Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1848-08-09

Iney not been Wsho8 10 s.fake on tne chains from
svsfy negro in the Colonies. II had been possible
for them to do % without upturning the founda-
eiens Of soc;ety. do not revive these things 70
wound tho feelings 81 gentlemen. know Sons
Of them consder tins institution ~ vauable; bet
many Of them also know regard il "a a curse
Bet, thank God, slavery 10 not in Oregon it not
in California, and when find that you have tram
pied down the pc opie in order to extend your do
miuion them, feel It to benny duty, wheu you
appeal to to make law for them. and the
preme tribunal has said that have the pcwcr
do SO. to avert from them sucl, a curse. aud
establish free Institutions, under which man
can say that another 10 his property. ] do not
doubt this power. know that it has been con-
sidesed Of old. from 1887 till the present hour.
70 BE- vested in Congress. The judicial Tribunals
in the West have considered il SO; and the Su-
Prsme Court Of the United States have said
that decision 20 o ften referred to. that il
Have they found any restriction upon u.s. No
And what would you do if you were in Oregon
to-dsyl What r9uld you DO. and you, and you ;
Would sny saan here, il he were acting in a
legislative capacity that country. say, 81 feel
myself bound TO admit this evil into this coun-
try, for the be nefit Of some Of the States who
over bu ride ned with them" Ii thus were
true. il would be the duty Of the free States. in
that fraternai spirit which ought TO prevail be-
tween the various States Of the MON, TO admit
slaves whenever tho slave States became over
burde ned with them. Do No 50 act in legis ating
for our StatesI No: we sav:-"Eulov yonr
that there shail be- slavery here" You may
InspToro State, You will, to take slaves into ITS
bosom for your conve nience. but they do not feel
themselves bound by any GovernIne nial ohliga-
ton do Il. Am | not, then bound to lay the
foo da.on Of that State for whose future pro-
Eress, | sm 10 be responsible, in ths way which
mint me most likely to produce beneficial re-
suits to me people there2 And when ind my
self possessed OF IRIS power. and clothed with
CONNIE nsnraye responsibility threats Of disso-
Int n tfls 10 he her
there, aud least Of ali-that which we have he ard
much Of out Of doors-tlie coming Preside n.ial
Election, shalt deter from pursuing this
course. II in my power. in the language Of the
Ordinance Of 81, | would have il enacted that
slavery shall never exist ia that country. Then.
when my black man comes to the Supreme
Court Of IN. United States, as provided in III is
BILL that court must override the decision in the
case in Peters, or else havc misu nd. rstood the
extent of that power. Then we sill have acted
upon the subjective will have forbidden slavery
and. ] observed that some gent lernen who hand
led this subject were very careful to keep upon
that line. that slavery may 60 where it is not
prohibited.
Tina, is tho reason I prefer the Ordinance OF
g; 10 this called Compromise Bill. have no
doubt that every Senator who assented to that
bill convinced himself that II was the best we
c,utd pass. have doubt that frie nds
from the North thought it would be effective
in preventing Slavery in these Territories.
But see thar tn. Senator from South Carolina
does not think 50. He supports the bill for the
very reason that il will admit Slavery; the
Senator from Vermont, for the reason that
Slavery caunot get there. Now, in this confu-
sion of ideas, desire that Congress. G il have
any opinion. should express it. Ii we have any
power to legisia,tc over these Territories. how
long would It take TO write down the six articles
Of lie Ordinance Of 81! Those Of us who thi X
that ought to bs a fan. amental law in the or-
ganizaiion Of our Territories will vote for it:
and those Of who believe otherwise will vote
against il, ano which ever party triumphs, will
give law 10 Oregon aud California, bearing the
responsibility. But must say that DO not like
what appears to mel say it in no offensive
sense-a shutting oil Of the responsibility winch
is upon NOW. and which we Cannot avoid
The Supre NE Court MAY overruie our decision
but if We think We have power to or'ain that
Slavery shall not exist i'll that Territory, let as
say SO; II not, let decide. Let us not
evaGo the question: altoget her.
That the Senators who reported this bill had
its passage very much at heart Isavc no doubt
nor DO l feel disposed to deny that every man
Of them believed that il Just such a meas
ure calculated to give tranquility TO the
agitated minds OF the people Of this country
Veil, do not care for that agitation farther
than that will look TO it a Il motive to know
what II is--what my powers and my duties are.
| have heurd much Of this--l have been tnysei;
prophet of dissolut ton Of this Union; but
have seen the Union of these States, heard SO
much OF late, that l not afraid OF di<soiu-
ton. Perhaps, indeed, when this cry Of vol
has been long disregarded, no NAV come at las,
when not expected; but 10 not believe that the
people Of the South going to sever them
selves from this Republic, because We will no,
establish Slavery here and there IL we have
no power to pass this law, let the people Of the
south 60 10 the Supreme Court, aud have the
question decided 1t " i'll only be a few monfhs
TIL the Court resumes its session here and tn.
question eau then be tried. II the decision be
against US, the gentlemen Of the South can al
once commences their emigration to their terri
tories. Let rs then make the law as We think
il ought 10 be made.
] am the more confirmed in this course
which am determined TO pursue. by some
historical facts elected in this very discus
sion. | remember what was said by the
Senator from Virginia, the other day; and
happily found it this morning. and the re-
ference was all that I expected. 1t is a
truth that when the Constitution of the
United States was made, South Carolina
and Georgia refused to come into the
Union unless the slave-trade should be
continued for twenty years; and the North
agreed that they would vote to continue
The slave-trade for twenty years; yes. voted
that this new Republic should engage in
pirdcy and murder al the will of two
States! So the history reads; and the
condition OF the agreement was that those
two States should agree to some arrange.
ment about navigation laws! Ito moi
blame South Carolina and Georgia for this
transaction any more than I do those
Northern States who shared in il. Bu
suppose the question were now presented
here by any one, whether we shouid adop'
the foreign slave-trade and continue it 70,
twenty years, would not the whole land
turn pale with horror, that in the middle
Of the Nineteenth Century, citizen of a
free community, Senator of the United
States, should dare TO propose the adop.
ton of a system that has been denominated
piracy and murder. and is by law punish.
able with death all over Christendoml
What did they do thens They had pow.
er to prohibit it; bur at the command o.
these two States they allowed that to be
introduced into the Constitution to which
all Slavery now existing in our land is