The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1854-02-09
THE NEBRASKA BILL.


AkA1 xNEoih<onh o1Ll.
In Senate, Monday, January 30, 1854.
The Senate, as in Committee of the Whole,
proceeded to the consideration of the bill to
organize the Territory of Nebraska.
Mr.. DOUGLAS. Mr.. President. when |
proposed, on Tuesday last that the Senate
should proceed to the consideration Of the bill
to organize the Territories Of Nebraska and
Kanzas it was my purpose only to occupy ten
or fifteen minutes in explanation of its provi-
sions desired to refer to two points; first,
as to those provisions relating to the Indians,
and, second, to those which might be supposed
to bear upon the question of Slavery
The committee, in drafting the bill, had in
view the great anxiety which had been ex-
pressed by some members of the Senate to pro-
tect the rights of the Indians, and to prevent
infringement upon them. BY the provisions of
the BILL think we have SO clearly succeeded
in that respect as to obviate all possible obiec.
ton upon that score. The bill itself provides
that it shall not operate upon any of the rights
of the lands of the Indians nor shall they be
included Within the limits of those Territories.
until they shall, By treaty with the United
States, expressly consent to come under the
operations of the act, and be Incorporated with
in the limits of the Territories This provision
certainly is broad enough, clear enough. ex-
plciS enough, to protect all the rights of the
Indians as to their persons and their property.
Upon the other pOint-thst pertaining to the
question of Slavery in tho Territories, it was
the intention of the committee to be equally
explicit We took tho principles established
by the Compromise Acts of 1850 as our guide,
and intended to make each and every provision
of the bill accord with those principles Those
measures established and rest upon the great
principles of self government, that the people
should be allowed to decide the questions of
their domestic institutions for themselves, sub
ject only to such limitations and restrictions as
are imposed by the Constitution of the United
States, instead of having them determined by
an arbitrary or geographical line.
The original bill, reported by the committee
as substitute for the bill introduced by the
Senator from Iowa, MIR. Dodge,l was believed
to have accomplished this object. The amend
was only designed to render that clear and
specific, which seemed, in the minds of some,
to admit of doubt and misconstruction In
some parts of the country the original substi-
tute was deemed and construed to be an annul-
ment or q repeal of what has been known as
the Missouri Compromise, while in other parts
it was otherwise construed. As the object of
the committee was to conform to the principles
established by the Compromise Measures of
1850, and to, carry those principles into effect
in the Territories, we thought it was better to
recite in the bill precisely what we understood
to have been accomplished by those measures,
viz: that the Missouri Compromise, having
been superseded by the legislation of 1850 has
become Imperative and hence we propose to
leave the question to the people of the States
and the Territories subject only to the limita-
tions and provisions of the Constitution.
Sir, this is all that | intended to say, if the
question had been taken up for consideration
on Tuesday last; but, since that time, occur
rences have transpired which compel me to go
moro fully into the discussion. 1t will be borne
in mind that the Senator from Ohio MIR Chase
then objected to the consideration Of the bill,
end asked for its postpbnement until this day,
on the ground that there had not been time to
understand and consider it's provisions and
the Senator from Massachusetts, Mr. Sumner
sasgested the, the posi- pauemspt shenld be for
one week, for that purpose. These suggestions
seeming to be reasonable to Senators around
me- yielded to their request and consented to
the postponement Of the bill until this day.
Sir, little did | suppose, at the time that
granted that act of courtesy to these two Sena-
tors, that they had drafted and published to
the world document, over their own sigma
lures, in which they anraigned me as having
been guilty of a criminal betrayal of my trust,
as having been guilty of an act of bad faith,
and been engaged in an atrocious plot against
the cause of free government. Little did sup.
pose that those two Senators had been guilty
of such conduct, when they called upon me to
grant that courtesy, to give them an opportu-
nifty of investigating Uhe substitute reported
from the committee. | have since discovered,
that on that very morning, the National Era
the bJlition organ in this city, contained an ad-
dress, signed by certain abolition confederates,
to the people, in which the bill is grossly misrep
resented, III which the action of the members of
the committee is grossly falsifed, in which our
motives are arraigned, and our characters ca
Illuminated And, sir, what is more, | find that
there was postscript added to the address,
published that very morning, in which the
principal amendment reported by the commit
to me by name. Sir, had known those facts
at the time granted that act Of indulgence, |
should have responded to the request of those
Senators in such terms as their conduct de,
served, so far as the rules Of the Senate and q
respect for my own character would have per-
united me to do. In order to show the charac-
ter of this document, Of which | shall have
much to say in the course of my argument, |
will read certain passages
owe arraign this bill az gross violation OF
q sacred pledge; as a criminal betrayal of pre-
cious rights as part and parcel of an atrocious
plot to exclude from vast unOccupled region
emigrants from the Old Wcrld, and free labor
ers from our own States, and convert it into
q dreary region of despotism, inhabited by mas
ters and slaves"
A SENATOR. By whom is the address
signed
Mr.. DOUGLAS. 1t is signed as. p. Chase,
Senator from Ohio Charles Summer, Senator
from Massachusetts j. R. Giddings and Ed
ward Wade, Representatives from Ohio; Ger
rit Smith, Representative from New York; AL
exander De Witt, Representative from Massa-
chusetts Including, as [ understand, all the
Abolition party in Congress.
Then, speaking Of the Committee on Terri
tories, these oonfederates use this language:
"The pretenees, therefore, that the Territory,
covered by the positive prohibition of 1920, sus-
tains a similar relation to Slavery with that
acquired from Mexico, powered by no prohibi-
ton except that Of disputed constitutional or
Mexican law, and that the Compromises of
1850 require the incorporation of the pro sla-
very clauses of the Utah and New Mexico bill
in the Nebraska ack are mere Inventions, de-
signed to eover up from public apprehension
med,toted bad faith"
Mere inventions to cover up bad faith"
Again:
"Servile demagogues may tell you that the
Union can be main tanned only by submitting
to tho demands of Slavery"
Then there is a postscript added, equally
offensive 10 myself, in which | am mentioned
by name The address goes on to make an
appeal to the Legislatures of the different
States, to public meetings, and to ministers of
the Gospel in their pulpits, to interpose and
arrest the vile conduct which is about to be