The Ohio star. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1830-1854, 1854-03-08


body the bill was amended by striking out the res
friction: the House refused concur in the amend
ment; the Senate insisted upon it and the bill fail
ed At the next session of Congress the contro-
yersy was renewed. La the mean time Maine
had been fevered from Massachusetts had adopt
ed Constitution, and had applied for admi sion
niy the Union. bill providing for her admis-
sion passed the House, and was sent TO the Sem
ate. This bill was amended in the Sen:.te by tack
ing to it a bill for the admission of Missouri, and
BY the addition of section prohibiting Slavery in
all the Territory acquired by Louisiana north of
So deg 80 min. The House refused to concur in
these amendments, and the Senate asked for
Committee of Conferences, TO which the House
agreed. During the progress Of these events, the
House, after passing the Maine bill. had also pass
ed bill for the admissonspf Missouri, embodying
the restriction upon slavery 10 the Stale. The
Senate amended the bill by striking out the res
friction, and by inserting the section prohibiting
Slavery north of SO dag. 80 min.
This section came from the South, through Mr..
Thorlas, the Senator from Illinois, who had uni
iormly voted with the slave States against all res
friction. 1t was adopted on the H. of February,
1890, as an amendment to the Maine and Missou-
| ri bill, by 33 ayes, against 10 noes.* 2
MIR. Hunter. I think that the provision passed
without a division in the Senate. .
Mr.. Chase. The Senator is mistaken. Four
teen Senators from The Slave States and twenty
| from the free States. voted for that amendment.
Eight from the former, and two from the latter,
voted against it.. No vote by ayes and noes was
taken when the same amendment was engrafed
upon the separate Missouri bll, few days later;
| the sense of the Senate having been asceitained
! by The former vote. +. 4st sc s-.s s.,s & >.
| This was the condition of matters when the
Committee of Conference for which the Senate
had asked, made their report. The members o
the committee from the senate were. of course
! favorable TO the Senate amendments. In the
House, the Speaker, Henry Clay, was also in ia,
vor of them, and he had the appoint mept Of, the
committee. Of course he took care,as he has since
informed the country, to constitute the committee
ia such manner and of such persons as would be
4 most likely to secure their adoption. The resul
was what might have been expected. The com
mittee recommended that the Senate should re
! cede from its amendments TO the Maine bill, anc
and that the Houae should concur in the amend
ments to the Missouri bill. Enough members from
the free States were found to turn the scalt
agans the proposed restriction of Slavery in the
State; and the amendment of The Senate striking
it out was concurred in by ninety yeas, agains
eighty-seven nays. fa *, ,.., s. -zs'
| From this moment successful opposition to the
introduction of Missouri with slavery was impos
sibe. Nothing remained but to determine the
! character of the residue ef the Louisiana acquis
tiop aud the dine prohibiting Slavery noTti
of Sc deg. 80, min. was coneurred in by one hun
dred and thirty four yeas. ngainst fortystwo nays
Of the yeas, thirty-eight owere fom slave ant
ninety six fro free States, of The nays thirty
seven were from slave States and five from free
Among those who voted with the minority wa
Mr.. Lowndes, of South Carolina. whose vote. es
timated by the worth andtonor of the man out
weighs many opposites. ,
Now, fur the first time was fhe geographical
line established between slavery and freedom ii
this country. $3.50 ste,4
Let US pause and ascertain upon what principle
this Compomiss was adopted. and to what terrific
ry it applied. The controversy was between the
two great sections of the Union. The subject wa.
a vast extent of almost unoccupied country, EN-
bracng the whole territory west of The Mississippi
1t was territory in which slave law existed atths
time of acquisition. The compromise section con
tanned provision allowing slavery south of 81
deg. 80 min. 1t could never have received the
sanction of Congress if it had. The continuance
of Slavery was there left to the determination o
circumstances. There was implied under
standing that Congress should not interfere will
the operation of those circumstances-and tha
was all. The prohibition north of So deg. 80 min
was absolute and perpetual The act in which i
was contained was submitted BY the President te
the Cabinet, for their opinion upon the constitu-
tivnality of that prohibition. Calhoun, Crawford
and Writ, were members of that Cabinet. Each
in written opinion affirmed its constitutionaty
and tue act received the sanction of the Presi
dent.
Thus We see that the parties to the arrange
ment were the two sections of the couniry-the
free States on one sIde-ihe slave States on the
other. Tine Subject of it was fhs whole territory
west of the eMissssppi, outside oftheState of Lou
isiana: and the practical operation. of it was, the
division of this territory between the institution Of
Slavery and the institution of Freedom.
The arrangement was proposed by the slave
States. 1t was carried by their votes. large
majority of southern Senators voted for it; ma
jory of Southern Representatives voted for it. II
was approved by all the Southern Members of the
Cabinet, and received the sanction of Southern
President. The compact was embodied in sim
gle bill, containing reciprocal provisions. The ad-
| mic &c el, fbar pdar-
standing that slavery should not be prohibited by
Congress south of SO deg. 80 min were the con-
siderations of the perpetual prohibition nor h OF
that line; and that prohibition the considera-
| ton of the admission, and the understanding. The
slave States received large share of the consider
alton coming to them, paid in hand. Missouri
| *The vote was as follows: .z
| AYEs-Messrs. Morrill, and Parrot of New
Hampshire; Mellen and Ols, of Massachusetts;
| 81 R,r 4