The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-11-17
THE ORGANIZATION OF NEBRASKA.

next week.
T. THE ORGANIZATION OF NEBRASKA.
/ Ia the beginning of our career as m indie
I pendent nation, it was thought by some that i
would be well 10 limit our population by the
Allegheny mountains and even after Western
cnterprise had broken over these rampsrts, ouI
most enlightened statesmen were disposed &c
regard the Mississippi as our boundary for
ages Fifty years have passed, and the Mis-
sissippi on both sides is lined with wel-organ-
lied States, and we have planted new empire
on the Pacific. Not the Allegheny range, not
the Mississippi river not the Rocky Mount
aims have been able to stay the march of our
population the vanguard Ct which, having
taken possession Of the shores Of another ocean,
is already med tatlng a descent upon its island
treasures The Government, too wise to attempt
to arrest this inevitable progress, has sought
rather to promote and regulate it, by organ
ling its new territories exting gushing the In
dian titles protecting as far as 1T could the In
| dian tribes, and keeping our pioneers within
! the influences of civilization. This policy has
proved successful the wilderness has become
Territory, the Territory, State, and the civil
z4tion of the old States has taken possession of
the new
In pursuance of this line of policy some eight
years ago an attempt was made for the organI-
cation, under a Territorial Government, OF that
vast tract OF country lying between the west
crn borders of Iowa and Missouri and the base
of the Rocky Mountains, capable at some fu-
ture time of being carved into four or five new
States 1t failed then; but the great changes
which have since taken place on the Pacific
coast the rapid growth Of American empire
there, the importance of binding it in closer
bonds with the States on the Atlantic seaboard
and in the Mississippi valley and the necessity
of national highway across the continent, for
the purposes Of Trade and Travel between the
two great sections Of the Union peremptorily
call for the revival and immediate execution Of
this project. That country ought to be opened
to settlement at once There ought to be
continuous civilization from the Mississippi to
the Pacific ocean. No wilderness should divds5
the two extremes OF our empire. Already adj
venturous pioneers have erected their rude
habtations along its water-courses and thou
sands more await only the action of Congress,
to enable them to obtain good titles
A few months ago, We gave detailed &C
count Of the bill for organizing n Territorial
Government, which passed the House last win,
ter, and was lost in the Senate in consequence
of the narrow scctionasms of Southern Sena.
tore In both Houses it had to contend chiefly
against slavcholdng opposition. The whole of
the territory proposed to be organized lies north
of 36 deg 80 min, being exempted expressly
from Slavery by the Missouri Compromise of
1920, and shareholders are in no hurry to pro-
mote it's settlement and consequent organza-
ton into free States Senator Atchson, identi-
fed with the faction of the Missouri Democracy
which had sympathized with Mr.. Calhoun apt
his disciples, was of course bitterly hostile t.
the movement He is Western man, and, a
such, he might naturally be expected to favo
It but he has interests and sympathies beyon'
his State He has been repeatedly flattore'
, by being elected President pro tenn. of the Sen
ate, by the aid Of ultra Southern Senators, an
at last was elected permanent President, with
out any special qualification for the post, II W
except his hostility to Mr.. Benton, who ha
fallen under the ban of the extreme ProSlc
, very party. He did what he could to prever
Is the introduction Of the Nebraska bill, ant
h when at last it was forced upon the attentio
II of the Senate, he explained his previous oppos
20 ton to it. and tho reasons which would col
a strain him, against his inclinations, to give
A. his vote:
IN 81 had two objections to it, One was tn,
&c the Indian title in that territory had not bee
Ill eXtingulshed, or at least very small porto
en- of 1t had been; another was, the Missouri, Co,
mt promise, or as a. rs commonly called the Sdre
of restriction. 1t was my opinion at that time
% apd am not now very clear on that subject
n that the law of Congress, when the State
he Missouri was admitted into the Union, excl
his ding Slavery from tho Territory Of Louisia
MT north of 30 deg. 30 min, wOud be enforced
he that Territory, unless II wdS specially resc,nde
ID. and whether that law was in accordance wi
c- the Constitution Of the United States or not,
N, lsouM do ats irork, and that tcork rouM be
"a precIUde Shareholders from gong INTO that 7,
,or riiorg But when | came to look into tn
,st question found that there was no prospect,
ns, hope, Of a repeal Of The Missouri Compromi
Is crcIudng SlGrery from that Territory No
re sir, am free to admit that at this moment
as this hour, and for all time to come shou
al oppose the organization or the settlement
that Territory, unless my constituents and t
nd constituents of the whole South--of the sla
by States Of the Union-could 20 into it upon t
~ same footing with equal rights and equal pr
by icgcs, carrying that species Of property wi
lie them, as other people of this Union. Yes $
no acknowledge tia, that woud hare gorern
lie me >, bat hare no hope that the restriction n
or euer BE- repeated
*, 81 have always been of opinion that the fl
k great error committed in the political histO
ny OF this country Tds me Ordinance Of 1897, rt
IN dsring he Northwest Territory free territol
sn The nert great error wdS The Missouri Comp
go mise. But they are BOTH ,rremediable, The
on is no remedy Tor them, We must submit
e. them. am prepared to do it, 1t is evide
III that the Missouri Compromise cannot bc
w peaed So far rs that question is concerns
he we might M we'll agree to the admission of Il
Territory now a. next year, or five or ten yea
a. hence