Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1854-02-04
DEBATE In SENATE.
NEBRASKA AND THE MISSOURI COMPROMISE
liz SENATE, MONDAY, JANUARY 80, 1854.

In SENATE MONDAY, JANUARY 3d. 1854.
The Senate having proceeded to the consideration Of
the bill to organize the Territory of Nebraska
Mr.. DOUGLAS said: Mr.. President, when proposed,
ON Tuesday last that the Senate should proceed to tie
consideration of the bill to organize the Territories OF
Nebraska and Kansas it my purpose only occupy
ten or fifteen minutes in explanation of It's provisions
desired to refer TO two points FIRST those provisions
relating to the Indians; and, second these which might
be supposed to bear upon the question Of slavery.
The committee, in draughng this BILL had in view the
great anxiety which had been expressed by some mem
bers Of the Senate to protect the rights of the Indians
and prevent inrngements upon them by the provisions
of the bill think we have clearly succeeded in that
respect obviate all possible objection upon that
The bill itself provides that it shall not operate
upon any of the rights the lands Of the Indians nor
shall they be included within the limits Of those Terrific
res until they SHALL by treaty with the United States,
expressly to under the operations of the
act and be incorporated within the limits of the Terrific
ries This provision certainly is broad enough clear
enough explicit enough to protect all the rights OF the
Indians to their persons and their property.
Upon the other pont-tha pertaining 10 the question
of slavery in the Terrtorest the intention of the
committee to be equally explicit. We took the principles
established by the compromise act of 1850 guide
and intended to make each and provision of the bill
accord with those principles Those measures were es-
tbshed and rest the great principle OF sefgovern
ment-that the people should be allowed to decide the
questions Of their domestic institutions for themselves
subject only to such limitations and restrictions
imposed by the Constitution of the United States instead
of having them determined by arbitrary geographi
cal line. Xxx a..a
The original bill reported by the committee sub
sttute for the bill introduced by the Senator from Iowa
mr. DoDGE) was believed to have accomplished this OBJ
ject. The amendment which subsequently reported
by only designed render that clear and specific
which seemed in the minds OF some to admit OF doubt
and misconsruction In parts Of the country the
original substitute deemed and construed to be an
annument or a repeal Of what has been known the
Missouri compromise, while in other parts it other
wise construed As the object Of the committee to
conform to the principles established by the compromise
of 1885, and to those principles into effect
In the Territories thought better TO recte in
the bill precisely what understood to have been
compshed by those measures, viz: That the Missouri
compromise having been superseded by the legislation Of
1850 has become noperatve and hence we propose to
leave the question the people the States and the Ter
rtores subject only to the limitations and provisions Of
the constitution.
Sir this is all that intended to say if the question
had been taken for consideration Tuesday last but
since that time have TRANSFERRED which
pei 60 fully into the discussion. 1t will be
borne in mind that the Senator from Ohio Ar CHASE
then objected to the consideration of the BILL and asked
for its posponement until this day, the ground that
there had not been time to understand and consider its
provisions and the Senator from Massachusetts (Ar.
SuMNER suggested that the posponement should be for
week for that purpose. These suggestions seeming
70 be reasonable Senators around me- yielded to their
request and consented to the postponement Of the bill
until this day.
Sir little did suppose the time that granted that
act Of courtesy to those two Senator's that they had
draughted and published to the world document over
their signatures in which they arraigned as
having been guilty of act of bad faith and been
gagged atrocious ple against the of free
eminent Little did suppose that those two Senators
had been guilty of such conduct when they called
to grant that courtesy give them opportunity of
investigating the substitute reported from the committee
have since discovered that that very morning the Ma
tonal Era, the Abolition organ in this city, contained
address, signed by certain Abolition conederaes to the
people, in which the bill is grossly misrepresented in
which the action of the members of the committee is
grossly fashed in which motives are arraigned and
characters illuminated. And, sir, what is more
find that there postscript added to the address,
Published that very morning, in which the principal
amendment reported by the committee out, and
then epithets applied to me by name. Sir, had
known those facts at the time granted that act of in
diligence should have responded the request of those
Senators in such their conduct deserved far
the rules of the Senate and respect for my own
character would have permitted to do. In order to
show the character Of this document-of which shall
have much TO say in the Of my argument-I will
read certain passages:
"We arragn this bill gross violation of sacred
pledge criminal betrayal of precious rights part and
parcel of aecous plot to exclude from vast
region emgrans from the Old World and free aborers
from States and convert into drcary region OF
dsspotism, inhabited by masters and slaves |
SENATOR. By whom is the address signed!
Mr.. DOUGLAS. 1t is signed IS. P. Chase, Senator
from Ohio; Charles Sumner, Senator from Massachu-
sets; ]. R. Giddpgs and Edward Wade Representa-
tives from Oho Gerrit Smith, Representative from New
York; Alexander Dewitt, Representative from Massa-
chusetts, including understand all the Representa-
tives of the Abolition party in Congress.
Then speaking Of the Committee Territories, these
confederates use this language:
The preencc. therefore, that the territory, covered by the
positive prohibition of 1920 ustans similar relation to slave
~ with that acquired from Mexico by prohibition
except disputed constitutional Mexican law and
compromises 1850 require the incorporation of the
Of the Utah and New Mexico bill in the
Nebraska act inrentons designed to up from
public reprehension meaitated bad Jdth
tsMere inventions to up bad faith ~ Again:
Servile demago CUES may tell you that the Union be
maintained only by submitting to the demands Of slavery
Then there is postscript added, equally offensive to
myself in which am mentioned by The address
Roes on to make appeal the Legislatures of the
different States TO public meetings, and to ministers of
the Gospel in their pupts to intepose and arrest the
vile conduct which is about to be consummated by the
Senators who are thus denounced That address, sir
bears date Sunday, January 90 1854 Thus it appears
that on the holy Sabbath while other Senators
gagged in attending divine worship, these abolition confe-
derates assembled in secret concaye plotting by
States and PROSTATE the character Of brother Senators
This done the Sabbath day. and by set of poiti
cans advance their political and ambitious pur
poses, in the name Of our holy religion.
But this is not all 1t understood from the news
papers that resolutions pending before the Legsa
ture of Ohio proposing to express their opinions upon
this subject 1t necessary for these confederates to
ret up exposition of the question by which they might
facilitate the passage Of the resolution through that Le
Rsature Hence you find that the morning that
this document appears the Of these coufede
rates in the abolition organ Of this city the docu
nen appears in the New York papers-certanly in the
Tribune Times and Evening Postin which 1t is stated
by authority that it is "sgAed by the Senators and