Plymouth advertiser. [volume] (Plymouth, Ohio) 1853-1988, 1854-02-11

from France, not included In the new state,
lying north of 80 deg. 80 min.
We quote the prohihi.oy section:
''SEc. s. Be it further snsci~d, That
IN ell that Territory, ceded by France In
the United Ststss, under the name of
louisiana. which lies norIh "f thirty-six
degrees and thirty minutes Of north lali-
iude, not included within the Limits of The
Sate contemplated by this net. slavery
and involuntary servitude, oiherwise t..un
as the punishment Of crimes, shall be
and is hereby forever pre- hihi;ed."
The qurslion OF the constiiulionSlity Of
this prohibition, was submitted bv Presi.
ddent Monroe to his Cabinet. J"hn Q
Adams was then Secretary uf State, John
g.. Calhoun was Secretary Of War, VIM
III Crawford was Secretary of the Trea-
sury; aud William WIrt was Attorney
General. Each of these eminent men.
three Of them being from Slave States,
gave n written opinion, affirming its con.
>liiuiionality, and thereupon the act re>
ceived the sanction OF the President, him.
self, also from slave state,
Nothing is more certain in history than
the fact that Missouri could no, have been
admitted as a slave state, had not certain
members from the free states baen recon.
ciled 10 the measure by he iac.rpo 'a'ion
of this prohibition into the nc, Of adms
sion. Nnlhing is more certain than thai
this prohibition has been regarded aud
accepted BY the whole country as sol
emn compact ngainst the extension of
slavery into any part of the Territory nc
CURED from France, lying north Of 36
deg. 30 min., and,not included in the new
state of Missouri. lie same act--let il
he ever remembered which aulh.rized
the formation of Constitution fpr tha /
state, withnu, clause forbiddius slavery,
ronsecrated, beyond question and beyond
honest recall. the whole remainder of tie
territory to Freedom and Free Institutions
forever. For more tha thirty years
during more than hall the period Of our
National Existence under our present
ConSri,ution--this compact tas been uni
versaly regarded and acted upon as in>
vioIable American law. In conformity
with it. Iowa was admitted rs free sta e,
and Minnesota has been organized as q
free territory.
II is strange and ominous fact. wei!
calculated to awaken the worst npprehen
sions and the most fearful fore bndiugs Of
future caami,ies, that it is now delbe rates
Iy proposed to repeal this prohibition, by
implication or direclly-lhe latter, Ger.
tainly. the manler way--and thus to sub.
yer, his compact, and allow slavery in all
the yet unorganzed territory.
We cannot. in this address. review the
various pretences under which it is all
tempted to cloak this monstrous wrong ;
bt we must not altogether omit 10 no,ire
one.
1t is said that the territory of Nebraska
sustalns The same relations to saver ms
did the territory acquired from Mexico
prior TO 1850, and that the pro>slavery
clauses Of the bill are necessary to carry
into effect the compromises of that year.
No assertion could be more grnundless
Three acquisitions Of Territory have
been made by treaty. The frs, was
from France. Out of this territory hav.
been created the three slave states o
Louisiana, Arkansas and Miss ouri, ant
the single free stale of iowa. The con
troversy which arose in relation 10 tn.
then unorganized portion of this terrific
ry, was closed in 1920, containing tlt
slavery prohibition, as has heen already
stated. This controversy lated only ic
territory acquired fom France. rhe az
by which il was terminated, was confined
by its own express terms, to the same
territory, and had no relation to any 9th
er.
The second acquisition was from Spain
Florida, the territory thus acquired, was
yielded to slavery without struggle, and
almost without n murmar.
The third was from Mexico. The con
troversy which arose fir m this acquisi
ton is fr sh in the remembrance of the
American People Out of it sprung the
acts of Congress, commonly known as
the Compromise measures Of 1850, by
one of which California was admitted as
free state; while two others organizing
the territories of New Mexico and Utah
exposed all the residue of the.recentIy ac
quired territory to the invasion Of slavery
These acts were never supposed to ah
rogate or touch the existing exclusion o
slavery from what is now called Ncbras
ka. They applied to the territory ac,
quired from Mexico, and to thai only
They were intended as a set'lemen, o
thr controversy growing OH, of that az
QUESTION, and of that controversy only
They must stand or fai! by their ow,
merits.
The statesmen, whose powerful sup
port carried the Utah and New Mexc,
acts, never dreamed that their provision
would ever be applied to. Nebraska
Even at the last session of Congress
Mr.. Atchison OF Missouri, iu a speecI
in favor Of taking up the former Nebras
ka Bill, on the morning Of The 4lh 0
Morch, 1853, said: "'t is evident tha
the Missouri compromise canno. he re
pealed. So far as that question is con
cerned. we might as well agree to thu
admission Of the Territory nov, as mex
year. or FIVE or ten years hence" Thes
words could not have fallen from thi
wa'chfuI guardian Of slavery, had heaup
posed that this territory was embraced b.
the pro-slavery provisions of The Com