The true Democrat., 1854-04-18
The Missouri Compromise.
IN-. CaLEou's Opinion ef tue Missouri Comp,e
 mise of 1787.

na1se Cf 1|S|.
 Mir. Calhoun. in one of his speeches on the ordinance of l7S7, speaks as follows:
 The act itself was unauthorized. The arti- cles of confederation conferred not a shadow of authority on Congress to pass the ordinance as is admitted by MT. Madison, and yet this unauthorized, one-slded act, as 1t has turned out to be, passed in the last moments of the old confederacy, was relied on as precedent aIluding to the Missouri Compromise of 1S2O] for excluding the South from two-thirds of the territory acquired from France by the Louisiana treaty, and the whole of the Oregon territory and is now relied on to justify her exclusion from all the territory acquired by the Mexican war; and all that may be acquired in any man. ner hereafter
 1ae acorks of Calhoun vol l, page 369.
 Again, 18th February, 1847, Mir. Calhoun remarked as follows:
 Sir, let me say a word as to the compromise line. l have always considered 1t as great error highly injurious to the South, because 1t surrendered, for mere temporary purposes, those higher principles of the constitution upon which think we ought to stand am against any compromise line. Yet would have been willing to acquiesce in continuance of the Missouri compromise, in order to preserve, up- der the present trying circumstances, the peace of the Onion. One of the resolutions in the House, to that effect, was offered at my sugges- ton. 1 said to friend there, ''Let us not be disturbers of this Union. Abhorrent to my feelings as is that compromise line let it be ad- hered to in good faith; and if the other portions of the Union are willing to stand by it, let us not refuse to stand by it. It has kept peace for some time, and ill the present circumstan- ces perhaps it would be better to be continued as 1t is''
 But it was voted down by.an overwhelming majority. It was renewed by a gentleman from a non-Slaveholding State, and again voted down by an overwhelming majority.
 see my way in the constitution; l cannot in a compromise. A compromise is but an act of Congress. It may be overruled at any time. It gives us no security. But the constitution is stable It is rock. On it we can stand.- It is a firm and stable ground, on which we can better stand in opposition to fanaticism than on the shifting sands of compromise.
 Let us be done with compromises. Let us go back and stand upon the constitution
 Elsewhere Mr. Calhoun uses the following language
 But I go farther, and hold that justice and the constitution are the easiest and safest guard on which the question can be settled, re- garded in reference to party. It may be set tied on that ground simply by non-action; by leaving the territories free and open to the emigration of all the world so long as they con- tinue 50, and when they become States, to adopt whatever constitution they please with the single restriction to be republican, in order to their admission into the Union. If party cannot safely take this broad and solid position, and successfully maintain it, what other can it take and maintain If it cannot maintain itself by an appeal to the great principles of justice, the constitution, and self-government to what other sufficiently strong to uphold them in pub- lie opinion, can it appeal? greatly mistake the character of the people of this Union if such an appeal would not prove successful if either party should have the magnanimity to step forward and boldly make 1t. It would in my opinion, be received with shouts of appreciation by the patriotic and intelligent in every quarter There is deep feeling prevailing the country that the Union and our political institutions are in danger, which such course would dis pei.
 And again:
 There is very striking difference between the position in which the slaveholding and non- slaveholding States stand ln reference to the subject under consideration The former de- sire no action of the government; demand no law to give them any advantage Tn the terri tory about to be established; are willing to leave it and other territories belonging to the United States open to all their citizens so long as they continue to be territories and when they cease to be so, to leave it to their inhabitants to form such governments as may suit them, without restriction or condition, except that imposed by the constitution as prerequisite for admission