The daily union., 1854-02-19


policy OF admitting States not disturbed by ques
tons concerning slavery Vermont, non. .saveholdng
State. was admitted in 1893. keniucky,a tramontane
saveholdlng community having been detached from Vlr
gna, was admitted, without being questioned. about the
same time. So. also, Tennessee. which was similar
community separated from North Carolina, was admitted
IN 1876, with stipulation that the ordinance which Mr.
Jefferson had rst proposed, aud which had in the
time been adopted for the territory northwest OF the
Ohio, should not be held TO apply within her limits The
same course was adopted in organizing territorial govern
ments ior Mississippi and Alabama. saveholIing com
muni'ies which had been detached from South Carolina
and Georgia All these States and Territories stu
aed southwest OF the OHIO river, all less
already peopet by Shareholders With their slaves; and
to have excluded slavery within their limits would have
been national aci moi Of preventing the Introduction OF
slavery, but OF aboshDg slavery. In Short the region
southwest Of the Ohio river presented held in WHICH
the policy Of preventing the introduction OF slavery was
lmpraciicable. Our foreathers never attempted what
was mpraccable
But the was otherwise in that fair and broad re.
gon which stretched away from the banks OF the Ohio,
noThwad 20 the lakes and westward 10 the Mississippi.
was yet free, or practically fee from the presence Of
slaves, and nearly uninhabited, and quite
pied There was then Baltimore and OHIO railroad,
no Erie railroad no New York Genital railroad, no Bos-
ton aud OIdensburg railroad; there railway
through Canada nor, indeed, any road around
the mountains; imperial Erie canal Welland canal,
ockages around the rapids aud the falls OF the ST
Lawrence the Mohawk, and the Niagara rivers, and no
steam navigation on the lakes. on the Hudson,
the mississippi There's in that remote and secluded
gon, the prevention and introduction o slavery pos
sble; and there our toefahers. who left no possible
tional good unattemped did prevent H. Ii makes ones
hear, bound with JOY and gratitude, and hi, itself up
with mngled PRIDE and yenealOn 10 read the history OF
that great transaction Discarding the tte and common
orms OF expressing the national WILL they did not merely
vo,e" or g resolve,' or 'enac,," other
sons, but they !" ORDAINED" 10 language marked al
once with precision, amplifcaton, solemniiy and EN-
phass, that there shall he neither slavery nyoun-
tary seryude in the said Territory, otherwise than in the
punishment OF crime, whereof the party shall have been
duly convicted" And they further ORDAINED and de-
clared that this law should be considered COMPACT
between the original States and ae people and States OF
said Territory, and forever remain unasrabe unless by
common consent Tie ordinance agreed to unani-
mously. Virginia. in eaffmng her cesson of the tern.
tory, ratified II, and the first Congress held under the
constitution soemnly renewed and confirmed it,
In pursuance OF this ordinance, the several territorial
governments successfully established in the North west
Territory were organized with prob bllion OF the intro
ducon OF slavery and IN due Tune, though al
periods Ohio, Indiana, Illinois Michigan and Wiscon-
States erected within that Territory, have into
The Union with constitutions in their hands forever pro-
hbiDg slavery and involuntary seyisude, except for the
punishment OF crime. They yet young but, never
heless, who has elsewhere such States they
are There gathered The Young, The vigorous, The
active, the enlightened OF every Slateihe flower
and choice of every Stale this broad Union;
the emgani for conscience sake, and for freedoms sake
from every land ~ Europe, IRON proud and all conquer
ing Britain, from heart broken Ireland, from sunny Italy,
from beautiful Francs, from spiritual Germany, IRON
chyarous Hungary and IRON honest and brave old Swe
den aud Norway Thence are already coming ample sup
plies OF corn, and wheat, and wine. for The mannfac.
urers OF The East, Tor the planters OF the tropics and
for the artisans and the armies OF Europe; and
thence will continue to come in long successon they
have already begun TO come Statesmen and egsla,ofs
Tor this continent .1HF#ff. ..alft@H tt
Thus il appears, Mr. President that il was the policy
OF fathers, regard to the original domain OF the Uri
ted Saies TO prevent The introduction of slavery, where
was practicable, Ihis policy encountered greater
difficulties when II came under consideration with
view to It's establishment IN regions not included within
our original domain While slavery had been actually
abolished already by OF the emsncipating States
several OF them, owing 10 great change N toe relative
value OF the productions o slave labor. had fallen of
into The class OF non-emancipatsg Satesi and the
whole family OF States divided and classified as
slaveboding slave States, and non-s aveholdHg or
free States. rivalry Tor political ascendeacy was soon
developed and. besides The OF iateres, and phi
lanthropy which had before existed, there now on
each side desire to Increase from among The candidates
Tor admission INTO The Unlon the number OF States in
their respective classes and their relative weight and
inluence In The federal councils. e
The country which had been acquired from France
IN 1904 snized IN two Territories OF which
including New Oleans as its capital called Odesns
and The otber having ST. Louis Tor us chie iowa,
called Louisiana 1912, the Territory of Orleans vas
admitted as new Stale, under the name oil Louisiana
IL bad been old savehoding colony OF France, and
the prevention OF slavery within it wonld have been a
simple act of abolition AT the same time the Territory
of louisiana by authority oi Congress- took the name OF
Missouri and. IN lsio the portion thereof which
constitutes The State OF Akansa detached and be.
came Territory under that name Ia 1913, Missouri,
which then but tbiny peoped and had incon-id
eIabe number OF slaves, applied for admission ino the
Union, and her application brought the question OF ex
tending The policy OF the ordnance OF l7s7 10 that Stale
and other States The region acqaired from Lou
isiana, TO direct issue. The House Representatives
insisted prohibition against the lurher introduction
Of slavery in the State, condition OF her admission
The Senate disagreed with the House in that demand
the non slaveboiding Slaes sustained the House. and
the slaveholdng States sustained the Senate The differ
ence radical, and tended towards revolution
One party maintained that the condition demanded was
constiuonal, the other that IL was unconstitutional
The public mind became intensely excited and painful
sppehensIons OF disunlon and civil began TO prevail
in The country.
In this crsi, majority OF both houses agreed upon
plan for the adjustment OF the controversy BY this
plan. Maine. non .savehoding State was 10 be ad-
mllled Missouri to be admitted without submitting
10 tbe condition before mentioned and In all that part of
the Territory acquired from France, which was north OF
The line OF 80 deg 30 min o nofh latitude. slavery was
to be forever prohibited, Louisiana, which was psu
OF that territory had been United az slave State eight
yeats beiors and now, ony Missouri 10 be aa-
mi,led as slave State, but Akansa which was south
OF that ne BY suong implication, was also to be ad.
mltied as slayeholding State
need not indicate what the equiva which
the respective parties 10 receive IN this arrange
menf, further than 10 say that the ssvehoding States
practically 10 receive savehoding States the free
States receive desert solitude. in which they might
II they could plant the germs OF luure ffee States This
measure was adopted II was gfoat national transac.
onthe hrst oi class OF transactions which have .ncp
come 10 be thoroughly dehned and well understood IN.
der the name OF compromises. My own opinions con-
cernng them are well known, and are noi In question
here According to the general UNDERSTANDING they are
marked by peculiar circumstances and features vlx
Fret, there ~ division oil opinion upon some vital
national question between the two houses OF Congress
which division s reeoBclsbie except by mutual con-
cessioRs OF interests and opinions, winch the houses
deem constitutional aod lo.t