The daily union., 1854-02-08

sxod BY ihrln The pfoessed object OF The friends OF the
c1mpsomise acts compose the whole slavery ag
surrender o fugttiyes IRON service The
existence of slavery and the slave trade here this Dis
iel and else here under The exclusive jurisdiction oi
Congress, was another Tne appTrhended introduc on
prohibition OF slavery IN The Territories furnished
other grounds OF controversy The slave States CON
planned OF the free Stae and the ee States complained
OF the slave States II supposed by that this
whole agitation might be stayed. and finally put rest
by skiliuy adjusted legislation SO, SIR, We had The
omnibus bl and appendsges the fugitive slave bill
and the District suppression bill To please
the Norh-so please The free S,ales--Calornia 10
be admitted and the slave depots here in the District
were to be broken up 10 please the slave States
stringent act to be passed. and slavery
was TO have chance TO get into the new Territories
The support OF the senator's and representatives from
Texas be gained by liberal adjustment OF bound
AIRY, and by The assumption OF large portion of their
State debt The general result contemplated was a COM
pele and final adjustment oi all questions relating sla
very. The acts passed. number OF the friends o the
acts signed compact pisdgns themselves TO support no
man Tor any Office who would 10 any way renew the
agitation The country required 10 acquesce in the
settlement an absolute hnaIity No man concerned
in carrying those through Congress- and least
OF all the distinguished whose Efforts mainly contrib
uted to their success imagined that the territorial
acts which formed part OF the series they planting
the germs o a new agitation. Indeed, have proved
that OF these acts contains express stipulation
which precludes The revival OF the agitation in the form
which II is thrust upon the country, without maa.
fes disregard OF the provisions OF those acts themselves
Ihave thus proved beyond controversy that the avenent
OF the bill which my amendment proposes 10 strike ont
10 untrue. Senator's will you unite IN statement which
you know to be conadcied BY the history OF the coun-
tryl Mil you incorporate into public statute an aihf-
nation which con,radiced by every event which al
tended followed the adoption oshe compromise acts
Will you here. acting under your high responsibility as
senatOrs OF the States. assert fact, by solemn vote,
that which the personal recollection OF every senator
who was here during the discussion OF those comPro-
mise acts dsproves will not believe il until It.
II you wish break up the time honored compact i'm
bodied in the Missouri Compromise transferred into the
joint resolution Tor the annexation OF Texas preserved and
openIy-doi boldly. Repeal the Missouri prohibition,
Repeal il by direct vote DO not repeal BY ndrec
ton Do not "decare" il "nopera,ve," "becauss SUI
perseded by the principle OF the legislation OF 1850"
Mr.. President, three great have marked the his
tory OF this country in respect TO slavery The st may
be characterized as the era OF ENrRANcHIsEMENT con-
menced with the earliest struggles for national ndepepd
ence. The spirit which inspired il animated the hearts
and prompted the efforts Of Washington. Of Jefferson, OF
Patrick Henry. of Wyhe, Of Adams, OF Jay OF Hsmil.
ton, OF Morsn short, of all the great men OF our early
history. All these hopedai these abored forall these
believed in the final deliverance OF the country from the
curse OF slavery. That spirit burned 10 the Declaration
OF Independence, and inspired the provisions OF the con-
stuton. and the ordinance Of 1857 Under its influence,
when in full vgor, State after State provided for the
the adoption of the constitution Under its eebler nfl
ence at later period, and during The administration OF
Mr.. Jederson the importation OF slaves was prohibited
into Mississippi and Louisiana, in the faint hope that
those Territories might finally become free States Grad
ually that spirit ceased to influence public councils
and lost its control over the American heart and the
mpercepbe gada,ons that the lines which separate the
two cannot be traced with absolute precision The facts
OF the two eras meet and mnge the currents OF confu-
ent streams mix imperceptby that the observer
not fix the spot where the meeting waters blend.
This second era was the Of CONSERVATISM Its
great maxn was 10 preserve The existing condition Men
said lei things remain they are let slavery stay where
IL, excluded from where it s not refrain from dis
urbng the public quiet by agitation adjust all differences
'ha, arise not BY the application of principles. bat BY
compromise.
during this period that the senator tells US that
slavery maintained in Illinois, bo,n while Terri
tory and after became State, in despite OF The provis
ions OF the ordinance IStrue that the slaves held
in the Illinois country, under the French law,
regarded absolutely emancipaie by the provisions OF
in excluding the introduction OF slaves and thus The Ter
ri,ory preserved from eventually becoming slave
State The few Shareholders in the Territory of Indiana
which then included Illinois, succeeded in Obtaining such
an asceDdency in i,s affairs that repeated applications
were made not merely BY conventions OF delegates, but
by the territorial legislature ITSELF Tor suspension OF the
clause in the ordinance prohibiting slavery These appl-
cations were reported upon b. John Randolph, OF Vir
gna, in the House, and BY Mr. Franklin in the Senate
Both The reports were against suspension, The grounds
stated by Randolph specially worthy OF being con-
sidered now. They are thus stated in the report,
That the committee deem highly dangerous ind in
expedieni impair provision wisely calculated pro-
country, and give strength and security exlea-
sve frontier In The sautsy operation ol this sagaciops
Of Indiana viii, very distant day, find ample remu-
nerst!on Tor temporary prvstion oflsbof aad Of emiga-
ton"
Sir, these reports, made IN 1903 and 1907 and The ac.
uon OF Congress upon them, in conformity with their
recommendation. saved Illinois, and perhaps Indiana,
iron becoming slave STATES When the people Of iili-
nos formed their State constitution they incorporated into
II section providing that neither slavery Dvo oun
tary servIiuce sba be hereafter introduced into this
State The constitution made provision for. The conn
usd service OF the few persons who were originally held
slaves, and then bound TO service under the
rial laws, and for The freedom of their children, and thus
secured The hna extinction OF slavery. The senator
thinks that this result attributable The ordinance
l differ from him. But Tor the ordinance, | have no
doubt slavery would have been introduced ino Indiana
Illinois, and Ohio. IL is something the credit OF the
era OF conservatism, uninng lie influences with those OF
he expiring era ~ acknowledgements. that II maintained
the ordinances oil 1857 in the northwest
The era oil coasERyATrsM passed. also by impercepti-
bile gradatious, into The oil SLAVERY PRopAeANDisM
Under The influences OF this spirit we opened the
whole territory acquired from Mexico except California
10 The ngfess OF slavery. Every foot OF 1t covered
by Mexican prohibitions and set, by the legislation OF
1850, consented 10 expose the introduction of
slaves. Some, believe, have actually been CARED into
Utah and INTO New Mexico They may be few, perhaps
but few are enough TO Affect materially the probable
character OF their iuture governments Under the evil
Influences OF the same sFln called upon TO
reverse The original policy OF the republic; To subveri
even solemn COMPACT OF the conservative pesioJ and
open Nebraska 10 slavery.
sir. believe that we are upon the verge OF another
era. That era will be the of REACTION The intro.
duclion Of this question here liz discussion will
greatly hasten its advent We, who insist upon the de.
naturalization of slavery and upon the absolute divorce
OF the general government from a ceAnexion with ID
will stand with the who favored the compromises
acts and who yet nsb to adhere to them, in their letter