The Belmont chronicle, and farmers, mechanics and manufacturers advocate. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1848-1855, 1854-02-24

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dictates OF the Federal Governmentf Not
ut all; but they have become free States un-
ier the silent but sure and Irresistible work.
ing oi that great principle Of selcgovprn-
ment which teaches every people 10 do that
which the interests OF themselves and their
posterity morally and pecuniariy may re-
quire.
Under the operation OF this principle New
Hampshire became free, while South Caro-
lima continued to hold slavcs; Connecticut |
abolished slavery, while Georgia held on to
IL; Rhode Island abandoned the institution, |
while Maryland preserved il; New York. |
New Jersey, and Pennsylvania abolished |
slavery, while Virginia, North Carolina, and |
Kentucky retained it. Did they do 1t at
the dicta,ion OF the Federal Government |
Did they do it in obedience to any of your
Wilmot provisoes or ordinances Of Sill
Not at all; they did it by virtue OF their
right as fieemen under the Constitution OF
the United States, to establish and abolish
such institutions as they thought their own
good required
Let me ask you where have you succeeded
in excluding slavery by an act OF Congress
from one inch OF the American soill You
may tell me that you did it in the northwest
territory by the ordinance of 1887. will
show you by the history OF the country that
you did not accomplish any such thing.
You prohibited slavery there by law, but you
did not exclude it In fact. Illnsis was a
part of the northwes: territory. With the
exception OF few French and white settle
nlents, it was vast wilderness, filled with
hostile savages, when the ordinance of 1887
was adopted. Yet, sir. when Illinois was
organized into territorial government it.
established and protected slavery, and
maintained 1t in spite of your ordinance,
and in deiiaLce OF it's express prohibrion.--
II is curious fact, that so long as Con-
gress said the territory Of Illinois should not
have slavery, she actually had it; AID on the
very day VIXEN you withdrew your congress
sional prohibition, the people of Illinois, Of
their own free will and accord, provided for
a system of emancipation.
Thus you did not succeed in Illinois Ter
ritofy with your ordinance or your Wimo,
proviso. because the people there regarded
itas an invasion OF their rights. They re-
garded it as nsurpation on the part Of the
Federal Government. They regarded it as
violative of the great PRINCIPLES of self
government, and the, determined That they
would never submit even to have. fret edom 80
long as you forced it upon them.
Nor must it be said that slavery was abol-
ished in the constitution of Illinois in order
to be admitted into the Union as a State, in
compliance with the ordinance of 1887, for
they did 10 such thing. In the constitution
with which the people Of Illinois were ad.
mitttd into the Union, they absolutely vic.
lated, disregarded, and repudiated your or.
dinance. The ordinance said that slavery
should he forever prohibited in thar country
The constitution with which you received
them into the Union as State said that al
slaves then in the State should remain
slaves for life, and that all persons born o
slave parents after certain day should be
free at a certain age, and that all persons
born in the State after a certain other day
should be free from the time of their birth
Thus their State constitution, as wei! as
their territorial legislation, repudiated you,
ordinance. Illinois, therefore, is a case in
point to prove that whenever YOU have at.
tempted to dictate institutions to anv ~. =,
o. tne oh''ed States, you have Iaiiiied The
same Is true, though ,,nt to the same cx
teht' with reference to the Territory of In.
lana, where there were many slaves during
: the time Of its territorial existence; and
believe also there were q few in the Terrific
ry Of Ohio.
, But, sir, these Abolition confederates in
their manifesto, have also referred 10 the
, wonderful results of their policy in the State
of Iowa and the Territory Of Minnesota -
Here again they happen to be in fault as tt
the laws fthe land. The act to organize
the Territory of Iowa did not prohibit sla
very, but the people Of Iowa were allowed
to do as they pleased under the territoria
government; for the sixth section of that ac
provided that the legislative authority shot
extend TO all rightful subjects Of legislation
except as to the disposition of the public
lands, and taxes in certain cases, bot moi
excepting slavery. 1t may, however, be
said by some that slavery was prohibited IL
Iowa by virtue Of that clause in the lows
act which declared the laws Of Wisconsin
to be in force therein, inasmuch as the ord
nance Of 1887 was one of the laws of Wis
consin. II, however. they say this, the,
defeat their object, because the very clause
which transfers the laws OF Wisconsin 10 To-
wa, and makes them of (urce therein, also
provides that those laws are subject to be
altered, modified or repealed by the Terri
torial Legislature Of Iowa. Iowa, there.
fore, was left to do as shs pleased. Iowa
when she came to form constitution and
State government, preparatory to admission
INTO the Union. considered the subject ol
free and slave institutions calmly, dispas.
sionately, without amy restraint or dictation
and determined that it would be to the in
terest OF her people in their climate, and
with their productions, to prohibit slavery.
and hence Iowa became free State by vir.
tue Of this great principle Of allowing the
people to do as they please, and not in ODE.
dience to any federal command
The Abolitinnists are also in the habit Of
referrl ng to Oregon as another instance OF
the triumph oflheir abolition policy. There
again they have overlooked or msrepresen e n
ted the history of the country. Sir, it is
well known, or if il is not, it ought to be,
that sor about twelve years you failed To give
Oregon any government or any protection /:
aud during that period the inhabitants of tha;
country established government OF their
own. and by virtue Of thei' own laws, passed
by their own representatives before You ex-
tended your jurisdiction over them, prohibi-
ted slavery by unanimous vote. Slavery
was prohibited there by the action of the
people themselves, and not by virtue of any
legislation of Congress.
l., is true that in the midst of the tornado