The Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, Ohio) 1853-1861, 1854-02-20
500
-,a8 To the People OF Ohio. ..
shall Slavery be Permitted i'm Nebraska
7. WAsHINGToN, Jan. 10, 1854.


States, it is our duty to warn our consttu-
encies whenever imminent danger menaces
Freedom of our institutions or the Perman-
ency of our Union.
Such danger, as we firmly believe, now
impends, and we earnestly solicit your
prompt attention to it.
At the last session of Congress. bill for
the organization of the Territory of Nebraska
passed the House of Representatives, with
an overwhelming majority. That bill was
based on the principle of excluding Slavery
from the new Territory. 1t was not taken
up for consideration in the Senate, and con-
scquently failed to become a law.
At the present session, a new Nebraska
bill has been reported by the Senate Com
mittee on Territories, which, should it un
happily receive the sanction of Congress,
will open all the unorganized territory of
the Union to the ingresS of slavery.
We arraign this bill as a gross violation
of sacred pledge, as a criminal betrayal of
precious right; as part and parcel Of an
atrocious plot to exclude from vast unoc-
cupied region, immigrants from the Old
World, and free laborers from our own
States, and convert it into dreary region
Of despotism, inhabited by masters and
slaves.
Take your maps, fellow citizens, we en-
treat you, and see what country it is which
this bill, gratuitously and recklessly, pro-
poses to open 10 Slavery.
From the Southwestern corner of Mis-
souri, pursue the parallel of 30 deg. 80 min.
north latitude westwardly across the Arkan
sas, across the north fork of Canadian River,
to. the north eastern angle Of Texas; then
follow the northern boundary of Texas to-
the eastern limit Of New Mexico; then
proceed along that eastern line to its north
en termination; then again turn westward
ly, and follow the northern line of New
Mexico to the crest of the Rocky Noun
rains then ascend northwardly along the
crest OF the mountain range to the line
which separates the United States from the
British Possessions in North America, on
the 10th parallel of north latitude then
pursue your course eastwardly along that
line to the White Earth river, which falls
into the Missouri from the north; descend
the Missouri, along the western boundary
of Minnesota, of Iowa, of Missouri, to the
point where it ceases to be boundary line,
and enters the State to which it gives its
name then continue your southwark course
along the western limits Of that State to the
point from which you set out. You have
IiuN IIoNt' tilC IllSulI VI IhO PlOPOrCu 1Ci
Ttory of Nebraska. You have traversed the
vast distance of more than three thousand
miles. You have traced the outline Of an
area of four hundred and eightyfve thou
sand square miles: more than twelve times
as great as that of Ohio.
This immense region, occupying the very
heart of the North American continent, and
larger, b. thirty-three thousand square miles,
than all the existing Free States, excluding
California-this immense region, well wat
cred and fertile, through which the middle
and northern routes from the Atlantic to the
Pacific must pass-this immense region en-
bracing all the unorganized territory Of the
nation, except the paratively insigniii-
cant district Of Indian territory north Of
the Red River and between Arkansas and
Texas, and for more than thirty years re-
garded by the common consent Of the Amer
lean People as consecrated TO Freedom, by
statute and by compact-this immense re-
gion, the Bill now before the Senate, with
out reason and without excuse, but in la-
grant disregard Of sound policy and sacred
faith, proposes to open to slavery.
We beg your attention, fellow citizens, to
a. few historical facts.
The original settled policy of the U. States,
clearly indicated by the Jefferson Proviso Of
l7o4, and by the ordinance of 1857, was
NON extension Of Slavery