Daily national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1854, 1854-06-22

STATES.
At q meeting Of members of Congress who
opposed the passage Of the bill to organise the
Territories Of Nebraska and Kansas, hello, pur-
suant to previous notice, in the CITY of Wash
ington, on the goth day Of June, 1854. the Hon.
Solomon Foot, Of Vermont. was called to the
chair and Daniel Mace, of Indiana, and Reu-
ben 4. Fenton, Of New York, were appointed
Secretaries
committee appointed for the purpose, re-
ported an Address to the People OF the United
States, which, having been discussed and
amended, was unanimously adopted, and or
dered to be published 1t is as follows:
To he People Of the United States
The eighth section Of the act for the admis-
sion of Missouri into the Union, known as the
Missouri Compromise Law, by which the in
PRODUCTION Of Slavery into the regions now
known as Kansas and Nebraska was forever
prohibited, has been repealed. That law, which
in 1920 quoted controversy which menaced
the Union, and upon which you have 80 long
rep0sed is oblitcrated from the statute book.
We had no reason to expect any such PROPOSE
ton when we assembled here six months ago,
nor did you expect il No State, no citizen OF
any State, had demanded the repeal. IL seems
a duty we owe to the country to state the
grounds upon which we have steadiastly,
though Intellectually, opposed this alarming
and dangerous act. You need not be told that
the Slavery que stion lies at the bottom of it.
As it was the slaveholding power that demand
cd the enactment of the Missouri Compromise,
SO it is the same power that has now demanded
it's abrogation. African Slavery was regarded
and denounced 40 a great evil by the American
Colonies even before the Revolution and those
Colonies which are now slaveholding States
were equally earnest in such Inconsistencies
with those which are now free States. Colo
NAL laws, framed to prevent the increase OF
Slavery, were vetoed by the King OF Great
Britain. This exercise Of arbitrary power, TO
enlarge and perpetuate system universally re-
garded as equally wrongful in itself and inju-
rious to the Colonies, was one of the causes of
the Revolution.
When the war was ended, there was an i'm
perious necessity for the institution Of Govern
ment in the then unoccupied Territories of the
United States. Ia 1884, jefferson proposed,
and in 1887 the Continental Congress adopted,
the Ordinance for the Government Of the Ter
ritory lying northwest Of the Ohio, by which it
was declared that there shall be neither Sla-
very nor involuntary servitude, except for pun
ishment Of crime" The great and fourishing
on the basis of thnt Ordinance, are enduring
monuments of the wisdom of the statesmen of
the Revolution. The foreign slave trade was
regarded as the source Of American Slavery,
which, it was believed, would be dried No when
that fountain should be closed. In adoptiog
the Constitution, it was 80 universally antici-
pated that the foreign slave trade would be
promptly prohibited, that all parties acquiesced
in q stipulation postponing that measure until
1908. In 1908, the foreign slave trade was
prohibited. Thus the source of Slavery was
understood to be dried up, while the introduce
tion Of Slavery into the Territories Yves pro-
hibited. The Slavery question, 80 far as it was
q national one was understood to be finally
settled and at the same time the States had
already taken up, and were carrying forward,
a system of gradual emancipation.
In 1903, Louisiana was acquired by pur-
chase from France, and included what is now
known as the States of Louisiana, Missouri,
Arkansas, and Iowa, and the Territories known
az Kansas and Nebraska. Slavery existed at
the time in New Orleans and at st. Louis, and
30 this purchase resulted in bringing the Sla-
very question again before Congress.
In 1912, the region Immediately surrounding
New Orleans applied for admission into the
Union, under the name Of the State Of Louisi-
ana, with Constitution tolerating Slavery.
The new State was admitted, and the free
States acquicsced. Eight years afterward, the
region connected with st. Louis demanded ad-
mission, under the name Of the State of Mis-
souri,, with a Constitution tolerating Slavery.
The free States reverted to the principle Of
1887, and opposed the admission of Missouri,
unless che would incorporate into her Consti-
tuition an inhibition of the further introduction
of Slavery into the State The slaveholding
States insisted upon her unqualified admission.
A controversy arose, which was sectional and
embittered, and which, we are assured by con-
temporaneous history, seriously imperilled the
Union. The statesmen of that day, in Con-
gress settled this controversy by compromise.
BY the terms of this compromise, the free
States assented TO the admission Of Missouri,
with her slavcholding Constitution, while the
slavehoding States, on their part, yielded the
exclusion Of Slavery in all the residue Of the
territory which lay north Of SO deg 30 min,
constituting the present Territories of Kansas
and Nebraska The slaveholding States ac-
cepted this compromise as triumph and the
free States, after little time, acquiesced, and
have ever since left it undsturbed and unquee-
toned
Arkansas, a part Of the Territory of Lousi-
huh Wnicu ihy sOutu VI 90 ueR oU tnlu, III
compliance with an implication which was
contained in this compromise, was afterward
admitted as slayeholding State, and the free
States acquicsced.
In 1919, FIorids, slaveholding province of
Spain, was acquired. This province was after
wards admitted rs slavcholding State. The
free States again acquiesccd. In 1s45, Texas,
an Independent slaveholdpg State, was annex
ed, with provision in the article Of annexs-
ton for the subdivision Of her territory into
five States, The free States, although they re-
garded tho annexation, with tho probable in
crease of the number Of slave Statos, with
very great disfavor, nevertheless acquiesced
again.
New Territories were acquired by the treaty
Of peace which closed the war with Mexico.
The people Of California formed . Constitution
inhibitng Slavery and applied for admission
into the Unios. Violent opposition was made
by the slave States, in and out Of Congress,
thrcateninglthe dissolution Of the Union il Cal