Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1854-03-03

5 West. know that ii is a sentiment
: stronger than any sectional interest
: or ambition, and stronger than even
, the love of equality in the non-sIave-
holding States and stronger, ! doubt
not, than the love Of Slavery in the
, slaveholding States. But | do not
know, and no mortal sagacity does
know, the scductions of interest and
/ ambition, and the influences Of pas
sion, which are yet TO be matured in
, every region. know this, however,
that til is Union is safe now, and that
it will be safe so long as impartial
political equality shall constitute the
| basis of society, as it has heretofore
done in even half of these States,
| and they shall thus maintain a Just
equilibrium against the slaveholding
States. But | am well assured, also,
on The other hand, that il ever the
+ slaveholding Sta,es shall multiply
{ themselves, and extend their sphere,
SO that they could, without associa-
ton with the -slaveholding States,
constitute of themselves CONNER
J cial republic, from that day their
rule, through the Executive, Judicial,
and Legislative powers Of this Gov
ernment will be such as will be hard
for the non-slaveholding States TO
bear and their pride and ambition,
since they are congregations Of men,
and are moved by human passions,
will consent 10 no Union in which
they shall not so rule.
The sloveholding States already
possess the mouths of the Mississippi,
and their territory reaches far north
ward along its banks, on one side TO
the Ohio and ON the other even TO
the confluence Of the Missouri
They stretch their dominions now
from the banks of the Delaware quite
around bay, headland and promon-
tory to the Rio Grande. They will
not stop, although they now think
they may, on the summit of the
Sierra Nevada nay, their armed pi-
oneers are already in Sonora, and
their eyes are already fixed, never 10
be taken off, on the Island of Cuba,
the Queen of the Antilles. II we of
the non-slavcholding States surrend-
or To them now the eastern slope of
the Rocky Mountains, and the very
sources of the Mississippi, what terri
tory will be secure, what territory can
be secured hereafter, for the creation
and organization of free States with
in our occan-bound domain? What
territories on this continent will re-
: main nnapproprlated and unoccupied
for us to annex! What territories,
even if we are able to buy OF conquer
them from Great Britain or i,ussia,
viii the slsveholding States suffer,
much less aid, us 10 annex, to restore
the equilibrium which by this unnec-
; ivrsury measure we sfruif have so un
wisely, SO hurriedly, so suicidally sub
verted ?
| Nor am ! to be told that only n few
slaves will enter into this vast region.
, One stakeholder in new Territory,
with access TO the Executive ear at
Washington, exercises more political
influence than FIVE hundred frcemen.
1t is not necessary that all or ma
lority Of the citizens of a Stale shall
: be shareholders to constitute slave
holding State. Delaware has only
} 1000 slaves against 81 600 freemen !;
and yet Delaware is slaveholding
state. The proportion is not sub
stantially different in Maryland aud
Missouri, and yet they are slavehold-
ing States. These, sir, are the stakes
, in this legislative game, IN which
lament to see, that while the repre-
senlatiyes Of the slaveholding states
J are unanimously and earnestly play
, ing to win, so many of the represent
taIives OF the non-slaveholding States
are with even sfealer zeal and dill
, gence playing to lose.
, Mr.. President. the Committee who
have recommended these twin bills
for the organization of the Terrific
ries OF Nebraska and kanzas hold the
affirmative in the argument upon
their passage.
; What is the case they present 10
the Senate and the country
They have submitted a report !;
but that report, brought in before
, they had introduced or even conceiv-
, ed this bold aud daring measure of
abrogating the Missouri Compromise,
, directs all its arguments against it.
The Committee say, in their re-
, port:
"Such being the character Of the contro-
? yersy, IN respect to the territory acquired
, from Mexico, similar question has arisen
in regard to the right to hold slaves in the
proposed territory OF rvoorasho, srhan Tho
= Indian laws shall be withdrawn, and tho
country thrown open to emigration aud set
, Element. BY the 9Th section of an act to au-
thorize the people of the Missouri Territory
, to form Constitution and State Government
!, and for the admission of such State into the
[ Union on an equal footing with the original
States, and to prohibit Slavery in certain Ter.
: ritories,' approved March q, 1870, twas pro.
. vided That, in all that Territory ceded by
b France to the United States under the name
2 of Louisiana, which lies north OF thirty SIX
degrees and thirty minutes north latitude,
= not included within the limits of the STATE
..I.t. 4