The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1854-06-29
ADDRESS TO THE PEOPLE Or THE UNITED
STATES


At meeting of members of Congress who
opposed the passage of the bill to organize the
Territories OF Nebraska and Kansas, held, pur-
suant to previous notice, in the city Of Wash
ington, on the 2Oth day of June 1854 the Hon.
Solomon Foot, of Vermont was called to the
chair, and Daniel Mace, of Indiana, and Reu-
ben f. FentOn, Of New York, were appointed
Secretaries.
A committee, appointed for the purpose, re-
ported an Address to the People Of the United
States, which, having been discussed and
amended, was unanimously adopted, and Or
dered to be published. 1t is as follows:
To the People Of the United States:
The eighth section Of the act for the admis-
sion of Missouri into the Union, known as the
Missouri Compromise Law, by which the in-
PRODUCTION of Slavery into the regions now
known 80 Kansas and Nebraska was forever
prohibited, has been repealed. That law, which
IN 800 qniated controversy which menaced
the Union, and upOn which you have so long
reposed is oblitsrated from the statute book.
| We had nc reason 10 expect any such PROPOSE
ton when we assembled here six months ego,
nor did you expect it, No State, 10 citizen of
any State, had demanded the repeal 1t seems
duty VIC owe to the country to state the
| Y.
though Intellectually, opposed this alarming
and dangerous act. You need not be told that
the Slavery question lies at the bottom of it,
| AS it was the slaveholding power that demand
| ed the enactment Of the Missouri Compromise
so it is the same power that has now demanded
| its abrogaton African Slavery was regarded
| and denounced as a great evil by the American
Colonies, even before the Revolution aud those
| Colonies which are now slavehO6iug States
were equally earnest in such remonstrances
with those which are now free States. Colo
NAL laws framed to prevent the increase OF
Slavery, were vetoed by the King of Great
| Britain. This exercise cf arbitrary power, to
enlarge and perpetuate system universally re-
garded as equally wrongful in itself and inju-
rious to the Colonies was one of the causes Of
| the Revolution.
When the war was ended, there was an i'm.
perious necessity for the institution of Govern
ment in the then unoccupied Territories Of the
United States. In 1884, jefferson proposed
and in 1897 the Continental Congress adopted
the Ordinance for the Government Of the Ter.
ritory lying northwest of the Ohio, by which il
was declared that there shall be neither SIa
very nor involuntary servitude except for pun
ishment of crime" The great and hourishns
States since organized within that Territory
on the basis of that Ordinance, arc enduring
monuments of the wisdom Of the statesmen o.
the Revolution. The foreign slave trade wa.
regarded as the source of American Slavery
which, it was believed, would be dried up whel
that fountain should be closed In adoptiol
the Constitution it was 80 universally antici
pated that the foreign slave trade would b.
promptly prohibited, that all parties acquiesceC
in a stipulation postponing that measure unit
1903. In 1903, the foreign slave trade wa
prohibited. Thus the source of Slavery wa
understood to be dried up, while the introduc
ton of Slavery into the Territories was pro
hibited. The Slavery question, so far as it wa
national one, was understood to be finally
settled and at the same time the States ha(
already taken up and were carrying forward
system of gradual emancipation.
In 1903, Louisiana was acquired by pur
chase from France, and included what is nov
known as the States of Louisiana, Missouri
Arkansas. and Iowa. and the Territories known
as Kansas and Nebraska Slavery existed a
the time in New Orleans and ut st, Louis, ant
50 this purchase resulted in bringing the Sls
very question again before Congress
In 1912, the region Immediately surrounding