The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1854-02-02
TAKE YOUR STAND NOW.

The New York Evening Po,t we'll remarks,
that if the fragrant attempt now made upon
Nebraska succeed it will be but the beginning
of new series Of aggressions. "Let the Ne
braska Bill be passed after violent struggle,
and we find ourselves on tho threshold of an
other-a struggle to expunge the prohibition
of Slavery from the act fixing the boundary of
Texas When that is annulled, will como tho
conflict on tho question of repeating it for
Minnesota and Oregon. Our stand must be
made now, or We shall lose every inch of soil
which the previous legislation of the country
had cOnsecratcd forever, as we thought, to
freedom"
The truth is, carry this Bill through, with
its l4th section, and special legislation will
scarcely be needed to throw open the whole of
Texas, Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington, to
Slavery. For surely, if the principles of the
legislation of 1850, commonly called the Com
promise Measures, suspended, as that section
asserts, the restrictive clause of the Missouri
Compromise Act, Minnesota, which was FORM
cd out of the Territory to which the restriction
applied, and which has been considered exempt
by it from Slavery, is without defence against
its introduction. That is not all. Admit the
averment in the 18th section and the restrictive
clause concerning Slavery in the Texas Com
promise, and in the act establishing Terrific
rial Government for Oregon was also suspend
ed. Pass the Bill, then, with this section, and
its intent and effect will be to repeal all laws
enacted by Congress heretofore, excluding Sla-
very from any Territory of the United States,
organized or unorganized, 40 that not one foot
of soil shall be held sacred to Freedom and
Free Labor.
So stupendous is this scheme of ftaud and
aggression, that the proof of its existence
must be continually presented to the People,
or they will be tempted to doubt whether it
could enter into the heart of man to devise it.
Read again tho 18th section of this new Bill
the ultimatum of the Slave Interest:
"SEc. Ia. That the Constitution and Laws of
the United States which are not locally nap-
plicable, shall have the same force aud effect
within the said Territory as elsewhere in the
United States except the 9Th section (thc Anti-
Slavery proviso) of tho act preparatory to the
admission of Missouri into tho Union, approved
March 6, 1920, WHICH WAS SUSPENDED
BY THE PRINCIPLES OF THE LEGISLA-
TION OF 1850, COMMONLY CALLED THE
MISSOURI COMPROMISE, AND rs HERE.
BY DECLARED IMPERATIVE"
Let the People of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio,
Pennsylvania, and New York, bear this in mind,
that should Messrs. Wentworth, Harlan, Odds,
Disney, Green, Dean, Perkins, and other DEM
ocratic members, vote for this Bill, they will
vote
1st For the abrogation Of the Missouri Com
promise.
2ily. For a Justification of the Truth of His
tory, viz: that the Compromise Acts Of 1850
suspended the Anti-Slavery Proviso of tho Mis-
souri, ACT of ls2O--thc intent of which is, not
only to render imperative that proviso, but
proviso identical in principle, almost in Ian
guage with that in the Texas Compromise Of
lS45, and in the Oregon Territorial Act of
I84S.
That they will commit such deed rs this,
we do not believe. The power of Party, when
welded by Slavery, i, tremendous, but we will
not believe that it is so omnipotent that it can
compel Democratic members from the free
States to damn themselves with deeper in
fanny than clngs to the memory Of Benedict
Arnold. "Thc organ" may whine and threat
en-it may tell them, as it did this morning,
speaking of this Nebraska bill
"That the Democratic Party is entirely
pledged to this policy-the Democratic admin
istration is pledged to carry it out-and we
have witnessed with pleasure, Indications that
in the matter they will be sustained by Nation
al Wings in every section Of the Union p
Domineering representatives of the Slave In
terest in Congress may undertake to drill them
into submission, to teach them thae they are
under suspicion, that they will not be per-
mitted ato skulk, /" that this Nebraska Bill will
be applied TO them "as a test" Of their fdeli-
ty to Slavery, and that if they reject it, athey
will sipk 30 low that the hand of resurrection
cannot find them."* We shalt expect when
the time shall arrive for action, to sec them
See tho synopsis of the speech of Mr.. Smith, in
: yesterday Era