Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1854-02-11
Nebraska GcrritorD
SPEECH OF MR.. DOUGLASS.


As This bill was intended BY the committee
to carry out fully The principles of the Com.
promise of 1850, and as they considered that
compromise had superceeded the Missouri
Compromise, that fact had better be plainly
and distinctly stated. This was all he had
intended 10 say, had the discussion gone on
last Tuesday On that day, when he propo.
sed 10 say this much, the Senator from Ohio,
and the Senator from Massachusetts asked
that it be postponed ill this day, 10 give them
time TO examine it. He had yielded 10 this
/ request as a matter Of courtesy TO them Lit
I lie, however, did he then know at that time
| they had prepared an address 10 the Amer-
can people, changing upon This bill want of
faith III solemn compacls, and charging him
with connecting an atrocious plot, and apply
| ing 10 him epilhes which could not de used
! in intercourse between gentlemen. In the
National Era, the abolition organ published
| in this city, these two Senators published this
address, sigued by themselves and their abo
llion conlcderates, in which they msrepre-
sented the motives of the Committee, falsi.
fed the iIlilself, and, in a postscript attach.
ed TO il, he was referred 20 by name, ard
coarse epthels applied 10 him. Had he
known anything of this conduct on their
part when they asked him on Tuesday las,
to postpone ths bill on The ground of courtesy
TO them, he would have replied 20 their re-
quest in manner which their gross conduct
deserved. He read portion of the address,
in which the bill is styled grave violation
OF pahisd faith, criminaIly betrayed, afro
cous plot, &C., and then read the names of
Messrs. Sumner and Chase, of the Senate
Messrs. Wade and Giddings of Ohio. Smith
of New York, Dewitt of Massachusetts, of
the House; aud said these names included
the whole abolition party in Congress. ...
He denied that the policy of the Govern
ment, in its early history, was TO exclude
slavery from the Territories. They had rro-
hibned i, in The Nor,hwcs, Territory. bn,
had allowed j; in The Southwest. Itwasiol.
Grated, permitted, and al leas, BY implications
sanctioned aud recognized in the Territory
OF Tennessee. The early statesmen had de.
sired to mark the line Of demarcalion by a
geographical line, determining that line. how.
ever, by considerations OF climate and soil.
From the time of the ccssion of Louisiana
slavery was allowed up to the lhiriy-lhird
parallel. 1t was not prohibited by any act
of Congress, North Of that line. The people
were allowed to ac, upon the subject as they
though, proper So il remained up TO the
time OF he Missori Question in 1920 Sla-
very was never established IN Louisiana by
positive law. II was introduced, tolerated,
sanctioned, aud became in lime as part of
the common law In the act Of 1912 estab-
fishing the territory Of Missouri the people
were not prohibited from slavery: they were
allowed TO DO as they pleased with the sub
lect. Nebraska was then an Indian Territory.
In 1920 came the proposition 10 allow the peo-
| pie OF Missouri TO form a State Government.
Hon. Jesse B. Thomas. of Illinois, in the
Senate moved all amendment 10 that bill,
which is now known as the slh section -
This was intended 10 go back TO the old pol
| icy of a geographical line between the Slave
tended 10 extend as far West as The Territory
of the United States extended, and with tina,
intention il was passed. The question stood
thus until the Texas resolution came before
| Congress. To those resolutions when before
the House, he had moved an amendment
extending The Missouri line through Texa:
and 10 the West indefinitely. II could have
no practicable purpose in the case Of Texas
but j, was brought forward with the view o
maintaining The principle of extending thai
line through all the territories which we ther
had or should hereafter acquire-lhat pro
vision extending the line of &c 80 through
Texas required that any new State formec
North of that line ont OF Texas, when admit
ted into the Union, should, by its Constitution
exclude slavery. No one would pretend Il
say that that requirement would be binding
one day upon that State after being admitted
but yet, as the compact was made viii
Texas, she could before consenliag to have
a new State formed out OF her limits, blnC
herself 10 require that the Constitution o
such new State should be in partcula
form but the geographical line was main
tanned by those resolutions.
After this, California and New Mexico
were acquired, and the question again arose
The Senate, on his melton, voted into
: bill provision extending the Missouri com
promise line 10 the Pacific. That proposl
tion was sustained by the Senate, with ma
joriiy Of ten, but was defeated in the Heus
by nerthren votes, with Free Soil Proclivi
ties, who violated the solemn compact.
was the defeat Of thai bill which opened tn
whole fnry of slavery agitation, which di'
tracled the country Afterwards. 1t was III
/ delea, Of that bill which left the question
} slavery unsettled, destroyed the geoeraph
cal line and made new compromise me;