Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1854-02-18

Indiana on Tuesday next. -
The bill was then postponed, 80
And tie Senate adjourned till Monday. A
House Of Representatives.
Mr. DEAN rose and stated that he had received
q letter from the governor of New York, trans
hitting the joint resolutions Of the general assem-
bly, of that State relative 10 the territorial question
now pending before Congress. He asked that the
papers be read, laid on the table, and printed.
The resolutions were read, expressing the sense
of the general assembly against the repeal of the
Missouri compromise, and instructing the senator's
and requesting the representatives from that State
to oppose the measure.
The motion Of Mr.. DEAN was then agreed TO-
The House took up and passed the bill indem-
nifying the State of Indiana for failure of title to
a township of land granted at the time OF her adj
mission into the Union, in 1916.
THE HOMESTEAD BILL-NEBRAsKA.
The House resolved itself into Committee of
the Whole on the state the Union, Mr.. OLps in
the chair, and took up the homestead bill
Mr. STEPHENS, of Georgia, addressed the
committee in reply 10 the gentleman from Yer
mont, (Mr. MEAcHAM,) who, several days ago,
spoke against the Nebraska BILL and had con-
tended that the repeal of the Missouri compromise
would be the violation of a solemn contract which
had been adhered TO from 1920 TO the present time
and that any breach of it would be attended with
of the country. These positions, Mr. STEPHENS
maintained were untenable. In the first place,
the clause restricting slavery north OF 500 30 was
never deemed in the nature of contract. AS Mr.
Clay said in 1850, perhaps no question was as
little understood as the Missouri compromise.
The compromise with which Mr.. Clay was linden
tilted had nothing TO do with the slavery restriction
Mr.. Clay neither introduced nor voted for it, 1t
was law simply. Subsequently in 1921, when
Missouri had framed her constitution in pursu-
ance Of law, the House of Representatives re-
fused her admission, because of the clause in her
constitution prohibiting the introduction of free
negroes and il was on the dsagreeing vote that
Mr.. Clay offered his compromise for the admission
of Missouri. That was a compact, because Mis-
souri, and Congress were both parties to It. Mis-
souri, never gave her sanction 10 1t, SO far as sa
very existed outside of her limits. She had no
right 10 do so. Congress admitted Missouri into
the Union with slavery. s sSp4e e
w The gentleman from Vermont had asked whether
the south would not in honor abide by the con-
tract. Now he {Mr. STEPHENS could state that,
although the majority Of the south were always
against that socalled contract, unconstitutional
they acquiesced in it for the sake of peace and
harmony, protesting all the time. But the north
never gave her sanction to that line OF division.
The great principle was like that of Lot and Abra-
ham: I" Let not the herdsmen disagree. You 60
TO the north, and we to the south" The south
said we will abide by it, but not SO the north
The next State which applied for admission into
the Union was Arkansas, when John Quincy
Adams moved an ant-slavery amendment and al
most every man from the north voted for it. And
when, the gentleman from Vermont talked about
maintaining that line and appealed to the honor Of
the South, he (Mr. STEpHENs) would ask, did the
south ever seek to disturb it !? Ifths contract no
longer exists, the north broke II.
s Oflate the National Iitelligencer spoke Of the
Missouri compromise as not much less sacred
than the Constitution itself; but when, in 1886,
4
not that paper then sound the alarm that the Con-
sttuiion was in danger4 When eighty men voted
10 disturb it, why did not that paper then speak
out9 He repeated, the north repudiated the COM
promise.
In 1886, 1s45, ls47, 1913, and in 1850, the south
offered the principle of the Missouri compromise
as applicable. to territorial questions then pending,
but the north would not acquiesce in il, and Sena.
tor Calhoun said he would abide by it for the sake
of peace. But the north almost unanimously re-
jected IT, These things continued until 1850, and
everybody knows the state of things then existing
when the anti-savery spirit, in all IFS bitterness
and fury, was fairly aroused When the south
offered the Missouri compromiseto the north, the
north again and again rejected it, then the south
was thrown back on her original rights, under the
Constitution, and the battle-cry raised, Lay on
Macdufi, and damned be he who first cries Hold
enough"
The whole gst of the question was, the right Of
may please.
The doctrine of the frcesoers, that Congress
ought to mould the people of the Territories, was
the old tory doctrine of Lord North in the British
Parliament. The doctrine Of the south was that
of the wings of TITS and 'T6 namely no restriction
on the rights of the people Just SO in 1850. We
removed the irritating cause and established the
principles of the compromise, that the Territories
shall be received into the Union as States, with or
without slavery in their constitutions at the time
of their application. This was the taking Of the
slavery question out of Congress and placing the
Territories on the ground our forefathers claimed
for the colonies-thc right to govern themselves
and removing the irritating cause.
After gancing at the history ofthe compromise
measures of 1850, he said, the occasion of their
passage, patriotism rose superior TO party.
He said he had heard many people speak as TO
which was the greatest oratorical effort of Mr..
Webster; but he thought that the greatest was
when that distinguished statesman from his ba-
rouche addressed three thousand of his fellow-cit
liens before the Revere House. when Faneu
Hall was closed against him. Mr.. Webster exhib
tied tone and temper, on that occasion, which
he recommended 10, northern men for imitation.
He said to those who had dsapproved of his
course: "Gentemen, you have conquered an i'm
hospitable climate !; you have conquered barren
soil; you have conquered the ocean which lashes
your shores, and have made yourselves the esteem
of all the world; but you have another thing TO
W. uHu tHat 10, w SohpuSi your pfcJuulCcs.
There might be gentlemen who, under execn-
tive patronage, or other cause, have given in
some sort OF adhesion TO the compromise of 1850 !;
but il was known that, in some cases, the adhe
sion was but temporary. He never doubted that
the opposition would again break out. The n.y.
drophobia or negromania is hardly ever cured.
The adder continues 10 hiss but he did not believe
as great excitement could be raised on this ques
ton as heretofore. aat
In conclusion he eloquently and earnestly con-
tended for the principle that the people of the ter
ritories shall frame their own institutions Let il
be republican principle, and maintained for all
time 10 come With il we shall go on in the bright
career of honor and glory which awaits us. BY
the contrary course shall have sectional broils
Let us pursue peace. 9 t
MIR. CAMPBELL said that, with regard to the
Constitution Of his country and devotion to the
Union of those States, he yielded 10 no one, not
even to the gentleman from Georgia When he
looked back on the past and recollected her close
alliance with those who spilled their best blood on
the battle-feds ofthe revolution, both in the north
and the SOUTH he fell that he owed Il as one Of the
last and greatest duties devolying on him to pro-
tect the Constitution and stand by this glorious