The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1854-11-29
NoRrHERs DEMOCRATS AND SLAVERY. -Thel

! Lhey are very HuIhtlOuo, VIM ols Iesiee o1
rous in their appeals to men of all paftles Al
the south, TO unite with the democracy OF the
1 free States which is the Pierce democracy,
/ composed of freesoilers, abotionists and spol!s-
men Of every possible hue and shade. fes, y
is with such men that these spolls democrats OF
the south would have southern men unite IN
the formation Of party, merely to secure the
spoils, for the majority OF the administrator
democrats OF the free states entertain feelings OF
hostility to the south and her institutions. 10
i those southern democrats who are thus direct
/ mo their energies, we commend the following
article Of the Charleston MercurY-for over 20
:. wears the special organ Of the lamented John
\ e. Calhoun journal whose southern rights
creed, democracy, and Jealous support Of this
piebald administration, no man will question or
i gafnsay. The Mercury says:
+ e.The people of the south should understand
on what grounds the democrats IN the free
states are defending the Nebraska act. They
i assert that the free states, IN consequence OF
their greater capacity for colonization, will take
nossession of all the north west territory and
i therefore, that the Missouri compromise, which
secured all of that territory lying south OF the
latitude of 36 deg. 80 min, was g slavery mea-
sure. It secured, they say, to the south, for
their colonization, with their slaves, some i've
or six states, that the repeal Of this compro-
mise, by the Nebraska act, has opened all this
territorv to the colonization of the free states,
I and that those who uphold this act. are, there
fore, the true anti-slavery men. Thus, demo-
Gratis at the north are seeking success by de-
nouncing the institution Of slavery. NO party
defends it, and no party upholds the Nebraska
act, on the score of justice to the south All
claim to be anti-slavery men, and to pursue the
course best calculated to exclude slavery nom
our territories, and to weaken the position OF
the southern states. AS specimen OF their
positions, we give an editorial from the Detroit
Free Press, supposed to be- general Cass,
organ:
1--WE cannot doubt that the Detroit Tribune
speaks bv authority, when it announces, as 1t
did on Tuesday, that Mr.. William A. Howard
is in favor Of repeating the Nebraska act. The
Tribune is Mr.. HoWard's peculiar organ, and 1t
would hardly make SO material statement,
without the knowledge and consent OF the per-
son most interested.
eLet it be known, then, that Mr.. Howard IS
in favor of repeating the Nebraska act Let it
be known that he is in favor OF reestabllshlng
line south of which slavery was and would con
tinue to be legalized by congress. Let 1t be
known that he is in favor of despong the
thousands Of settlers in Nebraska and Kansas
of their rights acquired under the present law.
/ 1--WE thank the Tribune for its announcement.
We now know where Mr.. Howard stands. We
can now drive the nail through him and ci1nch
it on the other side. He in favor OF the old
odious Missouri compromise line-a line which
the anti-slavery people Of the north have con-
demned from the day of its establishment up to
the time Mr. Dixon Of Kentucky proposed to re-
peal it. He is in favor-for that would be the
inevitable effect Of reestablishing the lne-ol
consigning all the Louisiana territory lying
south of Sc deg. 80 to slavery, and this terri
tory is extensive enough for half dozen states
''Mr Howard must stand up to the naked
declaration that he is in favor of repeating the
Nebraska act When the Nebraska act is re
pealed the Missouri line will be reinstated, and
slavery will be legazed south Of it!
'sMr. Stuart is opposed to the repeal OF the
Nebraska act. He does not believe that con-
eress has power to establish slavery in the terri
tories, nor of course to prohibitit it. The whole
question belongs to the people, and with them
the Nebraska act places itv'
We notice, continues the Mercury, the pecu-
liar point of this article because it's the favor
lite argument even of senator Douglas. By the
way, it is not true that there is any such extent
of territory as is here represented, lying south
of So deg Som, and belonging to the Louisiana
purchase There is no territory at all, south Of
that line, that is open to colonization. The
whole of it has been specifically assigned to the
Indian tribes, and belongs to them as much as
South Carolina belongs to the South Carolinl-
ans, and so far from being sufficient to form six
states, the whole of it is little, if any, larger
than the single state of Missouri To magnify
this territory, and to represent it as open tc
white settlement, and therefore as laid open to
northern colonization by the Nebraska act,is all
mere political CANNON. 1t is for the purpose
of bothering the public mind, not Of enlght-
ening it,
But the point is this, that by the Missouri
compromise, the territory south Of So deg. sc
min, was secured to the south, that slavery was
t legalized by congress in that region. This is
: all wrong The Missouri compromise so called
was nothing but prohibition of slavery north
of that line. 1t neither pretended to legalize
nor did it allude to the existence Of slavery
south of the line The south never claimed fol
congress the power to legalize the existence o.
slavery. lHey ueHleu GIat po"el, edadliy VIII
} the power to prohibitit, The one necessarily
, goes with the other. Slavery is an existing
fact underthe constitution of the United States
l recognised by it as one of the elements of ou1
| system, and that rightfully claims its place
wherever the people desire it, and where it i:
not prohibited by state authority. THERE'S the
position of the south on the question of con
gressional power over slavery.
Undoubtedly the Nebraska act falls short o
sustaining this position, and we have never pre-
tended otherwise But is better than that pro
hibition of slavery, that is known by the name
of the Missouri compromise.
Augusta (GA) Chronicle
FALSE PACKED CorroN.-It appears that not
withstanding the repeated exposures Of trauc
) in the packing of cotton, the scandalous prac
tice is still carried on. The Memphis Wing O
t the 7th inst, says:
4 The extent to which this disgraceful system
Of fraud is being practiced is truly astonishing
E as it denotes to greater OF less degree a very