Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1848-08-30
takes him into n State or Territory whore
sla worry Is not established by law.

lakes hlm into State or lerrtory Whefo
sla very is not established bv Law.
Gentlemen talk about the injustice 10
tho South Of prohibiting slavery in these
Terrific ries, and yet they demand that all
Of them shall be- surrendered II siavehold-
ers. Is il no I'M Islico 10 the North TO es-
tablish slavery there, and thus prevent en-
igration from tho FREQ States! Will the
people Of tho free States be willing 20 en-
igrate to country where an institution
exists which they believe to DO demorali-
zing, unjust. and ruinous TO anv country
where j, is tolerated! Be insured, sir. that
tho hardy laborcrs Of the North will never
consent to emigraie to any territory where
,hcy must come in competition with slave
la Dor. The effect. then. Of allowing sla-
very to exist there would be TO exclude the
people Of tho North.
Ii has been proposed 10 settle this qucs-
lion by applying to the territory tho Mis-
souri, Compromise, prohibiting slavery
north Of 351 degree, Of north latitude, a nd
to;ern,ing il south Of that line. en- ut.
,erlv opposed to any compromise Of this
kind. ! am opposed TO it. because it pro-
poses to extend slavery. The territory is
now nil FREQ from the evil. and l would
keep it fr'e. II Congress should adopt
that compromise, il would be establishing
and creating slavery by direct legislation.
Is ,here n man hero from n northern State
who would vote for bill to create slavery
in territory now free? And yet such
would be- vote for tho Missouri compro-
mise. Shall it be said that the Congress Of
the United States is engaged. Mt this age Of
the world, in the business Of max ing laws
q, OF If
tho Missouri compromise as though that
wa, analogous to the one now proposed
There is no analogy between them. Tho
ono was a measure 10 abolish and forever
prohibit slavery where it before existed;
it never had an existence. They arc as
dissimi'ar as ,ish. and darkness.
Wo have quite recently had before US
another compromise, which has already
received tho sanction Of tho Senate. This
pretended compromise has been rejected
by this House. as trust it always will be-.
should it DO presented to US again. This
measure. in fact, amounts to no compro-
mise Whatever. II decide. no,hing-it
settles nothing. So far from sitting the
agitation which now excites the public
mind, i, would incroase it. Southern men
who supported that bill gave, as the rea son
Of their support. that. under its provisions,
slavery would cxis, in the Territories with
out limit. Northern men supported it, be-
cause they alleged slavery would DO ex-
cluded by it. What kind Of compro-
misc is tina, under which the parties to a
dispute so widely differ as to what are
their rights under il! That measure mere
iy proposes that Congress shall transfer
tho question from itself TO the courts Of the
country. do not like this attempt to
shift tho responsibility Of this qne sion
from ourselves to the judiciai tribunals Of
tho country. The responsibility properly
belongs to us, and let us assume it like mon.
If we mako any compromise upon this
question, let US make such an ono as will
enable tho people Of the North and Of the
South to know what arc their respective
rights. If slavery is to be prohibited, lie.
tho whole country know it. If it is to be
extended, let US know how far. Let us
no, 10 compc He'd to abide protracied and
tedious litigation, and wait tho claws de-
lays" for years, before we shall be able l."
ascertain whether slavery is to exist there
or not.
If that compromise should DO adopted,
southern men would Immediately go 10 the
Territory with their slaves. They insist
that they arc authorized to hold them there.
You toll the slave that he is free; and in
order 10 test the question, he can bring his
case before tho court. How is the slave
to got his case there! Who is to stand by
him as his friend, and furnish him the
means to iitigate with his master! What
prospect, even in this FREQ country-this
country Of Justice and Of iaw-does n
slave possess Of obtaining Justice by hti-
eating with the man who holds him ns his
property! But suppose all these difficult
ties are overcome, and the slave gets his
case before the court. He submits the
question Of his liberty to the decision Of n
southern judge, imbued with all the sensi-
,iveness Of southern men in regard 20
'.sou,herp rights" The judge, in oil hu-
man proba biiity, would entertain the same
view Of the subject as that which has been
urged by southern Senators, ard decide
tina, slavery did exist there, and remand
tho slave TO the custody Of his MASTER
But your law, out Of its great regard for
liberty. gives the slave the RICH, Of appeal
to the Supreme Court Of The United States
And how is he to prosecute that appeal
Who is to furnish tho bond and security
WbdSu AnO law 1tYuiCSs " hO - /" pIOe
ceec some two thousand miles to Washing
ton city. to prosecute his appeal and man.
age his cause! But, If even all this should
be done, and tho question should finally be
decided by tho Supreme Court, years will
have intervened; and il the coure should
then decide that slavery could not legally
exist there. OF what avail would such a
decision BET The country. in the mean
time. will have been filled up with slave-
holders aud their slaves. The institution
will have boon too firmly rooted to DO era.
dicaiah- State governments will DO form
cd. with constitutions allowing slavery land
they will be admitted into the Union ns
slave States. This would be the practi-
cal working Of this compromise. Its ef-
feet would be, in the end, to surrender the
country to the institution Of slavery. The
country expects Congress to settle this