Daily national era., 1854-01-23

into view suchn Legislative enactments or judi
cial decisions Of the General or State Gov
ernments, as may affect the great interests Of
the community, more especially when they
have an obvious connection with religion or
morals To this plan the editor has strictly
adhered and within it appears properly in
cluded some notice of the report recently sub
mitted by Senator Douglas for the establish
ment of "a Territorial Governmentfor Nebraska
Nearly thirty-four years have passed away
since the bill for the admission of Missouri was
enacted. Many Of those still in the active
period of life may vividly remember the con-
test which arose upon the admission Of that
State into the Union, with it's slaveholding
Constitution. To procure the admission, a
proposal was made and accepted, that in all
that portion Of the Territory acquired from
France, lying north of 36 deg. 30 min. Of north
latitude the State of Missouri excepted, Sla-
very or involuntary servitude except in the
punishment of crimes, should be foreuer pro-
hibited. This provision constituted a part of
the law which gave to Missouri place in the
Union. Care, however, was taken to provide
for the reclamation Of fngitives from labor, who
might seek an asylum in the Territory thus
exempted forever from the intrusion Of slavery.
This was granting to the advocates Of slavery
all they could ask at the time Missouri came
in as slaveholding State. The promise that
Slavery should be forever excluded from all the
rest Of the country ceded by France, under
the name Of Louisiana, was Of little practical
Importance as long as itremained an uninhab-
tied wilderness. The opponents Of Slavery,
however, had the consolation to believe that
all the Territory north Of the designated par
allel, whenever it came to be settled would be
occupied by freemen, and that any struggling
immigrants, who might locate themselves
within it, would be prevented from attempting
to introduce slaves there, not only by the want
of any law to authorize their possession, but by
q positive enactment excluding the condition.
The provision for the exclusion Of Slavery
can now be no more revoked without a breach
of faith than the admission Of Missouri. But
the bill which Senator Douglas has reported
provides, in advance, for setting aside, when
Nebraska may claim admission as State, that
part of the Missouri Compromise which secur-
ed to that State place in the Union. This
express provision is couched in the following
terms
aAnd when admitted as States or States,
the said Territory, or any portion of the same,
shall be received into the Union, qoith or yifh-
out Slavery as their Constitutions may prescribe
al the time Of their admission
The practical result Of such clause though
ostensibly imperative while Nebraska remains
under q Territorial Government is evidently
designed to prepare the way for the introduc
tion of Slavery before it asks for admission as q
State For if that part of the Compromise,
which corresponds with the celebrated Ordi-
nance Of 1877, should be faithfully maintained
during its territorial existence, the country
must be filed with freemen; and there would
be very little danger of such community
forming slaveholding Constitution. The pro-
vision that Nebraska shall, at some future day,
be admitted into the Union, either with or
without Slavery, as the people may choose
would virtually repeal immediately that part
of the act Of 1920 which provides that Slavery
shall be excluded from that Territory forever
for it implies, and can mean nothing else, that
Slavery may at some time be tolerated there
the act Of 1920 to the contrary notwithstand
ing.
Other parts Of the BILL when taken in con-
nection with the clause already cited, clearly
show design, which the advocates of Slavery
will not be slow to carry into effect to open
the Territory at once to a slaveholding and q
servile population. Witness the following pro-
visions:
aAnd be 1T further enacted, That the legisla-
i've power OF tne lerrltory snail exCenQ 70 an
rightfnl subjects of legislation consistent with
the Constitution and the provisions Of this act
of the United States
First That oil questions pertaining to Sla-
very in. the Territories and in the new States
to be formed therefrom, are to be left to the
decision of the people residing therein, through
their appropriate representative. Second, That
all cases involving title to slaves and 'ques-
tions of personal freedom are referred to the
adjudication Of the local tribunals with the
right Of appeal TO the Supreme Court of the
United States
IL certainly requires no argument to prove
that these provisions would be inapplicable to
Territory in which the act of 1920 was re-
garded as the paramount law; and az every
enactment virtually repeals every previous one
which is inconsistent with it, it appears i'm
possible to regard the bill in question rs any.
thing less than an attempt to set aside the Com
promise of 1920, and open, to the intrusion Of
Slavery, all the territory from which it was
clearly understood to be forever excluded. For
we must observe that every part of Nebraska
lies on the north Of 36 deg. 80 min. north lati.
tude
II is to be hoped that the people Of the free
States, at least, will be awakened to this glar-
ing encroachment of the slaveholding power,
and that their voices may be raised in tones
too strong and decided TO be disregarded