The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1854-03-07
SPEECH OF
WILLIAM H. SEWARD,
ON THE
NEBRASKA AND KANSAS BILLS.


sssippi, and possessed broad, unoccupieC
domain, circumscribed by those rivers. the AL
leghany monntoins, and the great Northern
lakes. The Constitution anticipated The di
vision OF this domain into States, to be admit
ted as members of the Union, out il neilhe,
provided for nor anticipated any enlargement
of the national boundaries The People, en-.
gagged in re-organising their Governments, i'm
proving their social systems. and establishing
relations of commerce and friendship with 9th.
or nations, remained many years content with
in their apparently ample limits. But it was
already foreseen that the free navigation of the
Mississippi would soon become an urgent pub.
lie want
France, although she had lost Canada, in
chvalrous battle on tho Heights of Abraham
In 1863, nevertheless, still retained her ancient
territories on the western bank of the Missip-
pi. She had also. just before the breaking out
of her own fearful revolution, re acquired. by
a secret treaty, the possession on the Gulf of
| Mexico, which, in a recent war, had been
| wrested from her by Spain. Her First Con-
| sui, among those brilliant achievments which
proved him the first Statesman as well as the
first Captain of Europe, saga ciousy sold these
possessions to the United States, for liberal
sum, and thus replensh his treas :ry, while
he saved from his enemies. and transferred TO
a friendly Power, distant and vast regions,
which, for want of adequate and naval forco,
he was unable to defend
This purchase of Louisiana from France, by
the United States, involved a great dispute con-
cerning the we tern limits of that province;and
in this controversy having remained open until
1919, was then adjusted by q treaty, in which
they relinqushed Texas to Spain, and accep-
ted a cession of the early discovered and long
Inhabited provinces of East Florida and West
Florida. The United States stipulated. in
each of these cases, to admit tho countries thus
annexed into tue Federal Union.
The acquisition of Oregon, by discovery
and occupation, of Texas, by her voluntary
annexati N. and of New Mexico and California,
'ncludi o what is now called Uiah. By war,
competed that rapid course Of enlargement, at
The close of which our frontier has been near
the centre of what was New Spain, on The At
lantic side of the continent while on the west,
as o. the east, only an ocean separates us
from the naiioss of the old world 1t is not
in my power now to speculate OH tho ques
tlon, how long We are 10 rost on these adyan-
ced positions
Slavery, before The Revolution, existed in
all tive thirteen Colonies, as it did also in near
Is all the other European plantations in Amer
lea. But II had been forced by British an-
thoriry, for political and comm re al ends, on
the American People. against heir own sagac-
louS instincts of policy, and their stronger feel
inqs Of justice md humanity.
They had protested and romons'ra rated against
the system. earnestly, for forty years, and they
ceased In protest and demonstrate against il
only when they finally committed their entire
cause Of compla int to the arbt -ament of arms
An earnest spirit of emancipation was abroad
in the Colonies at the close of the Revolution,
and all of them, except, perhaps, South Caro-
lima and Georgia, anticipated, desired, and de-
signed an early removal of the system from
the country. The suppression Of the African
slave trade, which was universally regarded MS
ancilIary tn that great measure, was. not with
out much reluctance, postponed until 1903.
While there was no national power, and no
claim or desire for national power, anywhere, !
10 compel Involuntary emancipation in tie
States where Slavery existed, there wos at the
same time very general desire and strong
purpose TO prevent its introduction into new
communities yet to be formed, and into new
States yet to DO established. Mr.. jefferson |
proposed, as early as 1874, to exclude it from |
the nalional domain which shoul be cons,itu-
ted by cessions from the States to the United |
States. He recommended and urged the |
measure as preparatory to the ultimate policy |
of emancipation. There seems to have been
ut first no deep jealousy between the emanci-
pating and non-emancipating States; and the
policy OF admitting new States was not dis
turbed by questions concerning Slavery
Vermont. non -slavebodiDg State, was admit
ted in 1893. Kentucky, a tramontane slave
holding community, having been detached
from Virginia, was admitted, without being
questioned. about the same time So, also,
Tennessee, which was similar community
from North Carolina, was admitted
IN 1896, with stipulation that the Ordinance
which Mr.. Jefferson proposed, and which b d
in the mean time been adopted for the Terri
tory northwest of the Ohio, should not bo held
to apply within her limits. The same course
was adopted in organizing Territorial Govern
nents for Mississippi and Alabama, slavehold-
ng communities which had been detached
rom South Carolina and Georgia. All these
STATES and Territories were situated southwest
of the Ohio river, all were more or less peo-
pied by shareholders with their slaves; and to
nave excluded Slavery from their limits would
nave been national act not of preventing the
of Slavery, but of sbolshing Sla-
very. In shori,th region southwest of the Ohio
river presented a field i'm which the policy of
preventing the introduction of Slavery was i'm
practicable. Our mrefathors never attempted
what was imp-acticable
But the case was otherwise in that fair and
broad region which stretched away from tho
banks OF the Ohio, northward to the lakes. and
westward to the Mississippi. 1t was yet free,
" practically free. from The presence of slaves,
md was nearly uninhabited, and quite unoc-
upied. There was then no Baltimore and
ohio railroad, no Erie railroad, no New York
central railroad, no Boston and Ogdensburgh
abroad; there was no railway through Cana
IA; nor, indeed, any road around or across the
Mountains; no imperial Eric canal, no We'll
and canal, no lockages around the rapids and |
he fails of 81. Lawrence, the Mohawk, and /
he Niagara rivers, and no steam navigation |
n the lakes or on the Hudson, or on tho Mis- {
Issippi There, in that remote and secluded ,
egion, the prevention of the Introduction of !
avery was possible; and there our forefathers, 9
Tho left no possible national good unattemp- !
ed, did prevent it. II makes ones heart 1
ound with joy and gratitude, and lift itself up i
18th mingled pride and veneration to read the v
istory Of that great transaction. Dscarding {
ne trite and comm forms of expressing the \
ational will, they did not "voto,' or "resolvo,"
enact az on other occasions, but thcy s
n A is,I Il I'll