Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1854-07-07


Ii seems duty we owe to the
country TO state the grounds upon
which we have steadfasily, though
Intellectually, opposed this alarming
and dangerous act.
You need not be told that the
slavery question lies at the bottom
of it. AS it was the slavehoding
power that demanded the enactment
OF the Missouri Compromise, so it is
the same power that now demanded
its abrogation.
African slavery was regarded and
denounced as great evil, by the A.
merican Colonies, even before the
Revolution and those colonies
which are now slaveholding States,
were equally earnest in such remon-
STANCES with those that are now
free States. Colonial laws, framed
to prevent the Increase Of slavery,
were vetoed 10y the King of Great
Britain. This exercise of arbitrary
power TO enlarge and perpetuate q
system universally regarded as equal
| ly wrongful ia itself and Injurious to
the colonies, was one of the causes
of the Revolution. When the war
was ended, there was an imperlous
necessity ioI the institution of some
government in the then unoccupied
Territories of the United States. In
1854 Jefferson proposed, and 10
l7S7 the Continental Congress adop-
Ted, The ordinance for the Govern
nent Of the territory lying northwest
of the Ohio, 10y which it was declar-
ed that there should be neither slave
~ nor involuntary servitude, except
(or the punishment OF crime. The
great and flOurishing states since or
ganIzed within that Territory, on the
basis Of that ordinance, are enduring
monuments of the wisdom Of the
Statesmen Of the Revolution
The foreign slave trade was re-
garded as the source of American
slavery, which it was believed would
be dried up. when that fountain
should Toe closed. In adopting the
/ Constitution, IL was so universally
anticipated that the foreign slave
trade would be promptly prohibited,
that all parties acquiesced in a supu-
laton proposing that measure tall
/ iS0S. The foreign slave trade was
prohibited the source Of slave
~ was understood TO be dried up,
while the introduction of slavery in
to the territory was prohibited. The
slavery question, SO FAR as /, was a
national one, was understood To he
finally settled, and at the same time
the States had already taken up aud
were carrying forward system of
gradual emancipation. la 1893
ouisiana was acquired, 10y purchase,
3 from France, and included what is
now known as the states of Louis
iana, Missouri, Arkansas and Iowa,
aud the Territories known as Kan
sas and Nebraska. Slavery existed
AT the time in New Orleans and At
ST. Louis, and so this purchase re-
suited in bringing the slavery ques-
lion again before Congress. In 1912
the reglon immediately surrounding
New Orleans applied for admission
INTO the Union under the name of
The State OF Louisiana, with a con
slltulon tolentins slavery, aud the
free States acquIesced. Elght years
afterwards the region connected NJ b
81 LOUIS demanded admission I'M
der the name of the State of Mlssou-
RI with II constitution toleraiing slave
, ~. The free States reverted To The
principle of 1881, and opposed the
admission of Missouri unless she
would incorporate into her consltu-
ftion an inhibition OF the further in
trohucuon of slavery inlo the State.
, The slayeholdng states Insisted up
on her unqualified admission. A
controversy arose, which was seclion-
loual aud en,bttered, and which we
are assured by contemporaneous his
tory seriously imperlled the Union.
. The statesmen of that day IN Con-
gress settled the controversy 10y COM
q promise. BY the terms of this COM
promise the free States assented 10
the admission of Missouri, with her
: slavehololng Constitution, while the
! slaveholding states, on their part,
yielded the exclusion OF slavery IN
all the residue OF the territory which
lay north of 80 80, constituting the
present Territory of Kansas and Ne
braska. The slayeholding States
accepted the compromise as a tri-
umph, and The free states have ever
since left il Undslurbed and unques-
toned. Arkansas, part of the ter
riiory of Louisiana which lay south
OF SO 30, in compliance with an i'm
pllcation which was contained in this
compromise was afterwards admit
ted as a slayeholding State, and the
free States acquIesced. In 1919,
Florida, slaveholdiug province oil
!. Spain, was acquired. This province
was afterwards admitted as slave
holding State. The free States a
gain acquiesced. In lS45 Texas,
an independent slaveholdIng State,
Was annexed, with provlso in the
: arllcle of annexation for the subdl-
2 vision of her territory into five states
! The free states, although they re-
/, garded the annexation with the prob
: able increase of the number OF slave
states, with very great dlsiavor, new
4; erlheless acquiesced aguin. New