Demoine courier., 1854-07-06
PROCEEDINGS
OF the Members Of Congress Opposed
to the Nebraska Bill.
WASHINGTON, JuEe 81.

gress opposed to the passage OF The bill
TO organize the Territories of Nebraska
and Kansas, held pursuan, to previous
notice, IN the city OF Washington. on the
2Oih day Of June inst, the Hon. Solo.
mon Foot, of Vermont, was elected
Chairman, and Hon. Daniel Mace, of
Indiana, and Hon. Reuben E. Fenton, Of
New York, were appointed Secretaries.
A committee appointed for the purpose,
reported an address to the People Of The
United States, which, having been dis
cussed and amended, was unanimously
ado pied and ordered to be published:
ADDRESS
TO THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES.
The eighth section of the act for the
admission of Missouri into the Union,
known as the Missouri Compromise
law, by which the introduction of slavery
into the reg ions now known as Kansas
and Nebraska was forever prohibited.
has been repealed. The law, which in
1920 Quoted controversy which men
aced the Union, and upon which you
have SO long reposed. is obllleraled from
the statute book. We had no reason TO
expect any such proposition when we
assembled here six months ago, nor did
you expect it. No State, no citizen of
any State, had demanded the repeal.
|, seems duty we owe to the country
to state the grounds upon which we have
s,cadfas,ly, though Intellectually, opposed
this alarming aud dangerous act.
You need not be told that the slavery
question lies a, the bottom of it. As it
was the sIavehoIding power that deman.
ded the enactment of the Missouri Com.
promise, SO it is the same power that has
now demanded its abroga,ion.
African slavery was regarded and de-
nounced as great evil by the American
colonies, even before the Revolution, and
those colonies which are now slavehold.
Ing States were equally earnes, in such
remonstrances with those which are now
free States. Colonial laws framed to
prevent the increase of slavery. were
vetoed by the King of Great Britain
This exercise of arbitrary power, TO en-
large and perpetuate system universal
ly regarded as equally wrongful in Itself
and injurious 10 the colonies. was one Of
the causes of the Revolution. When
the war was ended. there was an lmpe.
rious necessity for the institution Of some
government in the then occupied terrific
ries of the United States. In 1884,
Jefferson proposed, and in 1887, the
Continental Congress adopted. the ordi.
nance for the government of the Territo'
ry lying Northwest OF the Ohio, by
which it was declared that there shall be
neither slavery or Involuntary seryiiude,
except for The punishment, Of crime
The grea, and fourishing States since
organized within that territory on the
basis of that ordinance, are enduring
monuments of the wisdom of the states
men of the Revolution.
The foreign slave trade WAS regarded
as the source of American slavery, which
il was believed would be dried up, when
tina, fountain should be closed. In adopt.
ing the consultation il was SO universally
anticipated that the foreign slave trade
would be promptly prohibited, that all
parties acqu;esced in a stipulation post
poning thai measure ill 1903. The for
eign slave trade was prohibi,ed-thus
the source of slavery was understood to
be dried up, while the introduction of
slavery into the territories was prohibit.
sd. The slavery question. SO tar as it
was national one, was understood TO be
finally settled, and at the same time the
States had already taken up and were
carrying forward system of gradual
emancipation. In 1903 Louisiana was
acquired by purchase from France, and
included what is now known as the
States of Louisiana, Missouri, Arkan-
sas and Iowa, and the Territories known
as Kansas and Nebraska. Slavery ex-
listed al the time iu New Orleans and at
ST. Louis, and SO this purchase resulted
in bringing the slavery question again
before Congress. In 1912 the region
Immediately ounding New Orleans
applied for admission into the Union uu.
der The name of the State of Louisiana,
with constitution loleranng slavery, and
the flee States acquiesced. EIght years
afterwards the region connected with st.
Louis demanded admission under the
name OF the State of Missouri, with a
Constitution .olerating slavery. The
free States reverted TO the principles OF
1897, and opposed the admission OF
| Missouri, unless she would incorporate
| into her constitution an inhibition Of The
further introduction of slavery into the
State. The slaveholding States insisted
upon her unqualified admission; con.
troversy arose which was sectional and
embiuered, and which we are assured by
cotemporaneous history, seriously I'M
perl,ed the Union. The statesmen oil
that day in Congress settled the contro.
versy by compromise. BY the terms OF
this compromise the free States assented
to the admission of Missouri with her
slaveholding constitution, while the slave
holding States on their part yielded the
exclusion of slavery in all the residue Of
the territory which lay North of 36 30,
cons iituting the present territory OF Ne.
braska and Kansas.