Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1833-1861, 1854-01-20
slaxcryinf hn fieid.

ride the Missouri Compromise. The
eighth section Of the acts admitting
Missouri as a State is as follows:
'.In all that territory ceded by
France to the United States, under the
name of Louisiana, which lies north of
SO degrees and 80 minutes north lati-
tude, not included within the limits Of
the State contemplated by this act,
slavery and involuntary seryitude,
otherwise than in the punishment OF
crime whereof the parties shall have
been duly convicted, shall be, and is
hereby, forever prohibited: Providea,
al,rays, that any person escaping into
the same, from whom labor or service
is lawfully claimed in any State or
Territory of the United States, such
fugitive may be lawfully reclaimed and
conveyed to the person claiming his or
her labor or service, as aforesaid"
This plain and equivocal declaration
that neither slavery nor involuntary
servitude shall ever exist in our North
west Territories, is unceremoniously
hustled aside by Mr.. Douglas who
makes the compromise measures of
1850 the scape-goat for his sin in doing
it. He says that:
ga proper sense Of patriotic duty
enjoins upon your committee the pro-
priety and necessity ola strict adher-
ence to the principles, and even lit
eral adoption of the enactments Of that
adjustment in all their Territorial bills,
SO far''as the same are not locally map
-plicable."
And hence he proceeds to incorpo-
rate the following provisions respecting
Nebraska into his bill at the start:
"When admitted as State, the said
Territory, or any portion of the same,
shall be received into the Union with
or without Slavery, as their Constitu-
ton may prescribe at the time of their
admission.
1t is not to be expected ofmen who
live for the sole purpose of enjoying
official station, that they shall ever be
manly. noble or Independent. They
slavishly cover before every storm
that threatens their opinions with pop
ular condemnation, and make haste to
turn their sails to catch the passing
breeze ofpublic favor. 1t is every
where assumed among such that sub
lection to the slaveholding interest is
now the only sure path to political
honors and distinction. In the strug-
gle of 1880, the great Northern anti
Slavery sentiment was inundated and
overwhelmed in consequence of the sue
cumbing temper and faithlessness Of
rotten leaders. With their own hands
they destroyed the dykes and let the
waters flow in and wash away the rich
fruits ofyears. The XXXIst Congress
inaugurated the era Of submission to
Slavery. Since then, everything has
gone on swimmingly in this line. Not
only was the Slavery question COM
promised, butthe character, reputa-
ton and principles Of hundreds Of our
public men were also compromised by
O., came operation. There was a
general debauch and decentralization
throughout all political circles, as was
clearly manifested in the triumphant
run Of Gen. Pierce. IL is not to be
expected, therefore, that we shall see,
for the present, in the acts of public
men who place success before prlnci-
pie, anything but humanity submission
10 the demands OF the slave power
II Gen. Taylor had lived. and ifthe
wilmot Proviso doctrine had substan-
italy triumphed, as il would have
done through the fundamentally ofhis
policy relative TO our Mexican aequi-
sitions, then we should have seen the
reverse Of what we now see, Instead
of finding Mr.. Douglas down on his
marrow-bones at the feet of slavery,
we should see the same man standing
up firm and strong in behalf Of the
glorious old Ordinance fi7e7. Free
dom's battle was fought and lost in
1850. and tho towards and traitors
have all run to the winning side.
But although anti-Slayery is weak
In political circles. Il was never stron-
ser with the masses of the people,
The great heart Of the country is
sound. Thousands and millions Of
true men all over the North wait but
fhe occasion for a practical demonstra-
ton Of their power. TO show how firm
isiheir attachment TO the principles ,of
freedom. and how deeply they scorn
abe shallow fools who have the imper-
thence 10 talk about ''crushing out"
those principles. We expect TO see
slsverygo on, pressing and pushing the
advantages It derived from the adjust.
naent ofIo50. till reaction is created
that viii again conyulse the country
to its centre. Slavery is impenous.
enereaching. truculcnt. beligerent.--
It's own conduct will thus ultimately
generate an explosive force that must
blow Il TO atoms. This movement Of
Douglas to override and virtually re-