Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1854-06-24
NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER.
THE NEBRASKA ACT.
COMMUNICATED FOR THE NATIONAL IsrELLIeEScrR


At meeting of Members of Congress who OPP
posed the passage of the bill to organize the Terri
tories of Nebraska and Kansas, held pursuant to
previous notice in the city of Washington on the
Goth day of June, 1854, the Hon. SOLOMON Foor,
of Vermont, was called to the Chair, and DANIEL
MACE, of Indiana, and REUBEN 4. FENToN, OF
New York, were appointed Secretaries.
A committee, appointed for the purpose, report
ed an Address to the People of the United States,
which, having been discussed and amended, was
unanimously adopted and ordered to be published.
1t is as follows:
TO THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES.
The eighth section Of the act for the admission of Mis-
souri, into the Union, known the Missouri compromise
law by which the introduction of slavery into the regions
known Kansas and Nebraska forever prohibit
ed has been repealed That law which in 1920 quoted
controversy which menaced the Union, and upon which
you have long reposed is obterated from the statute
book We had to expect any such proposition
when assembled here six months ago, did you
poet it. No State citizen of any State had demand
ed the repeal 1t duty owe to the country to
state the grounds upon which have steadasty 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 the saveholdng power that de-
manded the enactment Of the Missouri compromise
1t is the power that has demanded its abroga
ton. African slavery regarded and denounced as
great evil by the American Colonies, before the Re-
voluton; and those Colonies which are slavehold
ing States equally earnest in such remonsrances
with those which free States. Colonial laws,
framed prevent the increase of slavery vetoed by
the King of Great Britain This exercise of arbitrary
power enlarge and perpetuate system universally
the Colonies, of the of the Revolution
When the ended there imperious
cessy for the institution of Government in the then
occupied Territories of the United States In 1884 JEFF
ferson proposed and in 1887 the Continental Congress
adopted the ordinance for the government Of the Terri
tory lying northwest of the Ohio by which it was de-
clared that there shall be neither slavery nvolun
tary servitude except for punishment of crime" The
great and fourshing States since organized within that
Territory, the basis Of that ordinance enduring
of the wisdom Of the statesmen of the Revou
ton The foreign slave trade regarded the
of American slavery, which, it believed, would
be dried up when that fountain should be closed. In
adopting the Constitution it universally antici-
pated that the foreign slave trade would be promptly
prohibited that all parties acquiesced in stipulation
postponing that until 1908 In 1908 the foreign
slave trade prohibited Thus the of slavery
understood to be dried up while the introduction of
slavery into the Territories prohibited The slavery
question, far it national one, understood
to be finally settled; and at the time the States had
already taken up, and carrying forward, system
Of gradual emancipation. .'' r..
In 1903 Louisiana acquired by purchase from
France and included what known the States of
louisiana Missouri Arkansas and Iowa. and the Terri
tories known Kansas and Nebraska Slavery existed
at the time in New Orleans and St. Louis and this
A.
before Congress .... .',.. .... ....''
In 1872 the region Immediately surrounding New Or
leans applied for admission into the Union under the
Of the State of louisiana with constitution toer
ang slavery. The State admitted, and the free
States acquiesced. Eight years afterward the region
connected with ST. Louis demanded admission, under the
of the State of Missouri, with constitution oler
ating slavery The free States reverted the principle
of 1885, and opposed the admission of Missouri unless
she would incorporate into her constitution inhibition
of the further introduction of slavery into the State The
saveholding States insisted upon her unqualified adms
sion. controversy arose, which was sectional and
embittersd, and which, we assured by contempt
history, seriously mperilled the Union. The
statesmen Of that day in Congress settled this
sy by compromise By the terms of this compromise the
free States assented to the admission of Missouri with
her sayeholdng constitution, while the saveholdng
States their part yielded the exclusion Of slavery in
all the residue of the territory which lay north of 36o 3
constituting the present Territories of Kansas and Ne
braska The slaveholdng States accepted this compro
mise triumph, and the free States after little time,
acquesced and have since left it undsturbed and
unquestoned .......
Arkansas, part Of the Territory of Louisiana which
lay south Of 36o 30 in compliance with implication
which contained in this compromise, afterward
admitted as saveholdng State and the free States
acquiesced.
In 1919 Florida, slavehoding province of Spain,
acquired This province was afterwards admitted as
slayeholdng State. The free States again acquesced
In l8A5 Texas, independent slavsholdng State
annexed with provision in the article of annexation for
the subdivision of her territory into FIVE States The free
States although they regarded the annexation with the
probable increase of the number of slave States, with
very great dsfayor, nevertheless acquesced again.
New Territories acquired by the treaty Of peace
which closed the with Mexico. The people OF Cali
fornia formed constitution nhibing slavery, and ap-
piled for admission into the Union Violent opposition
made by the slave States in and out of Congress
threatening the dissolution of the Union If California
should be admitted Proceeding the ground Of these
alarms Congress adopted another compromise the
of which were that ten million of dollars Of the people
money should be given to Texas to induce her ren-
quish very doubtful claim upon ncOnsderable part
Of New Mexico; that New Mexico and Utah should be
organized without inhibition of slavery and that they
should be afterwards admitted slave free States
the when forming constitutions should deter