Daily national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1854, 1854-01-19
WASHINGTON, d. C.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 1854.
THE ALBANY ATLAS AND THE ORGAN
STRANGE CONJUNCTION


STRANGE CONJUNCTION
When the Barnburners or Radical Demo-
Gratis Of New York acquiesced in the Compro-
mise Measures Of 1850, and agreed to support
4 many Of their leading men, that their position
was that Of mere acquiesfeace, not approuat--
that their principles on the subject Of Slavery
extension were unchangcd--and that should
it become again u practical question, they
would be found where they stood in ls4s, ar
rayed as one man in defence of free soil and
free labor
The time to redeem their pledge has come !;
that e practical question 2 is now upon us; the
Nebraska Bill proposes to supplant the Mis-
souri, Compromise Of 1920, shielding five hun
dred Thousand square miles Of country from
Slavery, by the non intervention doctrine of
| the Cass Nicholson letter which breaks down
every safeguard against the intrusion of the
evil
As might have been expected, the New York
E0ening Post, never false to Freedom prompt
ly avowed its hostility to the new measure ex-
posed its fraudulent character, and has steadily
exerted itself to arouse Public Opinion to OPP
pose it.
Next followed the albany Atlas which spoke
out with clearness and decision, and we began
to hope that the solemn pledge Of the Radical
Democracy was about to be honorably redeem
ed Another and later article, however, has
just appeared in the Atlds which seems TO us
of dubious import. 1t does not retraot any por-
ton of it's former article, but it does not evince
its usual keenness in detecting and exposing
the doublo-dealing which stamps the Nebraska
4 bill In relation to the clerical error mem
! toned by the Sentinel, it remarks
1t would seem from all this that the Ne
braska bill is not yet completed, and that it is
hoped in some quarters to make it more posi-
lively Objectionable than it now is We shall
therefore postpone further discussion Of it, at
least till We see what it isl
This is precisely what the friends Of the bill
desire--to induce postponement of all discus
sion Of it by its opponents sill it can be brought
up in Congress, and forced through that body,
without opportunity being afforded to the
People to rally against it.
Next Monday has been set apart Tor its
special consideration in the Senate, and we
apprehend every means will be resorted to-
for the purpose of securing u snap Judgment
in its favor. Let the Atlas postpone the discus,
sion q little longer, and it will have nothing to
discuss.
The article in that paper is copied in :" the
organ, y to the comments of which it is reply !;
and from the fact that it appears in, the edito-
rial columns Of the latter, in editorial type,
without any word of dissent, we presume it is
deemed satisfactory by the Administration.
The closing paragraph is worthy Of attention.
at is but justice to it {" the organ says
the atlas as we'll as ourselves, however, to say,
that We probably do NOT disagree in our piews
| Of The necessity Of preserving the status quo of
the territory, as Lft by the Compromises Of 1920
and Of 1851, and Of extending the Fugitive
Slave Law over this part Of the public domain,
flor though the Constitution only names fugi-
tives from and to State as within the
clause, the right of Congress to legislatc on this
subject in Territories rs established by prece.
dent and is, indeed, an unquestionable duty,)
and Of the right Of every State in the Confede-
ration to frame it's Constitution for itself,Iwith-
out the permission Of Congress---a permission
which, as it assumes the right Of negation, is
distastefnl to every State Rights Democrat"
We have placed the noticeable portion OF
the extract in italic. The atlas assumes that
the organ probably agrees with it as to
'sthc necessity Of preserving the status quo Of
the Territory, as left by the Compromises Of
1920 and 1882 and the organ" disingenu-
ously refrains from contradcting the assump-
ton. They not only do not agree, but they
differ toto cGlo J, and this the organ knows,
if the Atlas does not for, it says
"The Nebraska bill carries out the princi-
pies Of the Compromise of 1850. IL leaves the
people Of The Territory untrammeiied by Con-
gressionai intervention Sc.
Again, il quotes with appreciation the follow
ing remarks from the Detroit Free Press, which
it seems to consider an oracular exponent Of
Northern sentiment:
"Thc report of the Committee on Territories
which we printed yesterday, makes our readers
acquainted with the proposed plan upon which
all Territories shall be hereafter organized. II
is, simply to leave all matters Of territorial
Legislation 10 the people Of The Territories them
selUes. When Congress has organized Terri
tory-erected and set in motion the machinery
of its Goycrnment--its duties have been pcr-
formed and its legitimate poacers exhausted.
Thenceforih the people are their opp rulers IN
respect 10 all heir domestic affairs and inter
ference from any other poicer as anti democratic
and arbitrary. And when q people inhabiting
such Territory ask to be admitted into the
| Union rs q sovereign State, Congress has but
toinquire whether the Constitution they present
for their government is republican in form and
intent Their domestic concerns--their local
laws, ppscnt and future--do not come under
the puryiew Of Congress
'This is the doctrine in brief Of General
Cass's Nicholson letter and Of the Compromise
1 Mcoo,sroo. ard ~ 10 tbo anJ., dnnkrsro ,x,cx,