The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1854-09-07
Reported for the Evansville Journal.
Con ~re.siOnal DiscuSsiOn.


Congregational Discussion.
DEAR SANDERs:-Yesterday, the 4th of
September, the candidates for Congress,
Judge Hall and Col. Miller, opened the cam
paign at Dcksburg, Knox county. Judge
Hall commenced the discussion by saying
that little over six months ago peace and
quiet Pervaded this country, East, West,
North and South; that the great and excl
ting question, slavery, had been put TO rest
by the Compromise Measures that had been
enacted by the Congress of The U. 5. The
Judge then admonished the people to look
abroad now and see what change has been
affected in a few months. Distraction and
excitement in every quarter-whai has caus-
ed il! That hornets nest, the slavery ques-
ton, has again been disturbed. He then
gave an account of the various compromise
measures from 1884, when MIR. Jefferson in
troduced into the Continental Congress an
ordinance to govern the North western Ter
ritory, to the compromise measures of 1854;
he showed conclusively that nothing but the
introduction to be found i'm the 9th article of
that ordinance kept out slavery from this
State.
He proved that as carly as 1903, memo
rial was presented 70 Congress signed BIZ
l. V,
asking for suppression of the 9th article of
the ordinance Tor ten years, in order that
slaves might be introduced to opeffarms in
the country. The memorial was referred 10
committee and reported against. The
same subject was brought up second and a
third time before Congress, but was each
time defeated. The Judge also referred to
laws OF the Territory of Indiana, by which
vn- hold rnnfff Tod hri,,r IA
slaves into this country, and after remaining
/ here thirty days, 90 before the cl rk of the
county and take an indenture for any time
agreed upon between the master and slave.
Ii the slave refused to execute and ackncwl-
edge the indenture, the master had thirty
days TO take him back to the place from
whence he came. This was adduced p owe
that but for the inhibition contained in the
ordinance of Congress, prohibiting slaves to
be brought into this then Territory, that
slavery would have been fixed upon u.s.. 1t
is true that these laws of the Territory were
decided by our courts TO be imperative and
void, nevertheless they prove what would
have been done in relation TO slavery, if the
people or the Legislature had have had the
power. The same, he contended, would be
the result in relation TO the Territory of
Kansas; break down the barrier, repeal the
9Th section OF the Missouri Compromise acts,
and the slave holders will rush into that Ter
ritory with their slave property, as a matter
of course.
We see that It was as much as could be
done to keep slavery out of the Indiana Ter
ritory with that restriction. Repeal that re-
striction, break down the barrier, and it will
be regarded by the Shareholder as an nvi-
tation TO 90 into the Territory OF Kansas and
settle there. For what purpose, the slave
holder might say, was the Sth section repeal-
ed, if it was not to admit him there with his
slaves. He then proceeded to prove that
the 9Th section of the Missouri Compromise
@as not repealed by the Compromise of 1850.
but was repealed by the Nebraska acts in
1854; that nothing but unmixed evil could
grow out of this repeal; that it was enacted
at the time of great excitement; was regard
ed at the time as Psacs-ofering, a compact
between the free and slave States.
He said that by voting for Col. Miller. the
people would be sanctoning and ratiying
the act of repeal. He advised adopting the
only means that he could think of to bring
things right, the restoration of the 9Th sec
ton Of the Missouri COMPROMISE act. He
said he doubted not that the whole South are
now anXlous'y looking forward 10 the result
of our fall election. II the members who
oted for the Nebraska Bill were reelected,
then the shareholder might well say all was
safe, and he would at once move into that
Territory with his slave property. If diff
fereni result was brought about then he might
well hesitate and think it the more prudent
course to remain where he was.
The time allotted to Judge Hall q hour
having expired, Col. Miller took the stand
and occupied the same length of time in re-
ply, in which he accused the Judge Of being
candidate of many factions and working
under the banner of Hale ,Gidings& Co.; made
some scattering shots at the points raised by
the Judge, but they Tell harmless without eff.
feet. Bur "a I observed the editors OF the
Evansville Enquirer and Vincennes Patriot
on the ground, will leave them to report
more fully Col. MilIer's reply.
GIBSON.