Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1854-02-18


soari net applied in ls20
i II these eonfedernies do not know to what
! country allude, | only reply that they should
! hive known before they Uttered fdlsebood ana
/ imputed Il crime To me.
But | will tell you 10 what country al ude.-
BY The treaty of IeI9. BY which we acquired
Florida, aud fixed boundary between the United
States and Mexico, the boundary was made OF
the Arkansas river to its source, aud then the
line ran due North of the source of the Arkan-
sas to the forty-seeond parallel then along on
the the fofty-seeond parallel To the fhclhc
Ocean. The line, due North from the head OF
the Arkansas. leaves the whole middle park, des-
oribed in such glowing terms by Col Fremont,
TO the cast of The line, and hence "A part OF the
Louisiana purchase. Yet, inasmuch. as that
middle park Is watered and drained by the waters
flowing into the Colorado, when we formed the
territorial limits of Utah, instead of running
that mir line We ran along the ridge of the noun
tains, and cut off that part from Nebraska or
from the Louisiana purchase, and included it with
IN the limits of the Territory of Utah.
WHY did we do il Because we sought for nut
ural boundary rather than by air iue to cut the
valleys ON one side of the mountains and annex
Them to the country ON the other side. And why
did we take these natural boundaries, setting at
defiance the old boundaresl The simple reason
was, that so long as we acted upon the principle
of settling the slave question by geographical
line 20 long we observed those boundaries strict
ly and rigidly: but when that was abandoned in
consequence of the action Of free sellers and alb
otionsts, wien it was superseded by the com
promise measures Of 1850 which rested upon
grcat universal principle. there was no necessity
for keeping in view the old and unnatural bonn-
diary. For that reason, in making the new Ter
fltorles, VI futmod mutual boundaries irrcrpec-
tive of the source whence our title was derived.
In writing these bills paid no attention 10 the
whether the Wug RAJ | uuIsl
ana, from France, or from Mexico; for what diff
ference did il make The principle which we
had established in the bill would apply equally
well To either.
In defining those boundaries paid no attention
to the fact whether they included old territory
not, whether the country was covered by the
Missouri Compromise or not. Why a.! Because
the principles established in the bills superseded
the Missouri Compromise. For that we
disregarded the old boundaries, disregarded the
territory IL which il applied, and dsregarded the
source from whence the title was derived. | say,
therefore, that close examination of this act
clearly establishes the fact that it was the intent
Us well as the legal effect of the Compromise
measures of 1880 To supersede the Missouri Com
promise and all geographical and territorial lines
Sir in order to avoid any msconstruction, |
will state more distinctly what my precise idea
is upon this point. So far as the Utah and New
Mexico bills included the territory which had
been subject to the Missouri Compromise proyis-
ion, to That extent they absolutely annulled the
Missouri Compromise. As to the unorganzed
territory not covered by these bills it was super
seeded by the principles Of the Compromise of
1850, We oil know that the object of the Com
promise measures of 1850 was to establish Ger
tnin great principles which would avoid the sa-
very agitation III all time 70 come. Was il our
object simply To provide for temporary evil
Was II our object lust to heal over old sore
and leave il Ia break ont againl Was it our object
to adopt mere miserable eXpedlent to apply to
that territory, and that alone and leave ourselves
entirely nj sen without compass, when ter
ritoiy was acquired, or now territorial organi-
zutons were to be made! Was that the object
for which the eminent and. venerable Senator
from Kentucky, Mr. Clay, came here, and saeri-
feed even his last energies upon the altar of his
country Was that the object for which Web
stcr, Clay Cass, and all the patriots of that day.
struggled so long and 30 strcnuousy! Was il
merely the application of Il temporary expedient
in agreeing To stand by past and dead Legislation,
that the Baltimore platform pledged us to sustain
the Compromise OF 1857 Was il the understand
ing of the Wing party, when they adopted the
compromise measures of 1850 as article of
political faith, that they were only agreeing To
that which was past, and had no reference to the
futmei II 81, it was worse than II fraud. When
we pledged our President TO stand by the compro-
mise measures, did We not understand that we
pledged him NJ to his future nctionl Was it Us
~ his past conduct! If it had been in relation
Ia past conduct only the pledge would have been
untrue rs To II very large portion of the Demo
cratic party. Men went into that Convention
who had been opposed to the compromise meas
ures-men who abhorrcd those measures when
they we're pendng-men who never would have
voted aihrmatiyey them. But, inasmuch as
those measures had been passed and the country
had acqniesoed III them; and it was important to
preserve the principle in order to avoid agitation
in the future these men said we waive our
past objections, and we will stand by you and
with you III carrying out these principles in the
future.
Such understand to be the meaning of the
two great parties at Baltimore. Such | under
stand to have been the effect of their pledges
If they did not mean this, they meant merely to
adopt resolutions which were never to be carried
out, and which were designed to misead and de-
ceive the people for the mere purpose Of carrying
an election.
| hold, then, that as to the territory covered
| by the Utah and New Mexico bills there was an
! express annulment of the Missouri Compromise
! and as To all the other unorganized territories it
was superseded by he principles of that legisa-
ton; and we are bound to apply those principles
! in the organization of all new Teiritories-oi all
wi ieh we now own, or which we may acquire
! if this construction be given, it makes that com
! promise final adjustment No other construe-
ton can possibly impart finaity to it. BY any
other construction. the question is TO be reopen
/ ed the moment you ratity new treaty acquiring
! an inch of country from Mexico BY any other
| construction you reopen the issue every time
| you make new territorial government. But
| sir, fyou treat the compromise measures of lS50
IN, he ,r,t IS, IL.