The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1854-06-22
The Nebraska-Kansas Bill.

A new Territory named Nebraska is to
be organized, composing all that portion
of the hitherto unorganized territory Of
the United States lying between Iowa and
Minnesota on the east, the British posses
sions Oat. 40 deg) on the north, the sum-
nit of the Rockey Mountains on the west,
and the parallel of n. lat. 40 deg. on the
south, th,-forming tract about a thousand
miles from east to west by little oyer six
| hundred from north to south. The Gov
ernor is to fix the temporary seat of Gov
ernment Of this territory. The rights of
the Indians are not to be impaired or eff
fected by its organization. 1t is all now
Indian territory, and there are probably
not three white men settled within its linn
its-and what few there are are eitherGov-
ernment enlpl0geeS or intruding squattcrs,
mainly hunters, trappers, Indian traders,
| &c.
A Governor, (salary s2,5OO0 Secre-
tary, (salary 81, ,OOO,D Chief Justice and
two Associate Justices, Salaries $4,000
each) District Attorney and Marshal
(paid by fees) for said Territory shall be
appointed by the President and Senate
all to serve for four years, Except the
Secretary fve)-all to be paid quarterly
out of the Treasury of the United States.
A Legislative Council of thirteen and
a Legislative Assembly Of twenty six
members shall be chosen-the former for
two years, the latter for one year-by the
Jrec white male inhabitants of said Ter
ritory, who are either citizens of the Uni
ted States or shal! have declared their in
tention to become such, and sworn allegi-
ance to the United States The Govern
or is to take a census, divide the Terrific
ry into election districts, apportion the
members and designate the time for hold
ing the election, and if he can't, with all
his patronage and power, elect Legisla-
turc after his own heart, he must be a
poor tool.J He has beyond this Veto
Of all acts Of the Legislature, which can
only be overcome by two-thirds vote in
either branch. Township, district and
county officers are to be "appointed or e.
lected' as the Governor and Legislative
Assembly shall dictate Members of As
sembly have So per day each, and the
same foreach 20 miles travel, to be paid
out Of the I. S, Treasury, with public
buildings, clerk hire, sergeant at arms,
library, printing, sc. for each House. \
Delegate to Congress is to be chosen, and
to have the pay and power Of other dele
gates that Is, very little power, but
generous amount Of pay.
The Slavery clause Of this bill we have
already printed: but, though its beauty
does not improve on acquaintance it will
bear looking at again. That we printed
yesterday referred to Kansas; here is the
same asst applied to Nebraska.
"SEc. IA. A1ad be 1t further enacted,
i = That the Constitution, and all
laws of the United States, which are not
locally inapplicable, shall have the same
force and effect within the said Territory
of Nebraska as elsewhere in the United
States, except the eighth section of the act
preparatory to the admission of Missouri
into the Union, approved March 6, 1920,
which, being inconsistent with the princi-
pie Of non-intervention by Congress with
Slavery in the States and Territories, as
recognized by the Legislation of 1850,
commonly called the Compromise meas
urcs, is hereby declared imperative and
void; it being the true intent and mean
ing of this act not to legislate Slavery in
to any Territoroy or State, nor to exclude
it therefrom, but to leave the people there
of perfectly free to form and regulate their
domestic institutions in their own way,
subject only to the Constitution of the u
nited States: PrOridcel, That nothing here
in contained shall be construed to revive
or put in force any law or regulation
which may have existed prior to this act
Of 9th March, 1920, either protecting, es-
tabliShing, prohibiting, or abolishing Sla-
very.
Can you imagine a shoep-thief ap-
preaching his neighbor's fold with more
twisted circumnayigation than thatl--
Bear in mind that this bill clearly i'm
plies that there are or will be other than
free inhabitants in the Territory, and that
its hackers repeatedly refused to allow the
bill to be so amended as to empower the
Legislative Assembly to establish or pro-
hibit Slavery. The plain intent of the
conspirators is, to rule Slavery into the
Territories underthc Federal Constitution,
and deny to the Legislative Assembly a
ny power to turn it out.
They did not fail of course to put os
much slave catching into the bill as posi-
bic, viz:
"SEc. 10. Ind be Il fio1Icr enacted,
That the provisions Of an act entitled
'An act respecting fugitiyes from justice
and persons es Gaping from theseryico of
their masters, approved Febr. twelvfth
seventeen hundred and ninety three, and
the provisions of the act entitled, AN act
to amend, and supplementary to, the afore-
said act approved September eighteen
hundred and fifty, be, and the same are
hereby, declared to extend to and be in
full force within the limits of said Terri
tory of Nebraska"
Such are the provisions of the bill as
respects Nebraska. which are all repeated
h