Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1854-02-17
The Nebraska Bill.

A Washington correspondent says that
" the opposition to the Bill is gaining ground
daily now. against the uh0le influence Of the
Administration. We trust that it is So
The course Of the President and his advisers
in allowing this scheme TO be made a gorern-
ment measure, is evidently with many Of his
own party considered as coming little short
ofinsanity. President Pierce has determined
not to be out bid by Douglass in this reckless
and dishonorable strife for Southern support,
and he will have to take the consequences.-
For him also the result must be the same that
Col. Benton predicts for Douglass. "The
North will knock his brains out If it passes,
and the South will kick him if it don't"
As a specimen of the condemnation which
is beloved by some of the ahlest and most in
fuentiul. even of the Southern presses, We take
the following from the National lntelli gencer
We saw, we are sure, with patriotic no less
than personal pleasure, that the Congress
which assembled here two months ago met in
a spirit Of harmony towards each other, and
of Kindness and liberality towards the Execu-
tive. rarely witnessed during the last twenty
wears. The only draw back to this state of
good feeling was the feud which had arisen
among the New York Democrats; but that
very partially rippled the surface of the calm
which pervaded the great body of the Repre-
sentutivcs and every one seemed disposed 10
give to the new Executive all reasonable sup
port and confidence. Surely this was not a
State of things which the President would de-
sire to disturb, much less destroy, by c%onju-
ring anew the demon of sectional discord-
more distinctly sectional, We fear, in its pres
ent shape, than il ever was before. There
existed no adequate motive for such g step.
The country had not called for it there had
been no expression of public opinion on the
subject it was neither asked for nor looked
for, So far from it, indeed, that it took the
the public entirely by surprise. The country,
North and south, was reposing in entire ac-
quiescence and confidence in the great healing
act of le20, and the strife which accompanied
its enactment had been long forgotten. 1t
therefore surpasses our ingenuity TO discover
any motive which could induce the President
to disturb this happy quiet.
IL compromise which has stood a third of
a century. and answered the most benehcient
hopes of its wise and patriotic authors, is TO
be broken for the purpose Of making another
which is to endure forever, where shall We
ind the guaranty that it will last even as
long as the one which is abrogatedt The sage
and patriot W .llian L9wndes lin common
with all the Statesmen who united with him
in the Missouri Compromise) yielded 70 it his
support because he said it would ''gi'e per-
maHeat tranquility TO the country in regard
10 slavery - We're he now in life he would
stand by his own good work. Honor no less
than regard for the public veal would bind
him to it, as it should, We hulnbly but firmly
assert, every southern man who has ever given
1t hisassent aud upheld it asa barrier against
f~anutical or ambitious encroachmeut on their
constitutional rights.