Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1854-03-22
WHOLE w lELtO9 EIIl I No., .45e:.sss.s..,.

pfOpift0H on NE lOnSfttlflO1s and kQl0rd
ianQttiao 6e saain0 hal ne ConStitution e5ists ~
its oIslrrdace Both parties have sacrificed much
to conciliation We icish 10 see The COMPACT Eeuf
in good fdikt, and we trust that a ind Prosdence
VIII open the way 10 relieve us of an evil which
every good citizen deprecates as the supreme
curse OF the country 'a1fa' - ~ 90 ehA
That, sir, was the language or a llarylafder,
in 1920. He expressed the universal understaild-
ing Of the country. Here thenis conpactcon-
plcte perfect irrepealable, SO far as any coSpaet
embodied in Legislative act can Be said IL Sc r.
repealable. 1t had the two sections Of the eoun-
try for its parties, great territory for s subject,
and permanent adjustment of a dangerous con-
troversy for its object. II was forced upon The.
free States Il has been literally fulfilled by the.
free States tits binding, indeed, only upon 'koI~
or and conscience; but, 10 such matter, the OBJ
legations Of honor and conscience must be regard
ed even more sacred than those Of constitution-
al provisions - ~ 'e 80 -,
Mr. President, ifthere was any principle which
prevailed in this arrangement, II was that Of per-
mittng the continuance Of slavery in the localities
where It actually existed at the time of the acaui-
sition Of the territory and prohibiting it in the
parts of territory in which no slaves were actually
held. This was wide departure from tie orr
ginal policy which contemplated the exclusion.of
slavery from territories in which it actual exist-
ed at the time OF acquisition. But the idea that
loldVcIy COuIu ever U6 Introduced 1DtO Tree LeTFl-
tory, under the sanction Of Congress, had not, as
yet, entered into any mans head. ". .,,,.ss
Mr.. President, shall hasten to a conclusion.
In lS4S we acquired vast territory from Mexico.
The free States demanded that this territory, free
when acqur d should remain free under the Gov-
ernment of the United States. The Senator from
Illinois tells us that he proposed the extension Of
the Missouri ompromise line through this terHi>
tory, and he complains that it was rejected BY the
lxY,,fno 1F fAs1 O.
Because the Missouri compromise applied to ter
ritory in which slavery was already sllowed.--
The Missouri prohibition exempted portion az
this territory, and the larger portion, from The,
evil II carried out, in respect to that, the erig-
inal policy of the country. But the extension Of
that line through the territory acquired from Mex
leo, with the understanding which the Senator
from Illinois and his friends attached toit, would
have introduced slavery into vast region ih
which slavery, at the time Of acquisition, was not
allowed. To agree to it would have been to re-
verse totally the original policy of the country and
to disregard the principle upon which the Missou-
ri compromise was based. ~, -,
1t is true that when the controversy in respect;
to this territory came to conclusion, the proyis-
~ .ne eo'S " wn,cn terri'orlai governMsnss ;
Me,o We. orgalaeu' were u, some lespecss worse .nah
LII =. .ne .: ei.tlg ie tlllNsg
VI - - ~ mA...: INC 4ac. y e
no s;aae'y u. me igrltol'es,r runanecteu ~ hsF
~ Juuc,ai ue'islon, 1ney o'u; never.ns
.esS WI 'ie y. 81
sD.y y .ae, 81 lar as legsia.lon Iosld
uec'ue ~, aguihst INST .l leeoohi. Canlornia' lnGeso'
was suilli''eG aS iree 0tate; anu " hef m aumls-
sun lne son1me u extenu'ng nne o save
s ~ .ne was' was lor tns uhe SeIeas'
1ne uPoh Whlon ncr'neru it,.l y 5igh!s " "
.e ~ .n Soss Ssal W.
% II ~ ~ "aS = !" ponu.sgu p.1.
IN these ter1ltores oy Mexican iaw;-that law s =
I ~. 'epeaeu Y ary P,oslson % lne
Tna.ay iiay ~ .le slavery oanny. eA.s. y ary
re.t.oiy' eAoep' ~ vrtue ol Posluvs g.. y
Ions suon ao. a'lows siavely LEI,
.s nc 'ra. any saws WIZ
oo .aatn . lli.o sie oou.neln snpPols-
=, sne enen. uPor VIZ I
PosI sno q ~
uley sHo, .e ~
oiu ",s ~ ea "a sp'e - ay
% nl IA ~ eysH WI
y .. un aot VI oongigss. hleSMSAlcan iaw iolD-
uing slasI was a. ~. .e .s.S y aS
9usl'.on " lne oPerauo OF .ne T.
G1hgasss Mss no' .hae y lpose any pro-
nau.ou. odn' ' taAe ~ ov savsS
itwe pedse. say,T esaf ass5 l!aow
e The committee tell us that this question was
e left in doubtby the Territorial bills, X, n $50
: What, then, was the principle, if any, upon
d which this controversy was adjusted Clearly
this: That when free territory is acquired, thar
part Of it whichs ready to come in a,free State
g shall be admitted into the Union, and that part
l. which is not ready shall be organised inip terri
: torial governments, and its condition in respect
to slavery or freedom shall be left in doubt during
e the whole period Of its territorial existence. ~
Il II is quite obvious, Mr.. President, how very
prejudcial such doubt must be to the settlement
/ and Improvement Of the territory But must no,
o cause upon this. m III. s1s ttr.F r,ti .,s,9
l. The truth is, that the compromise acts Of 1869
It were not intended to introduce any principle Of
IS territorial organization applicable to any other
J. Territory except that covered by them. The pro-
essed object OF the friends Of the compromise acts
ID was to compose the whole slavery agitation.-