Daily national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1854, 1854-04-25

those who are against its operation should be
content: IL Is in the very condition they wish
it--useless powcrless, inactive, dcad--and no
bar to the progress of slavery ~ the North
Void - vacant, empty, nothing OF u. Now, Y
the line OF 80 deg. 80 min. IL imperative ard
void, it 10 in the conditiou Of fcnco pulled
down, and the rails carried away, and the field
left open for the stock to enter. But the fence
il not pulled down yet. The line ia not yet
imperative and void. II il an existing sub
stantive line, alive and operating and oper-
ating effeotually to bar the progress OF slavery
to the North and will so continue to operate
until Congress shall stop its operation.
Then comes the final reason, that there never
was any such line in the w0rld--that it was
unconstitutional and yoid--that it had no ex-
istencc from the beginning; and that it must
not DO repealed by a direct act, for that would
be to acknowledge its previous existence, and
to nullify the constitutional argument and,
what il more terrible, involve the authors Of
the doctrine in an inconsistency of their own
and thereby make them, themselves, inopera-
tive and void. And this is tho analysis Of the
reasons for the Nebraska bl---that part Of it
which is to get rid Of the Compromise Of 1920:
untrue, contradictory suicidal, and preposter-
GUS. And why such farrago Of nullities, in
congruities, and Inconsistencies Purely and
simply to throw upon 0thcrs--up0n the Con-
gress Of 1850 and the innocent Constitution
the blame of what the bill itself is doing; the
blame Of destroying the Compromise Of 1920;
and with it, destroying all confidence between
tho North and the South, and arraying one
half the Union against the othor in deadly hos
tilty. 1t is to be able to throw blame upon
the innocent, that this farrago is served up to
u.s.
And what is all this hotch-potch for It ia
to establish principle, they say--the prinoi-
pie of Neutrality-suspicious. of sqnatter sovereign
tv. Sir, there is no such principle. The Tor
ritories are the children Of the States. They
arc minors under twenty-one years Of age and
it is the business Of the States, through their
delegations in Congress, to take care Of these
minors until they are Of age--tntil they are
ripe for State Governments give them
that Government, and admit them to an equal
ity with their fathers. That is tho law, and
the sense of the case; and has been 80 ac-
knowledged since the first Ordinance in 1884,
by all authorities, Federal and State legisla-
tive, judicial, and executive. The States in
Congress are the guardians of the Territories,
and are bound to exercise the guardianship;
and cannot abdicate it without breach Of
trust and dereliction Of duty. Territorial
sovereignty is q monstrosity, born Of tmidity
and ambition, Matched into existence in the hot
incubation of Presidential canvass, and rc-
voting to the beholders when first presented.
Well do remember that day when IL was first
shown in the Senate. Mark Antony did not
better remember the day when Cesar first put
on that mantle through which he was after
wards pierced with thrce-and- twenty envious
stabsn IL was in the Senate in 184S, and was
received as nonsense--as the essence Of non
sense--as the qnintessence Of nonsense--as the
five times distilled esscncc Of political NONSENSE
cality. Why, sir, the Territory itself is the
property Of the States, and they do what they
please with it permit it to be settled or
not, as they please; cut it up by lncs as
they please sell it or give it away, a. they
please; chase white people from it, as they
please After this farrago-this olld-po-drida--
comes little stump speech, injected in the
belly Of the BILL and which must have pro-
digious eff, when recited in the prniries, and
out towards the frontiers and up towards the
heads Of the creeks. | will read it, and hope
without fatiguing the House; for it is both brief
and beautiful, and runs thus:
g II being the true intent and meaning Of
this act, not to lcgislate slavery into any State
or Territory, nor to exclude it thcrefrom but
to leave the people thereof perfectly free to
form and regulate their domestic institutions
in their own way, subject only to the Consttu-
ton of the United States"
This is the speech, and q pretty little tb'
ITSELF and very proper to be spoken FRI
stump in the prairie 1t has INTENT and
intent which is neither to legislasa
into or ont Of any State or Terri, ,e
why legislate at all? Why p as.e
ance, if no effect is produced la@1 u r.
main just as they We're? i,h1l eaJUe
alone, was the old doe ife II g,sko u
enough still better, is y srttinGC A3
and that in spite Of Z ~ csdayb psa y
says: 81 was we ple He bettt rs *
physic, and her must
be greatly DE- anA .ld for
bearance q h " and Ter
ritorics Ital Dr r.3. e.i0..is X 4 J, respect to
the r w oppra.t f'rlr ib N Congress-
doe rM ,ac & pat sjapery a or out Of any
3on have - g.s h in respect &C tho
states Il q the sIpe ,gaion Of modesty aud
humility IA Conc happens to have no pow
81 H. puI SLAYER them, or out Of thcn,; and
ia -cEpsc. of o Territories, it is an abd'ca.
hon of ! ona dtutional power and duty it be-
nE tic &C of Congress to legislatc upon sla-
garyi ~ ne Territories, and its duty t. DO 80
whu mere is occasion for it--as in 1897 and
object to this shilly shally--willy- won'ty--
don'ty can'ty--style of Legislation. IL is not
Legislative It is not parliamentary. 1t is not
manly. II il not womanly. No woman would
talk that way. No shilly-shally in a woman.
Nothing of the female gender was ever born
young enough, or lived long enough, TO get be-
logged in such n quandary A. this 1t is ono
thing or the other with them and what they
say, they stick to. No breaking bargains with
them. But the end Of this stump speech n the
best Of the whole. Different from good milk,
in which the cream rises to the top it here
settles to the bottom, and Is IN these words:
Leave il to the people thereof that is 30 Fay,
Of the States and Of the Territories TO regn-
late slavery for themselves as they please, only
subject to tho Constitution OF tho United
Statcsv Certainly this Is a new snbjcetion