The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1854-05-12

'"S o"'oh uoPeHu upon sUict auho.
renee TO The Missouri Compromise Of 1920"
So resolved the General Assembly Of Mis-.
souri, as laie as lS47. | believed The Al.
sembly was right then; | believe il now
and SO believing, shall "adhere". TO the
compromise now, as then, "n spirit and
IN letter."
should oppose any movement 10 impair
that compromise, made in an open, direct,
manly manner; much more shall oppose
il ifmade in covert, indirect, and unman.
, y way. The bill or bills before us under
take 10 accomplish their object without pro.
Tossing it-upon reasons which are contra
dcory and unfounded-in terms which are
ambiguous and inconsistent-andb BY throw.
ing on others the responsibility of It's own
act. ..| ..IH. .... ....... .. .r
IssIDious CHARACTER OF THE NEBRASKA BILL
AN ATTEMPT TO sMUGGLE SLAVERY IN.
TO THE TERRITORY.
II proiesses not 10 interfere with the SOW.
ereign rights OF the people TO legislaie for
themselves; and the very FIRST line OF this
solemn profession throws upon Them horse
load OF law, which they have no right 10 ro-
fuse, or time 10 read, or money 10 purchase,
or ability 10 understand. II throws upon
them all the laws OF The United S,ales which
are not locally inapplicable; and iht com.
prehends all that are not specially made for
other places; also, il gives them the con.
stiution Of the United States, but without
the privileges OF voting at Presidential or
Congressional elections, or of making their
own judiciary. This is non.inlerference
with a vengeance. A community 10 be
buried under mountain OF strange law,
and covered with constitution under which
they are moi 10 have one single political right.
| Why this circumlocuton This extension
Of mountain Of irrelevant law, with the
exception of The only one relevant and ap.
plicablel Sir, il is the crooked, insidious
and pusillanimous way of effecing the 70.
peal OF the Missouri Compromise line. II
inclndes all law for the sake Of leaving out
one law; and effects repeal BY an omis
sion, and legislaies by an exception. II is
new way of repeating law, and bung-
ling attempt 10 smuggle slavery into the Ter.
riiory, and all tho country out 10 The Cana
da line and up 10 the rocky mountains.-
The crooked line Of this smuggling process
is this: "Abolish the compromise line, and
extend the constitution over the country -
the constitution recognizes slavery: there.
fore, slavery is established as soon as The
line is abolished, and the constitution ex.
tended; and being put there by the consli-
tuition, il cannot be legislaied out" This
is the English Of this smuggling process (;
and certainly nothing more unworthy Of leg.
,, isla,ion - more derogaiory 10 u legislative
body - was ever attempted 10 be made in-
TO. a law. Sir, the constitution was not made
for Territories, but TOR States. lis provis.
ions are all applicable 10 States, and cannot
DO put in operation in territories. They
cannot vote for President, or Vice President,
or members Of Congress, nor elect their own
voters, or administer their own laws by their
own judges, sherifis, and attorneys; and the
clause extending The constitution to them is
a cheat and an illusion, and n trick 10 snug
gle slavery into the territory. Nor is il in
tended that they shall have any legislative
: right under the constitution, even in relation
10 slavery. They may admi! it because il
is 10 be there by the constitution they can.
5 not exclude ii, because The constitution puts
1t there. That is the Argument; and il Is a
: jusgle worthy of The trick OF one egg under
/. three hats nj the same time - and under
I. neither at any time. Besides, The constitu.
3 tion is an organic, not an administrative act.
T II is code Of principles, moi OF laws. Not
a clause in il can be executed except by
virtue Of law made under il-no, even the
!. clause for recovering fugitive slaves.
NEBRASKA AN ASYLUM FOR RUNAWAY SLAVES.
5 But am not done yet with the beauties
, of this mode Of repeating law by an ex-
: ceplion. There is further consequence
+. 10 be detected in it.. The Missouri Com.
T promise consists OF two distinct parts first,
I an abolition Of slavery in all The ancient
Louisiana north and west of Missouri sec.
ondly, provision for the recovery Of fugi-
/. tive slaves in the territory made free. BY
the omitted extension Of this section, both
5 these parts are repealed. A tract Of coun-
5 Try larger than the old thirteen Atlantic
|, States, and bordering thousand miles on
the British dominiors, is matle an asylum
| for fugitive slaves. There will be no law
, 10 recover slave from all that vnst region.
The constitutional provision is limited to
States the provision in the aci Of 1887 is
limited 10 The Nor,hwes, territory; the sec.
, ond part OF the Missouri Compromise ex.
tended this right 10 all the territory north
and west OF Missouri; and iha, being re-
pealed, that rieh, Of recovery is lost. OBJ
ject 10 this OIL the part Of The State Of Mis-
souri-ihe State TO he most injured by con.
i, verting all the territory north and west Of
, her, quite ont 10 the British line, into an
asylum 1r runaway slaves. The blunder
i, cannot be corrected (at least in the opinion
, OF those who deny the constitutional power
Of Congress 10 legslate on slavery in terri
tories) by an act Of Congress. o..3H .,
Then comes the reason for excepting the
Missouri Compromise from The extension
which is given TO mass Of laws which are
not there, and denied 10 itself which is
there. IT the reason had been because II
was already there, il would have been q
logical and comprehensive reason but
that Is not the cause assigned and those
which are assigned are actually numerous
and curious, and worthy Of examination
, First, because il was superseded BY certain
: acts Of 1880 next, thai il is inconsistent
with those acts then that il Is imperative
and finally. that il never was there, being
dead in its birth under The constitution, and
void from The beginning. ~ .s,
THE coMpRoMIsE OF 1850 DID NOT SUPER.
>, ytt 10. sEDE THAT or 1920. 10 ''' 90
! Let Us look into these reasons, seriatin',
, as the lawyers say: and frs, Of superses.
& sion. Il Is said that tho measures Of 1850
, superseded this compromise Of 1870. II 30,
, why treat il now as sill exisiing, and there.
|. fore TO be repealed by an exception in order
/. Ito gel rid OF i,! II il was repealed IN 1880,
/: why do il over again in 1854! Why kill
!, Ithe dead But il was not superseded bul
acknowledged and confirmed BY 10 every