Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1854-03-03


was admitted without being question
ed, about the same time. So. also
Tennessee, which was similar com
munity separated from North Carroll
ma, was admitted ia 1916, with ,
stipulation that the ordinance which
Mr., Jefferson had first proposed, anC
which had in the meantime been a
dopted by the Territory northwest o
the Ohio, should not be held 10 appl,
within her limits. The same cours,
was adopted in organizing Terruori
al Governments for Mississippi anc
Alabama, slaveholdng communitie
which had been detached from Soutl
Carolina and Georgia. All thes,
States and Territories were situated
southwest of the Ohio River, all wer,
more or less nlrendy peopled by slave
holders with their slaves; ond {,
have excluded Slavery within thei
limits would have been nationa
act, not preventing the introduction
OF Slavery, but of abolishing Slave
ry. In short, the region south wesi
OF the Ohio River presented a field
in which the policy of preventing the
introduction Of Slavery was imprac.
tIcable. Our foreiathers never at
tempted what was imprac,cable.
But the case was otherwise in that
fair and broad region which stretch.
ed away from the banks Of the OHIO
norlhward TO the lakes, and westward
to the Mississippi. 1t was yet free,
or practically free, from the presence
OF slaves, and was nearly uninhabit-
ed, and quite unoccupied. There
was then no Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad, no Erie Railroad, no New
York CenlraI Railroad, no Boston
and Ogdensburgh Railroad; there
was no railway through Canada nor
indeed, any road around or across
the mountains no imperial Erie Ca
nal, no Wellaud Canal, no lockages
around the rapids and the falls oil
the st. Lawrence, the Mohawk and
the Niagara Rivers, and no steam
navigation on the lakes, or on the
Hudson, or on the Mississippi. There,
in that remote and secluded region,
the prevention of the introduction OF
Slavery was possible and there our
ioreiathers, who left no possible ma
lional good uninterrupted, did prevent
it. 1t makes ones heart bound with
Joy and gratitude, and llfi itself up
with mingled pride and veneration,
10 read the history of that great trans
action. Describing the lrite and
common forms Of expressing the ma
tional will, they did not merely
"vote," or "resolve,o or "enaci,
as on other occasions, but they :. or
dafned,' IN language marked a. once
with precision, application, solemn
i,y and emphasis. that there shall
be neither Slavery nor iuvoluntar,
servitude in the said territory, other
wise than in the punishment of crime
whereof the party shall have been du-
" convicted" And they further or
daincd and declared that this law
should be considered a compact be-
tween the original States and the
People and States of said territory
and remain unallerable, unless by
common consent. The ordinance
was agreed to unanimously. Virgin
ia, in reaflirming her cession of The
territory, ratified il, and the first Con
gress held under the Constitution sol
EMMY renewed and confirmed il.
In pursuance OF this Ordnance
the several Territorial Government
successfully established in the Nor,l
West Territory were organized will
a prohibition of the introduction Of
Slavery, and in due time, though a
successive periods, Ohio, Indiana, II
linois, Michigan, and Wisconsin
States erected within that Territory
have come into the Union with Con
sltuilons in their hands forever pro
hibiting Slavery and involuntary SCI
viude, except for The punishment o
crime. They are yet young; but
nevertheless. who has ever seer
elsewhere such States as they are !
There are gathered the young, tn,
vigorous, The active, the enlightened
sons of every State-the flower ans
choice of every State in this broaC
Union and there the emigrant 70
CONSEQUENCES sake, and Tor freedom
sake, from every land in Europe
from proud and all conquering Brit
ain, from heart-broken Ireland, from
sunny Italy, from beautiful France
frnm snirilnal Germany, from chival
rous Hungary, and from honest an'
biave old Sweden and Norway
Thence are already coming ampl
supplies of corn and wheat, and wine
for the manufacturers of the East
for the planters of the tropics, an,
even for the artisans and armies O
Europe; and thence will continu
to GENE in long succession, as the
have already begun to come, states
men and legislators for this contin
ent.
Thus il appears, Mr.. President
that ii was the policy of our fathers
IN regard to the original domain O
the United States, 10 prevent the in
PRODUCTION Of Slavery wherever it wa
practicable. This policy encounter
ed greater difficulties when it cam
under consideration with view I
its establishment in regions not inclu
ded within our original domain
While Slavery had beer actually O
polished already by some of the emar