Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1849-06-27

in all the territory north and west Of hel
The act was just coming to Mr.. Monroe
for his approval or disapproyal. If appro,
ed by him, it became law at once; if dis
approved, it was defeated forever! for
was known that the. constitutional major
} ties of two-thirds could not be obtained 70
Fthe act if disapproved by the PRESIDENT
The whole responsibility Of passing or de
feating the act then rested on Mr.. Monroe
He felt the magnitude of that responsible
, Ity, and saw sthat it was an occasion to re
4 grire the Efagest advice oC his Cabinet. fI,
d6ermined to have their advice, and in tn.
most matured and responsible form. FTh,
act had passed on the Sd Of March, II.
Immediately conyoked his Cabinet---statet
the questieDs-reduced them to writing
gave copy TO each member-ahd required
them to be answered in writing. On the
9Th, all the answers were given, and all ir
the affirmative on both questions; and the
act was Immediately approved and signed
and became the law Of the land. The law
bears date on that day-March 9th. 1920.
Mr.. Calhoun gave his written opinion, with
the rest, in favor Of the constitutionality oil
the act, and no whisper was ever heard
from him to the contrary, or in denial OF
the right of Congress to prohibit or abolish
slavery in Territories, until the introduc.
ton Of his fre-brand resolutions, twenty.
seven years after his Cabinet opinion had
been given. These resolutions were bro't
in near the close of the short session of
1867, and were intended for general de.
bate at the session of 1647-'s-the long
session which preceded the Presidential E.
lection-and to make chance for himself
at that election, by getting up test which
no Northern man could stand. But that
general debate never cnme on. Before the
time ripened for it, the Cabinet opinions of
1920 had been found out, and were pro.
duced in the Senate, to the confusion of
Mr.. Calhoun. and utter prostration of his
resolutions. They were first produced by
Mr.. Westcott, of Florida, and afterwards
by Mr.. Dix, of New York. The proofs
were in writing, and TO the point, and from
two different witnesses-and the two, above
all men in the world, the most COM
petent and credible to testify in the case
Mr.. Monroe and Mr.. Adams-both dead,
but both speaking from the tomb, and in
the highest form known to the law of evi-
fdence-that Of recorded evidence, written
down at the time as the true history of a
fact, and without the slightest expectation
that it was ever to be used against any hu-
man being. Mr.. Monroe's testimony was
in his own handwriting, obtained from his
son.in-iaw, and consisted in two pieces
one being the interrogatories propounded
to his Cabinet, and the other the autograph
copy Or draft of letter to friend. The
interrogatories were endorsed thus: "1n.
tsrrogutories. Missouri, March A, 1s20."
"To the Heads of Departments and At
torney General" The interrogatories
themselves were in these words:
"Has Congress right, under the pow
ers vested in it by the Constitution to make
a regulation prohibiting slavery in Ter
ritory?
sis the sth section of the act which pass
ed both Houses on the Sd instant for the ad.
mission Of Missouri into the Union, consis-
tent with the Constitution"
With these questions was an original
draft of letter, in Mr.. Monroe's handwrit-
ing, not dated, signed, or addressed to any
ones but supposed to be written to General
jackson which letter shows that these two
questions were put to Mr.. Monroe's Cabi.
net, were answered by them in writing, g,and
that they were unanimous in answering the
questions in the affirmative. This is the
letter.
.DEAR SIR: The question which lately
agitated Congress and the public has been
settled, as you have seen, by the passage
of an act for the admission of Missouri as a
State, unrestrained, and Arkansas likewise,
when it reaches maturity, and the establish.
ment of the 36 deg. 80 min. north latitude
as line north of which slavery is prohib-
tied, and permitted to the south. I took
the opinion, in writing, Of the Administra-
ton, as to the eonstitulionality of restrain.
ing territories, Eand the vote of every mem.
Der was unanimous and which was expiic.
it in favor Of it, and as it was that the 9th
section of the act was applicable TO Terri
tories only, and not to States when they
should be admitted into the Union. On
tuto lott0i Potut Huu a. uESt SOiu0 uOuut,
but the opinion of others, whose opinions
were entitled to weight with me, supported
by the sense in which it was viewed by all
who voted on the subject in Congress, as
will appear by the journals, satisfied me
respecting it,"
The words in brackets were crossed ou
by running the pen through them, and the
word explicit substituted ed-a substitution ev
identity made to avoid violating the Cabi
net rule, not to tell the opinions Of mem.
bers, which the word unanimous would do
But the word explicit is sufficient. Taker
IN connection with the rest Of the paper
with the result and with the (almost) thir
ty years silence Of Mr.. Calhoun, and thai
word is equivalent to the word unanimous
For it is not to be presumed that Mr.. Cal.
houn was omitted in the address of the cues
tions-or that he failed to answer, and &c
answer as the President required, in writ
ing-or that, failing to answer, it woule
not have been noted-or, answering mega
lively, it would not have been equally no
ted--or, above all, that, differing from
Crawford and other Southern men on thi
, delicate point, he would not have let tn
secret out at the time, or produced since a
an evidence of his guardianship over South
4 ern interests. and as a proof of his pre