Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1833-1861, 1854-02-10

Houses the bill was lost.
AT the next session Of Congress. Oh,
controversy was renewed with increas
ed violence. 1t was terminated a
length, by u compromise. Missouri
was allowed to come into the Unior
with slavery. but a section was inserted
in the act authorizing her admission
excluding slavery, forever, from al
the Territory acquired from France, MOI
included in the new State, lying norlh
lof SO deg. 80 min.
We quote the prohibitory section'
"SEc. o. BE "a further enacted. That
in NIL that Territory ceisd by Eraaes 10
The United States, under he nune OF
Louisiana which lies north of thirty
six degrees and thirty minutes Of north
latitude. not included within the limits
Of the State contemplated by this act.
Slavery and involuntary scrvitude,
otherwise than as the punishment OF
crimes, shall be and is hereby FOR
EVER PROHIBITED"
The question OF the constitutional
iIy OF this prohibition was submitted
by President Monroe to his Cabinet
John Quincy Adams was then Secrc-
tary OF State; John @. Calhoun was
Secretary of War; VIM. IL. Crawford
was Secretary OF the Treasury; and
VIM. Writ was Attorney General
Each of these eminent men, three Of
them being from Slave States. gave n
written opinion. affirming It's constila-
tionalily. and thereupon the act rec,iv-
ed the sanction of the President,
himself, also from a Slave State.
For more than thirty years--during
more than half the period Of our Ma
tional existence under our present
Constitution-this compact has been
universally regarded and actedupon as
inyiolable American Law. In consor-
nifty with il, Iowa was admitted as
Free State. and Minnesota has been
as Free Territory.
IL is u strange and ominous fact,
well calculated To awaken the worst
apprehensions, and the most fearful
forbodings OF future calamities, that il
IS now deliberately proposed To repeal
this prohibition. by implication or di-
latter, certainly, the man
ier way--and thus to subyert this
'ompact, and allow slavery in all the
yet unorganized territory.
IL is SAID that the Territory of Ne !
oraska sustains the same relations TO
slavery as did the territory acquired
rom Mexico prior to 1850, and that
he pro-siayery clauses of The Bill are
ecessary to carry into effect the Com
romises oi that year.
No assertion could be more ground
sss.
Three acquisitions Of territory have
cen made by treaty. The hrsL was
rom France. Out Of this territory
ave been created the three slave
'tatcs Of Louisiana, Arkansas, and
iissouri, and the single free State Of
owa. The controversy. which arose
a relation to the then unorganized
ortion OF this territory. was closed in
$50, by the Missouri act. containing
he slavery prohibition, as has been
lready stated. This controversy re-
lted only to territory acquired from
rance. The act. by which it was
srminatcd, was coanncd, by its own
xpress .erms. to the same territory,
iid had no relation TO any other.
The second acquisition was from
pain. Florida. the territory thus ac-
uired. was yielded to slavery without
struggle, and almost without a mur-
lur.
The third was from Mexico. The
ontroversy which arose from this ac-
uisition is fresh in the remembrance
the American people. Out OF it
pruny the acts OF Congress, commonly
nown as the Compromise measures Of
$50, by one OF which California was
limited as Free State; while two
Lhcrs, organizing the Territories of
ew Mexico and Utah. exposed all the
,sidue OF the recently acquired Ter
tory to the invasion OF slavery.
The statesmen. whose powerful sup I
1rt carried the Utah and New Mexico I
It's, never dreamed that their pro-
sions would ever be applied to Ne
raska. Even at the last session of
ongress, Mr.. Atchison, Of Missouri,
speech in favor of taking up the
rmer Nebraska bill, on the morning
the 4th OF March, 1853. said "It Is {
Iident that the Missouri Compromise
'nnot be repealed. SO far as that
lestion is concerned, we might as
ell agree to the admission of this ter :
tory now, as next year, or five or ten
ears hence" These words could not !
ave fallen from this watchfal guard Z
n OF slavery. had he supposed that 8
lis Territory was embraced by the q
ro-slayery provisions of the compro-
ise acts. This pretention had not
zen been set up. 1t is a palpable af- I,
r-thought. ;
The Compromise Acts themselves ,
fute this pretention. In the third /
'ticle of the second section of the
int resolution for annexing Texas to I
e United States. it Is expressly de- I
AIRED I'm such STATE or States as shall !
formed out Of said 1errit,yy north Of {
'id Compromise line, Sia0ery or invol- 7
aory servitude, ercert for crime, shall !
'prohibited;" and in the net for :
-ganIzing New Mexico aud settling /,
Ie boundary OF Texas, aproyiso was {
on the mo ION of Mr.. 5
ason, OF Virginia. whiclp distinctly
eseryes this prohibition. and hoaIs
e bare faced prclention, that all the h
rritory OF the United States. whether |