
titled to equal rights under the Constitution,
if this were an original question, it might
well be insisted on that the principle of non
interference is the true doctrine, and that
Congress could not, in the absence OF any
express grant Of power, interfere with their
relative rights. Upon a great emergency,
however, and under menacing dangers TO the
Union, the Missouri Compromise Line in re-
spect to Slavery was adopted. The same
line was extended farther West in the acqul-
silion Of Texas. After an acquiescence OF
nearly thirty years in the principle Of Com.
promise recognized and established by these
Acts, and to avoid the danger to the Union
which might follow, if unwisely now disre-
garded, | have heretofore expressed the opin-
ion that that line Of Compromise should be
extended on the parallel of go 30', from the
Western boundary Of Texas, where it now
terminates, to the Pacific Ocean. This is
the middle ground of Compromise, upon
which the different sections Of the Union may
meet, as they have heretofore met. If this
be done, ii is confidently believed a large
majority of the people Of every section of the
country, however widely their abstrac, opin-
ions on the subject of Slavery may differ,
would cheerfully and periodically acquiesce
in il, and peace and harmony would again fill q
our borders. S
The restriction north Of the line was only I
to in The case OF Missouri and Texas, l
upon a principle of compromise made neccs- a
sary for the sake of preserving the harmony,
and possibly the existence of the Union. |
1t was upon these considerations that, at /
the close Of your last session, | gave my I
sanction 10 The principle of the Missouri I
line, by approving and signing
the bill "to establish the Territorial Govern
nent of Oregon" From a sincere desire to f
preserve the harmony of the Union, and in +
Difference for the acts of my predecessors, :
felt constrained 10 yield my acquiescence to \
The extent 10 which they had gone in COM
promising this delicate and dangerous ques- {
ton. But if Congress shall now reverse the
decision by which the Missouri Compromise
was effected, and shall propose to extend the
restriction over the whole territory, South,
as well as North, of the PARALLEL of SO 800,
it will cease 10 be a compromise, and must
be regarded as an original question.
If Congress, instead of observing the
course of non-interfarence leaving the adop-
ton Of their domestic institutions TO ihe peo-
pie who may inhabit these territories; or if,
instead of extending the Missouri CompTo-
mise line to the Pacific, shall prefer to sub
init the legal and constitutional question
which may arise 10 the decision of the Judi
cial Tribunals, as was proposed in a bill
which passed the Senate at your last session,
an ad lusiment may be effected in this mode.
If tho whole subject be referred 10 the Judi
ciary, all parts Of the Union should cheerful
ly acquiesce in the final decision Of the ITi-
bunal created by the Constitution for the set
Element of all questions which may arise I'M
der The Constitution, treaties and laws of the
United States.
Congress is earnestly invoked, for the sake
of the Union, its harmony, and our continued
prosperity as a nation, to adjust at its pre-
sent session, this, the only dangerous ques-
! tim uubirh lipc in nur naIh-iF mot in sauna
one Of the modes suggested in some other
which may be satisfactory.
THE TREASURY.
The Secretary of the Treasury will present,
in his annual report, a highly satisfactory
siatement of the condition of the finances.
The imports for the fiscal year ending on
the 30lh of June last, were of the value of
$I5l,977,97S of which the amount export
ed was SOL, l29 ,0l0, leaving $l35, 1856
in the country for domestic use.
The value Of the exports for the same Pc
Rod was $l54,032, 1871, consisting of domes-
tic productions, amounting to 1892, l04, l2l,
and $2l les ,0l0 Of foreign articles.
The receipts into The Treasury for the same
period, exclusive of loans, amounted to $685.
436,75O 50, Of which there was derived from
Customs SOL ,757,070 90, from sales of Pub.
lie lands S3, 1928, 642 sc, and from miscellane-
Gus and Incidental sources 1851 ,O37 OF.
The expenditures during the fiscal year
ending on the Both of June last, including
those for the war, and exclusive of payments
Of principal and interest for the public debt
were $i2,Sll,9 $40 03.
1t is estimated that the receipts into the
Treasury for the fiscal year ending on the
3Oth of June, 1919, including the balance in
the Treasury on the LIST of July last, will
amount 10 the sum of S57 ,04s,96 90, of
which $32 900, 900, il is estimated will be
derived from Customs; 80, 900, 900 from the
sales of the Public Lands, and 81 200, 900
fLnm MISCELLANEOUS and Incidental snnrces-