The Ohio star. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1830-1854, 1854-02-01


said Territory north Of said Missouri Compromise
,,e. Slavery or Involuntary ssrvituds. except for
eNrs, shall be prohibited" t2) aud in the Act for
ereapizing New Mexico and settling the boundary
of Texas. a prosiso was incorporated, on the mo- |
.oS Of Mr.. Mason. of Virginis, which distinctly /
preserves this prohibtion,and iouts the bare faced
.pre.ension that all the territory Of the United
States. whether north or south Of the Missouri |
Compromise line, is TO be open TO slavery. 1t is
q follows;
; .Provided. That nothing herein contained shall
be construed to impair or quail anything contain
cd n the third article of The second section of the
yoius Resolution for annexipg Texas TO the Uui-
ted States, approved March l, le45, either re-
CARDS the number Of States that may hereafter be
formed out of the State of Texas or otherwise -
(sI
Here is proof, Beyond controversy, that the
principle Of tho Missouri Act prohibiting Slavery
north Of So deg. so min. far from being abrogatsd
by the Compromise Acts, is expressly affirmed;
and that the proposed repeal of this prohi0'tion'
instead Of being in affirmation Of the COMPROMISE
Acts, is a repeal of very prominent provision OF
the raost important acts of the SERIES IL Is SOL
emnI, declared 10 the very Compromise Acts THAT
nothing herein contained shall be construed TO inn
pair or ouaIifyp The prohibition Of Slavery north of
SO deg. 80 min and yet, in the face of thisdeelar
affou. that sacred prohibition is said to be over
$ thrown Canpresumption furthe goi To all who
ID any way, lean upon theso Compromises, we
commend this exposition.
The pretenses. therefore, that the Territory,
covered by the positive prohibition of 1920, sustans
a similar relation to Slavery with that acquired
from Msx; co. covered by no prohibition exceptth
Of disputed Constitutional or Mexican law. and
that the Compromises of 1850 require the incor-
poration of the pro slavery cisuses of the Utah
aad New Mexico Bill in the Nebraska Act, are
nero Inventions. designed TO cover up from public
apprehension rnsditated bud faith. We're he living
now, no one would be more forward more elo-
quent, or more indignant, in his denunciation Of
that bad faith than Horny Clay the foremost cham
pion of boh Compromises. aa ~
Iu la20,the Slave States said to the Free States.
~Admit Missouri with Slavery, and refrain from
positive exclusion south of 80 deg. so min., and
we will join you in perpetual prohibition north of
that line.'' The free States consented. In 1854
the Slave States say 30 the free States, "Missou-
ri 10 admitted. no prohibition of Slavery south of
s6 deg. so min. has been attempted; we have re-
esiys the full consideration of our agreement; no
more Is ts be gained by adherence to it on our
part; we fhsrefure propose TO cancel the COM
paet.''
II this be not Punic faith wha. ia lit Not with
out the deepest dishonor and crime can the Free
gfaf es aenuieaoe in this command F.-i
I'VE csnfess our total inability properly to delin-
cate thA character or describe the consequences Of
this measure. Language fails to express the sem
timents of Indignation and abhorence which it in-
spires; and no vision less penetrating and compre-
hsnsve than that Of the All-sseing can reach its
evil issues. .5-.s,
To some Of its more immediate and inevitable
consequences, however. We must attempt to dir
ect your attention. :. i, sss5aa.s~ ~
What win be the effect of this measure, should
It tunhappiTy becomes law, upon the proposed Pa
cifc Railroad We have already said tina two oI
the principr routes, the Central andthe Northern
traverse this Territory. If slavery be allowed
there, the settlement and cultivation must be
greatly retarded. Inducements to the immigra.
tion Of free laborers will be almost destroyed
Ths enhanced cost of construction and the dimiu-
shed expectation Of profitable returns will present
almost nsuperabie obstacles to building the road al
all; while even ifmade, the difficulty and expense
Of keeping it up, in country from which the en-
srsstic and intelligent MASSES will be virtually OF
cluaed, will greatly impair its usefulness and val.
ne. ra isss -
From the rich lands Of this large tsrrisory, also
patriotic statesman have anticipated that free
Industrious and enlightened population will extrac
abundant treasures Of individual and public wealth
There, it has been expected, freedom loving emf
grants from Europe. and energetic and intelgen
laborers of our own land will find homes Of com
fort and fields OF useful enterprise. IF this bill
shall become law, all such expectation will turl
TO grieyous disappointment. The blight of Slav
cry will cover the land. The Homestead Law
should Congress enact one WILDE worthless here
Freemen, unless pressed by hard and cruel ne
eessty, willnot and should not, work beside slaves
Labor cannot be respected where any class of Ia
borers is held in ablect bondage. It ia the deplo
rabfe necessity of Slavery. that to make and kee
single slave there must be slave law; and syher
slave law exists, labor must necessarily be degra
dsd. 4ss4.. $50 T sf4ssS {
We earnestly request the enlightened. conduct
ors of newspapers printed in the German and 9th
or foreign languages to direct the attention Of thei
readers TO this important matter. 'el'i - fei
lis ofimmense consequence, also, to acrutiniz
che geographical character of this project w,
beg you fellow citizens, to observe that it will sew
er the East from the West of the United States
by aWide Slavehofiing belt of country. extendin
from the Gulf of Mexicoto British North Ameri
ca. tits abold scheme against American Liber
ty.wortay Of an accomplished architect of ruin
Texas is already slavehoIding. and occupies III
Gulf Region from the Sabine to the Rio Grande
and rom the Gulf of Mexico to the Red River
North OF the Red River. and extending betwee
Texas and Arkansas, to the parallel of so deg. 3
min., hes the Indian Territory. about equal in ex
tent to the latter State, in which Slavery was ne
nrot,ihifad hv the aet of Ia0O Fro-, ,c - !,