The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1854-01-19
THE PRINCIPLE OF THE MISSOURI COMPR0-
MISE REAFFIRMED IN 1850.

The first section of the Nebraska bill pro-
vidcs as follows
''Be ii enacted by the Senate and House of Rep
reSentatfUeS " the United StG'es Of h-.e.;en a.,
Congress assembled, That all that part of the
United States included within the following
limits, except such portions thereofa as arc here
matter expressly exempted from the operations
Of this act--tO wit: Beginning at the southwest
corner of the State of Missouri, thence running
west on the line Of thirty SIX degrees and thirty
minutes of north latitude until it intersects the
enc hundred and third meridian Of longitude
west of Greenwich thence north, on the said
meridian, until it intersccts the thirty eighth
parallel of north latitude; thence vest or the
said parallel of latitude, to the summit of the
Rocky Mountains; thence northwald, along
and upon the summit Of said range Of moun-
.ains, to the western boundary Of the Territory
Of Minnesota thence southwark, on and with
said boundary, to the Missouri river thence
down the centre OF the main channel of said
river to the State of Missouri thence south On
and with the western boundary of said State,
to the place of beginning-be and the same is
hereby created into a temporary Government
by the name of the Territory Cf Nebraska, and
when admitted as State or States the said
Territory, or any portion of the same, shall be
received into the Union with or without Slavery
AZ their Constitution may prescribe at the time
OF their admission. Provided, That nothing,
in this act contained shall be construed to in
bibit the Government of the United States from,
dividing said Territory into two or more Terri
tories, in such manner and ut such times as
Congress shall deem convenient and proper, or
from attaching any portion Of said Territory
to any other State or Territory Of the United
States
The section closes with q provision, securing
the rights Of Indians in the Territory.
The provision that the "Territory, or any
part of it, when admitted as a State or States
shall be received with or without Slavery, az
of their admission has no legitimate conncc.
ton with the purpose Of The Bill, which is, to
establish Territorial Government; and it can
have but one object, and that is, to give pre-
text for judicial decision in favor Of the right
to hold slaves in the Territory. The provision
contemplates the eriaenee Of Siarery therein, o.
it is mere surplusage Would the People of g
State formed out of said Territory, provide in
their Constitution for its recognition, if it did
not exist already among thcm9 The provision
ignores the Prov,so of the Missouri act of 1920
| prohibiting Slavery forever in all Territory
north of SO deg 80 min.
| But, the bill contemplatcs the existence O
Slavery in the Territory, not only through th
provision, utterly irrelevant, unless intended t,
secure substantial advantage to the pro-sla
very party, but also in the section defining TIL
powers of the Territorial Judiciary and tn
mode of judicial procedure.
Providing that writs of error and appeal
from the final decisions of the Supreme Cour
shall be allowed and may be taken to the Su
preme Court of the United States, where tn
value in controversy shall be over one thousan,
dollars it adds
| I" Except, only, that in all cases involUinj
title 10 Slaves, the said writs of error or appeal
shall be allowed and decided by the said So
preme Court without regard to the value Q
the matter, property, or title, in controversy
and except also, that q writ of error or appea
shall also be allowed to the Supreme Court q
the United States, from the decision of the sai
supreme court created by this act, or of an
Judge thereof, or of the district courts create
by this act or of any judge thereof, upon an
writ of habeds corpus involving the question q
personal freedom"
| This provision is copied from section in th
| Territorial Bill of Utah, in which there wer
slaves when it was organized, as there are slave
there nova condition of things which til
present bill contemplates in Nebraska.
These facts, with the statements and expl'
nations Of the accompanying report which a
sumo that the validity of the Missouri Compr'
mise is as unsettled q question as was that
the Mexican Law alleged to exclude SLAYER
. and that for this reason Nebraska should