Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1854-05-19

now 1T - fGOfOsln TO blaIN w INK toh
PROMISE.
Five times in tho beginning Of this century
did Congress refuse to impair the slavery com
promise Of 81 and now, in the middle o
century, and anor ihirYy years ofpeaec under
the Missouri Compromise-iho offspring and
continuation Of 's7-wo are called upon, moi
merely Ia impair for reason, bnt to destroy
forever, fir greater compromise-extendinG
TO faT more territory, aud growing ou, Of nee
castles Gar more pressing. And how called
uponi Not by the iuhabiianis--no, by any
one human being living, or expecting to live
on the territory 10 be affected, bot upon mo,
tion in Congress- sileni, secret, llmping
haliing, creeping, sluinlinr. impish motion
conceived in the dark-mdwifsd in cum
mltcc room, ard sprung upon Congress and
the country in the siylcin which Guy Fawkc'
intended to blow up the Parliament house,
with his FIVE hundred barrels of rnnrowder
hid in the cellar under the wood, (I.augh'
teri
Ny answer to such a motion is to bc found
in the whole volume Of my poltic,l life.
have stood upon the Missouri Compromise
for above thirty years, and mean to stand up.
on It to the cnd Of my lie, and, in doing 50,
shall act not only according to my own cher.
ishcd convictioas Of duty, but according to
the often declared convictions Of the General
Assembly Of my Strto. The inyiolabil,ty Of
of that Compromise line has often been dc.
clarcI by that General assembly, and as late
as u, in these words.
"RSoir,d. Tha, tho peace, pcmanency
and welfare Of our national lnion depend up.
on n strict adherence to the letter and spirit
of the ciglh section NJ the act of Congress en-
titled, An act tn authorize the people Of the
Missouri territory to form a constitution and
State government, and for tho admission oI
such State into the Union on an equal footing
with the original Sllic.,and to prohibi, slave.
~ in certain territories, approved March
0. 1890"
with an Instruction to the senators, and a
request to the representatives, in Congress, ic
vote accordingly.
"Thc peace, pcrmanoncy and welfare OF
of the uuniun depend upon n strict adherence
TO tho Missouri compromise Of ls2O" 80
resolved the General assembly of Missouri
as late as 1917. believed the Assem-.
bly, was rieh, them believe It now
and 80 believing. shall "aIhcrc,' to III,
compromise now, as then, "in spirit and 10
letter"
] should oppose any movement to impair
,ha, compromise, made in an opon, direct
manly manner, much more shalt oppose it.
ifm'dc in covert, indirect, and unmanl,
way. The bill or bills bcioro Us undctak,
to accomplish their object Si,houi Proic'sinl
ii-upon reasons which are contradictory an,
uulouujei-in terms which arc Ambiguous
and incon'i.,cnt-and BY throwing on oiher
tho responsibility Of its own act.
lN,rplous CHARACTER ~ rrr STunEAsEA NIL
-AS ArgCuPr 10 suyggLr SLAVERY
STo TIM rrGUIroEY.
1t Processes no, io interfere with the sov
crcirn rgh, Of the people to lcr.slaie 10
themselves, and the very first line Of thi
solemn profession throws upon them 4 horse
Load II law, which they have 10 right t,
refuse, or time to read, or money to pur
chase or ability to understand. 1t throw
upon them all the laws Of the United State
which are no, locally inapplicabIc and 'ha
comprehcujs all that are not especially mad,
ror other places also, it Gi,cs them the con
suu,on Of the United States, but withou
the privileges Of voting At Presidential or
Congressional elections, or Of making ,hcir
own Judiciary. This snon.nlcTiercuco viii
a vengeance. A community to be buried un
der a mountain Of strange law, anL covered
with a constitution under which they are MOI
to have one single political right.
Why this circumlocution this extension
Of a mouulsiu Of iucloyan, law, with the cN
ccption Of the only one relevant aud aPplica
bc' Sir, It is the crooked, insidious anl
pusillanimous way pf elltcimg tho repeal o
Missouri Compromise line. 1t includes all
law for the sake Of leaving out one law, and
effects a repeal By an omission, and lcgs'
la,cs by an exception. II is a new way oj
repeating 4 law, aad a buuglIng attempt tc
snurglo slavery into the territory, and all
tho country out to the Canada line and or
the Rocky mountains. Tho crooked line OF
this smuggling process is this "Aboli'h
the compromise line, and extend the conslit.
uiion over the country the constitution re.
cornzes slavery: therefore, slavery is os'
,ablishcd as soon as the line is abolished. and
the constitution extended, and being put there
by tho constitution, 1t cannot he legislatc,I
out" This is the English Of this smuggling
prsccss, and certainly nothing more unworthy
Of lerisla,ion-morc derogaiory to legisla'
tive body-was ever attempted TO DO made
into a law. Sir, the constitution was moi
made for territories, but for States. It's pros
visions are all applicablo..io States, and can
no, be put in operation in territories. They
cannot vote for President, or Nicc-Presideni
or members Of Congless, nor elect their own
officers, or prescribe the qualifications oi
voters, or administer their own laws by their
own Judges, sherilIs and attorneys; and the
clause extending the Constitution 10 them is
Ill.,. --.--l ...-I -.......