The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1854-08-02


1854.
Each of those States recognised and proiecte
: slavery within their limits al the time and for
long Period suhseqnent To the adoption Of tn
federal constitution; and Zach of them has sii c
abolished and pr"hit tied slavery wifYont tn
c"nsent or interference Of Congress. No maj
denied the fight of each Of these States, unde
the constitution, TO retain the institution Of sia
very 81 long US they chose to do so; no man de
MED the right to abolish it AZ the time il wa
abolished in each BY Voluntary action Of ttrei
own people and presume that no man vii
now denv the right of each Of these States to in
troduce slavery, provided their own people shoul,
7 deem 1t just and wish TO do oy the mndihca
ton Of their local constitution and laws. II be
ing conceded, then, that the original States
one and all, have the und"ub,ed right, IN
1 der the constitution, 10 intrnduce or exclud,
slavery at pleasure, Win what reason can i
: be contepded that a different rule nav or shoult
be applied to the new S,ates 1t hardly re
qulrrs an argument to prove that each State o.
this Union must be enuel in respect To its right.
and powers TO ry other Safe snC
the States are sovereign and independeH NJ
IN all things except where the consttu-
tinn of the United S'ates has imposed d
limitations. Those limitations apply alike to all
the States ofthe Union, new and old, slave.
holding and non slaveholding. No other lin.
'a'ion upon the sovereignty ofa State can be
iInposd than those con'aired in the const' ution
Zone can be imoosed by act Of & ngress-none
by any branch Of the federal eorrnment-- none
by any earthly power except the cons tuition
OF the United States. Entire and perfect eqna
MY, therefore, among all The States OF the Union
10 respect 10 their rights of legislation and SOW
ere,gnfy, is cardinal and fundamental prin.
ciple in our republican system Indeed, the
moment yen impose upon The rights Of any one
Sta limitation which the constitution has
not enjoined upon all the States, such State
ceases to be- STATE ,ciihin the meaning of
ihe constitution. Suclf Limitation produces in
.erioriy where the constitution has pr ,vided
Tor perfect equality. Under The clause of the
constitution providing for the admission of
new States as a general thing, Congress is
invested with discretion 10 admit or re icct !:
out IN The event a new State is admitted into
ne Union, 1t must come in as State. with all
the powers and rights of State under the con-
st.ution, and on an equal footing with the or
lglnai States IN all respects whatsne yer. Thefe.
lare, whh'ever powers are possess, BY any one
State old or new-in respect TO slavery, may
OF light, under he constitution, BE- exercised by
each and every State. In pursuance of this
sovereign right, which is common TO all the
States, sixteen Of The States of tbs, Union. have
abolished or prohibited slavery, while the other
ttteen States have recognised and protected it
within their limits This great principle was
distinctly fecoglsed and solemnTy guaranteed in
the compromise treasures of 1850. "A ppause
Ihe acts OF the organization Of the Territories
OF New Mexico and Utah-esch contains the
stipulation that when said " Territories, or any
part thereof, shall b. admitted into the Union
StaioS thpv al he, X h
slavery, as their constitution snail prescribe at
the time of admission The Nebrrska bill,
which has passed Congress at tbs session, also
carries out the same principle in the precise
, language OF the compromise measures Of 1851.
wnich have just quoted. GGreat applause
In leu Congress passed an act to authorize
the people Of Missouri Territory to form con.
stitution preparatory to their admission into the
Union as State oman equal fopting with the
original States IN all respects whatsoever. Tie
9th section of the act declared that slavery
should be forever prohibited in all the territory
acquired from France north of 36 deg. 80 min :,
and not embraced within the lim,s Of the pro-
posed State IF Missouri This prohibition new
er went into practical ope ration for the reason
that the country was filled with hostile savaqes,
and set apart BY law and treaty ns an Indian
! territory, from which all white men were ex-
ciuded by severe penalties. Hence the 9Th sec.
ton OF the Missouri act, which relate to sla " ~
has remsined dead letter on the statute book
tor thirty-four years, having no civilized people
for 1t to operate upon, and its application TO The
Indians being necessarily included by acts Of
Congress known as the indian intercourse laws.
On the introduction or the Nebraska hill,
therefore, the question arose whether legal
effect should now be given for the first time to
this old prOhibition-in other words, whether
Congress should, as the result Of is action. now
apply the Wilmot proviso to Nebraska and
Kansas To have given legal effect to this old
prohibition would have involved total abau-
| donment of the cardinal principles Of the com
promise measures Of 1850, so far as they related
to the organization Of new Territories These
measures rested upon the great principles of
self government, which secures TO every peo.
pie the right to form and regulate ,hrir own
| domestic institutions in their own wav subj-c
only to the constitution of their country. ZAP
plause
Why should not the people Of Nebraska snd
| Kansas be permitted 10 decide this question of
slavery for themselves, as you did in Pennsyl-
vania; aud as we did in Illinois? Are they
not capable OF sef-government Who are
they, and where did they remove from, that
this mark Ut inferiority should be stamped upon
them Did they not 90, and are they not now
going by thousands, from the East and the
West, from the North and The South-from all
the Sta'es Of the Union, old and new, free and
slavehodng, Were they not as we'll qualified
to decide the question correctly before
they started as you are who we're their
neighbors and kindred Do you think Thai
they lost any considerable portion of their in
.elligence by the way side, that they were
less competent 10 judge for themselves when
they arrived in the new Territories with their
Il nd oh
listening to me with such kind attention. should
conclude to emigrate to thase fairy lands do
i you think that when you should have arrived
at your new homes and have become familiar
with the country. its resources, condition. and
wants, you would be less capable of dpcidino
for yourselves what kind OF laws and insti,u-
tions would promote your happiness and well
fare than you are before you start, and when
you know very little of'he country, Doubtless
you all think yourselves perfectly qu,lifi.d to
decide the question now-wnuld you be L. s.
competent to decide it then' [Appiause.
As an excuse for violating this great pr,nci-
pie of self-govcrnment in the organ zarion of
the Territories and in the admission of new
States, the abolitionis,s tell us that slavery is
monstrous evil. 1t is no part of my purpose to
discuss the merits Of slavery as a domestic or
political institution. II it be evil vour State
and mine have acted wisely, and performed
their duty nobly, in removing il from their
limits Standing by and vndcatng the de-
crsion which the people of Illinois have made
upon this subject, | cIaim for Kansas and Ne.
braska-yea, demand for every new State
which shall be admitted in all time to come
the right to determine for themselves and to
exercise power which the constitution has se
cured to, and has been exercised by, the people
ofeverv State of this Union Immense an
plause
if it be an evil, il is not the only evil for
whici, the people Of the several States and
Territories are called upon to provide ADEQUATE
legislation There are many COED and true
men among Us who scientiously believe that
the manufacture, sale, and use of ardent sprits
ana intoxicating drinks is a grevious evil. which
calls aloud for the application Of the appropria,e
remedies yet while temperance societies have
been organized everywhere, and lectures deliv-
cred, and the pledge circulated, and strenuous
efforts made to induce the legislatures of The
different States and Territories to provide rem
edies by legislation for this wide. spread ex;,
have never heard that any party, society or