The Belmont chronicle, and farmers, mechanics and manufacturers advocate. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1848-1855, 1854-03-10

souri, compromise. The proviso, taken
|connection with that provision, makes
clear beyond all question that the compron
Use acts preserved that principle, and rejecte
the consequence which it Is now sought I
force upon them, ...tt .. .u,...... ..
| I submit to the Senate IL I have not con
pletely vindicsted this part Of the appeal aga
inst the speech of the Senator! The error,
mistakes, Misrepresentation, are all his own
None are found in, the appeal. 80. q...
The third specification Of the Senator char
gss the signers of the appeal with msrepre
sentstion Of the original policy ofthe countr,
in respect to slavery. The Senator says
"The argument Of this manifesto is predic
Gated upon the assumption that the policy o
the fathers Of the Republic was to prohibit
slavery In all tho Territories ceded by the ok
States 10 the Union, and made United Estates
territory for the purpose Of being organized
into new States. take issue upon thai
statement" $3.50 n..... gt a ...
The Senator then proceeds to attempt to
show that the original policy ofthe country
was one of indifferentism between slavery
and freedom; and that, in pursuance Of it, a
geographical line was established reaching
from the east to the western limit OF the ori.
ginal States-that is to say, to the Mississippi
river. Sir, If anythingis susceptible Of abso-
lutte historical denomination, think it is the
proposition that the founders of this Republic
never contemplated any extension Of slavery.
Let Us for few moments retrace the past.
What was the general sentiment Of the
country when the Declaration Of lndepen-
dencs was promulgated! Invoke Jefferson
as witness. Let him speak to us from his
grave, in the language o: his smemorable ex-
position of the rights Of British America, laid
before the Virginia convention in August,
l774. These are his words: .a.. .
The abolition of domestic slavery is the
yr.a. ..sst object Of desire in these colonies,
vbers I, vas unhappily introduced III their
infant state"
In the spirit which animated Jefferson, the
First Conaress--the old Congress of i774-
among their frsr acts, enterea mo solemn
,onvenant against the slave traffic.
In l776, the Declaration Of Independence,
irafted by Jefferson, announced no such low
md narrow principles as seem to be in fash
on now. That immortal document asserted
40 right Of the strong to oppress the weak, of
The majority to enslave the minority. 1t
promulgated the sublime creed Of human
tights. 1t declared that ALL MEN are created
squsl. and endowed by their Creator with in
llienable -ights to life and liberty. BE-. - lg!
The fret acquisition Of territory was made
by the United States three years before tho
adoption of tho Constitution. Just after the
country had emerged from the war Of indepen.
ience, when it's struggles. psrils, and prin-
,ipes, were fresh in remembrance, and the
,pirit Of the Revolution yet lived and burned
in every American heart, we made our first
ACQUISITION OF territory. That acquisition
was derived from-I mignt, perhaps, better
say confirmed blythe cessions Of Virginia,
New York, and Connecticut. 1t was the
territory northwest Of the river Ohio.
Congress forthwith proceeded to consider
the subject Of its government. Mr.. jefferson
Mr.. Howell, and Mr.. Chase were appointed q
committee to draft an ordinance making pro'
vision for that object. The ordinance repor-
ted was the work of Mr.. Jefferson, and is
marked throughout by his spirit Of compre-
hensive intelligence and.devotion to liberty.
Il did not confine its regards to the territory
a actually acquired, but contemplated further
acquisitions by the cessions Of other States.
1t provided for the organization Of temporary
and permanent State governments In oil ter
ritory, whether seeded, or to be- ceded," from
the .3ist parallel, the. boundary between the
United States and the Spanish province Of
Florida on the south, to the 42d parallel, the
boundary between this country and the Brit
ish possessions on the north. ." 81 ,1sua'ee'
J. The Territory was to be- formed into
the settlers were to receive authority
from the General Government to form tenn
porary governments. Tho temporary gov
ernmen,s were to continue until the poPula-
tion should increase to twenty thousand in
habitantsj and then the temporary were to be
converted into permanent governments were
to be established upon certain principles, sx-
pressly set forth in the ordinance, as their
basisI Chief among those was the impor-
tant proviso to which NOW ask the attention
Of the Senate; sg, -..s...s DDS -a Ir az n
u "After the year 1909 Of the Christian eft
there shall be neither slavery nor involuntary
servitude in any of the said States, otherwise
than 10 the punishment Of crimes whereof the
parties shall have been duly convicted 10 have
been personally guilty" ......... .. r
Let itbe noted and remembered that this
proyiso applied not orly to the territory which
had been ceded already by Virginia and the
other States, but to all territory ceded and to
be cedsd. There was one inch OF territory
within the whole limits Of the Republic which
was not covered by the claims ofone or ano-
ther OF the States. It was then the opinion
Of many statesmen--Mr. Jefferson himself
among thsm7-that the United States, under
the Constitution, were incapable ofacquiring
territory outside Of the original States. The
jefferson proviso, therefore, extended to ai
territory whichit was then supposed the
United States could possibly acquire. lo ll.
Well. what was the action Of Congress,
upon this proyiso. Mr.. Spsight, of North
Carolina, moved that it be stricken from the
ordin ance, and the vote stood, for the provisc
six States--New Hampshire, Massachusetts,
Rhode Island, Connecticut New York, ant
Pen asy lvanis, sgsinst it, three States--Vir
Al. M..vi.nd and 2outh Caroltna nele