Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1833-1861, 1854-08-04
q elitifal
ADDRESS.
TO TIE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES

~ LIE IEVILE VI LIE oN1lED olAlLo.
Alta meeting of the members of
Congress who opposed the passage Of
the bill to organize the Territories of
Nebraska and Kansas, held, pursuant
to previous notice. in the city of Wash
ington, on the Goth Of June, 1854, the
Hon. SOLOMON Foor, Of Vermont, was
called to the chair, and DANIEL MACE,
Of Indiana, and REUBEN E. FESroS,
of New York, were appointed secre-
taries. ~ fis
A committee, appointed for the pur.
pose reported an Address to the People
Of the United States. which. having
been discussed and amended, was u
unanimously adopted, and ordered TO
be published. II is as follows:
TO Mepeopie cfMe United States.
The eigth section Of the act for the
admission OF Missouri into the Union,
known as the Missouri Compromise
Law, by which the introduction of Sla-
very into the regions now known as
Kansas and Nebraska was forever por-
lhibited, has beenrepealed. That law,
which in 1920 quoted controversy
which menaced the Union, and upon
which you have so long reposed, is OBJ.
liberated from the statute book. We
had no reason 10 expect any such
proposition when we assembled here
six months ago, nor did you expectit.
No State, no citizen Of any State, had
demanded The repeal. Itseems du-
" we owe to the country TO state the
grounds up@N which We have stead
lastly. though, Intellectually. opposed
this alarming and dangerous act
You need not be told that the Slavery
question lies at the bottom of il. As
il was the slayeholding power that de-
manded the enactment ofthe Missouri
Compromise, so it is the same power
that has now demanded its abrogatior
African Slavery was regarded and de,
nounced as a great evil by the Ameri-
can Colonies. even before the Reyolu'
ton; and those Colonies which are
now slavcholding States were equally
earnest in such remonstrances with
those which are now free States. Co.
lonial laws. framed to prevent the in
crease Of Slavery, were vetoed by th,
King Of Great Britain This exercis,
Of arbitrary power. to enlarge and per
petuate q system universally regarded
as equally wrongful in itself and injuri
Gus 10 the Colonies, was one Of th,
causes of tho Revolution.
/ When the war was ended, there wa
an imperious necessity for the institu
tons of Government in the then unoc
cupicd Territories Of che United States
In 1887 Jefferson proposed, and In Z
81 the Continental Congress adopted
the Ordinance for the Government o
the Territory lying northwest Of th'
Ohio, by whichit was declared tina
there shall be neither Slavery nor in
voluntary seryitude, except for punish
mcnt Of crime The great and flour
Z ishing States since organized withi
that Territory, on the basis Of that On
dinance, are enduring monuments Q
the wisdom Of the slatecmen of In
Revolution. The foreign slave trad
was regarded as the source OF Amer
can Slavery, which, il was believed
would be dried up when that iounntai
should DC closed. In adopting th
Constitution, L was so universally an
ticipated that the foreign slave trad
would be promptly prohibited, that a
J parties acqulesoed In a stipulation
postponing that measure until l800.-
In 808. the foreign slave trade wa
prohibited. Thus the source Of Slr
! very WIS understood to be dried M
, while the introduction ofslavery quel
tion, SO far Us IL was national on,
was understood to be finally settled :an
at the same time the States had alread
taken up.and were carrying forward.
{ system of gradual emancipation.
In 1908. Louisiana was acquiredb b
I purchase from France, and include
what Is now known as the States
Louisiana, Missouri, Arkansas, on
Iowa, and the Territories known ,