The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1854-02-01

BY order the President
IOS. II BARRETT, .Sccrciary
Middlebnry. Jan. "a. 1854 403w
Nebraska aud the Slavery Question.
1t no longer admits of doubt that the
question Of Slavery is TO become again
prominent. that agitation Of The most
violent kind is likely to he rc.commcnc
cd, in the organization Of the Nebraska
territory. y part Of the great Louis
lana purchase, and lying North of the
parallel of SO so, Slavery therein, by
the express terms of the Missouri Com
promise, is forever prohibited Mr..
Douglass bill, for organizing this terri
tory, provides that Slavery shall exist
there Or not, as the inhabitants decide.
Ali attempts to maintain that this pro.
VISION Is fair carrying out of the
Compromise Of 1850. can only be re-
gardcd as the smallest kind Of srccial
pleading. The exclusion of Slavery
from this territory was already fixed
and the late Compromise left tho oucs
fon, 50 far as Nebraska was concerned.
precisely as 1t was settled 10y the Mis-
souri, Compromise
While the Compromise measures were
pending, we opposed their adoption, and
favored the "plan" Of President Tay
Tor. After the passage Of those meas
ures. I've were for ncquicsccncc, in
good faith. at the same time insisting on
Ike adherence on the part of the South
There were features Of that adjustment.
which We Lave regarded from the FIRST.
with special dsliko--but which. never
thelcsi, we knew were rendered comrar.
a'iVciy harmless by their very severity,
We krew-aud this was one occasion of
the ready adoption of the Compromise
into the Wing platform Of lS52-that
ii the South would, according to the
trims Of that agreement. abstain from,
aggression and agitation. and remain
content to take care Of Slavery within
its present limits without trying to OK.
tend It's area, or exactng undue compli.
ancc with its interests. there was no oc.
casion for further agitation at the North
With Slavery where it now exists. we
have no right politically to interfere.
But, most clearly. the South, and
Northern men like Douglas, holding
Slaves at the South, or themselves in
bondage to Southern influence through
hope Of reward, are determined not TO
remain contcht to leave Slavery where it
Is They arc manifcatly determined a
gain to assume an aggressive attitude.
again to agitate for strengthening and
extending Slavery. BY throwing into
Congress, as . frebrani. this Slavery.
extending Nebraska bill, tcgotcn by
Douglas, fully endorsed BY the Presi.
dent, if rot by every member Of his
cabinet, and acalously insisted on by the
Southern press and by Southern poli,i-
clans, the Compromise treaty Of 1850,
and its ratification at Baltimore, are
most distinctly violated and SET aside.
Agitation must now be met By agita-
ton. Aggression must be met by de.
fence. And if, in this defence. the war
is - carried into Africo." the North
will not have broken faith, but will be
fully justified
The current Of popular feeling is set
ting strongly, e7erywheic at the North,
against this Nebraska hill. How any
Northern man can give it an honest sup.
port. VIC do not perceive That lie cannot
sustain it by his vote, ard meet The APP
prevail Of LIS constituents. unless in
some rare cases, where tnc-gcrving and
phancy Of principle are specially in
vogue is leyold doubt. The people
should speak out plainly and decidedly
on tits question, before it is too late for
their voice to be needed The cuirhatic
expression in the city Of New York.
whers the Compromise was carly Gu
dorsed, and has always been strongly
supported, is but an index of the eoncr.
oil feeling throughout TIE Free States.
wherever the subject is understood. The
rassage Of this bill-an event which rs
yet seems too probable will be the sig
nal for calling out, 10 the full, the strong
hostility to Slavery everywhere prevail.
ent at the North. and which 10 power
thereafter can lay or pacify.
Were the South wise, such resist
alec would not be provoked. But they
have shown too little discretion in these
matters heretofore, to lead us to exrect
them to pause in season. We may safe
ly enough presume that another great
conflict is ineyitaLle-a conflict that will
be chiefly disastrous to those by whom it
is provoked