The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1854-01-12

Il,
deeply interested as that State is in Nebraska,
opposing the policy of organizing it, unless on
condition of the repeal of the Missouri Com
promise, they felt that the Slave Interest, while
pretending to deprecate the agitation of Sla-
very, had by its own act revived that agita-
ton, not now on the stale pretext of defending
its rights but with the audacious purpose of
converting Territory guaranteed free By law,
into Slaveholding Territory, so as to augment
Its power and perpetuate its domination Yes
the conspiracy of the Slavery Propagandists
now is, to abrogate the Missouri Compromise,
to make all the Territory, west of our bor-
der States, Slave Territory, out of which to
erect Gordon of Slave States around the Free
West! And this conspiracy is to be carried on
under cover of the bill reported in the Senate
by Mr.. Douglass.
We said the provision in it which guaran-
ties the admission of any State or States which
may hereafter be organized, into the Union,
with or without Slavery, does not touch the
territorial relations of Nebraska to Slavery, SO
long as it remains Territory, and that those
relations have been defined and settled " for
ever by the Missouri Compromise But achv
was such provision inserted? The PROPOSE
ton is to organize Territorial Government
for Nebraska. Why attempt to anticipate
any question concerning the organization of
States out of it Why not let each Congress
determine for itself what course shall be pur-
sued on the practical questions calling for its
action?
The task of this Congress is to form Ter
ritorial Government for Nebraska not to act
Why insidiously connect with the bill to organ
ize a Territorial Government for Nebraska, a
reafiirmation of that part of the Compromise of
1850, which declares that State applying for
admission to the Union, shall be received
whether with or without Slavery? is it sup
posed that such declaration can pass now,
any more than it did them without hot discus
sion and contention and is this the entertain
ment to which the ro-Slavery Party, with its
winnings against agitation, invites the country
The truth is, the effect, if not the intention,
Of the bill is, to remove Nebraska from the
ground of the ProvisO Of 1920, and organize it
upon the basis of the Compromise of 1850,
placing it in the same category with Utah and
New Mexico, leaving it an open question
whether it be exempt from Slavery or not
This Question, shut by the Missouri Compro-
mise, is now, after Lapse Of thirty three years,
to be again opened In the name of the God
of the Oppressed we ask, rhy1 Who is to be
the gamer? If the shareholders really wanted
peace and quiet, why did they not suffer the
Territory, Free by Law, to be organized as Free
Territory? lf Mr.. Douglas and his Committee
had really been opposed to agitation, nothing
was easier than TO avoid it on such question.
They might have done what was done last
winter in the House-framed just such bill
bill for the simple organization of a Terrific
rial Government, without allusiOn to Slavery.
Instead of this, we have, first, q report going
over all the issues passed upon in 1920 and
1850, and then a bill with certain provisions
in it relating to Slavery which evidently con-
template the possibility that this new Territory
may fall under the domination of the Curse.
And all this gratuitous provocation to the agi-
tation of the Slavery Question, comes from
those who are pledged to resist all attempts to
renew such agitation
1t may be said, if the provision in the bill
concerning Slavery, does not touch the relation
of the Territory to Slavery, SO long as it shall
remain a Territory, why be disturbed, why
agitated by it? We have already answered
the question in part, in another number we
shall answer it in full.
Meantime, let US admonish the country,
that, by the action Of the Pro-Slavery party,
every issue passed upon by the Compromise
measures of 1850, is again submitted to dis
cussion the Missouri Compromise itself is
again dragged into the political arena the
whole question of Slavery is forced upon the
Federal Legislature and that the object this
time is, not to protect existing Slavery, as was
the case in 1920, not to propagate Slavery into
territory acquired by conquest, and whose con-
dition is undetermined by American Law, as
was the case in relation to New Mexico and
California but to convert into Slave Territory
vast tract of country which for thirty three
years has been consecrated by American Law
to Freedom and Free Labor,
If the non-saveholders of the Republic sub
NIT to this last exaction, to the wisdom and
goodness of the All-wise alone shall we look
to rescue them from the deep damnation of
their apostacy and servility.