Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1854-06-09

with no purpose oil Mrther resisting or eve,
delaying the passage of this bill Let its ad
vocates have only a little patience, and the,
Will soon reach the attainment of the obiec
Tor which they have struggled so carnestl,
and SO long. The san has set for the las
time upon the guaranteed and certain liber
ties OF all the unsettled and unorganizcd por
tions Of The American Continent that Ii,
within the jurisdiction of the United States
Tomorrow 3 sun will rise in dim eclipse owe,
them. How long that obscuration shall last
is known only to the Power that directs ane
controls all human events.
Mr.. Seward went on to say that the rcf,sa
to let the question 90 to the country, is a con
elusive proof that the Slave States expect from
the passage of this bill what the Free State.
insist that they will lose by it. material
advantage, and not mere abstraction. and
that there is suspended on the issue Of tbi.
contest the political equilibrium between the
Free and the Slave States. lie spoke also
against the Clayton amendment, forbidding
to aliens in the territory the right of suffrage,
and went on as follows:
There are advocates Of this bill equally
! earnest who do not expect and who. [ sun
pose, do not desire that Slavery shall gain
possession of Nebraska. What do they ex-
pect to gain The honorable Senator from
Indiana, (Mr. PettitO says that by thus
obliteratinS the Missouri Compromise res
friction they will gain tobulo roso, on which
the inhabitants of Kansas and Nebraska NAV
write whatever they will. This is the great
principle of the BILL as he understood it.
Well, what gain is there in that You
oblitcratc Constitution of freedom. IF they
/ write new Constitution of freedom. can the
new he better that the old If they write a
| Constitution Of Slavery, will it not be worse
one | ask the honorable Senator that !
But the honorable Senator says that the
people of Nebraska will have the privilege of
establishing institutions for themselves They
have now the privilege Of establishing free
institutions. Is it privilege, then to
establish Slavery If SO, what n mockery are
all our Constitutions which prevent the nha-
bitants from capriciously subverting free in
stitutions and establishing institutions of
Slavery Sir. it is Il sophsm subtletv, to
talk OF comforting upon country already Sc
cure IN the blessings Of freedom the power of
self-destruction. What mankind over, where
want is not the removal of constitutions of
freedom that they may make at their pleasure
constitutions either of slavery or freedom,
but the privilege of retaining constitutions
of freedom when they already have them. and
the removal OF constitutions of slavery. when
they have them, that they may establish con-
stitutions of freedom in their place We
hold on tenaciously to all existing constitu-
tions of freedom. Who dcnounces anv man
for diligently adhering to such constitutions,
Who would dare to denounce any one for dis
loyalty to our existing Constitutions if they
we're constitutions of despotism and slavery,
But it is supposed by some that the applica-
,,.F . Ia
gard to Kansas and Nebraska than as n gene
raj principle applicable to all other present
and future Territories Of the United States.
Do honorable Senators then indeed suppose
they are establishing principle at alll If
So think they egregiousl y err-whether the
ETngpe & 'SG5 de Ess9a 9g h@d a sh @as Or
not establish it in this way. You subvert
one law capriciously by making another law
law have any more weight, authority, solem-
nifty, or binding force on future Congresses
than the first had You abrogatc the law of
your predecessors-others will have equal !
power and equal liberty to abrogatc yours. |
You allow no barriers raised around the old |
law to protect it from abrogaton. You erect /
none around your new law to stay the hand .
of future innovaters. On what ground do .
you expect the new law to stand If you are |
candid, you will confess that you rest your
hopes on the ground that the free States |
never agitate repeal, but always acquiesce. /
1t may be that you are right. am not |
going to predict the course of the free States.
claim no authority to speak for them and |
less to say what they will do. But may !
venture TO say that if they shall not repeal |
this law it will not be because they are not
strong enough to do it. They have power in /
the House of Representatives greater than !
that of the Slave States, and, when they |
choose to exercise it, power greater even |
here in the Senate. | will tell you another |
thing the free States are not dull scholars
even in practical political strategy When you
shall have taught them that Compromise law
establishing Freedom can be abrogated and
the cnion nevertheless stand, you will have
let them into another secret, namely that
law permitting or establishing Slavery can be
repealed and the Union nevertheless remain
firm. If you inquire why they do not stand
by their rights and their interests more firm
!y, will tell you to the best of my ability.
1t Is because they are conscious of their
strength and therefore unsuspecting and
slow to approhend danger. The reason why
you prevail IN so many contests, is because
you are in perpetual fear. There cannot be
a convocation of AbolitIonists, however i'm
practicable, in Faneuil Hull or the Taber-
hacie' thouSh III consists OF men and women
who have separated themselves from all effec-
i've political parties, and who have renounced
all political agencies, even though they re-
solve that they will vote for nobody, not even
for themselves, to carry out their purposes,
ana though they practice on that resolution,
but you take alarm and your agitation rem
ders necessary such Compromises as those of
$50 and of 1850. We are young in the arts
of politics-you are old. We are strong
You are weak. We are. therefore. oyer.con-
fdent, careless and inditfcrent-you are yici-
liant and active. These all traito that
rebound to your praise. They are spoken not
IN your disparagement. | only say that there
may be an extent of Intervention on YOUR
SIDE, OF aggression on your side. which NAV
induce the North at some time, either in this
or IN some future generation, to adopt YOUR
tactics and follow your example. Remember
now, that by unanimous consent this new law
Will he repcalable statute. exposed to all
the chances of the Missouri ComIromise. II
stands an infinitely worse chance of endu-
rance. The Missouri Compromise was
transaction which wise, learned, patriotic
statesmen agreed 10 surround and fortify
with the principles Of compact for mutual
passed, executed, and there
fore, although not irrepealabe in fact, vet
irrepealable III honor and conscience, and
down at least until this very session of the
Congress OF the United States, il has had the
force and authority not merely of AN act of
Congress, but OI a covenant between the free
States and the slave States scarcely less
sacred than the Constitution itself Now
then who are your contracting parties in the
law establishing government in Kansas aud
Nebraska and abro9ntlng the Missouri Com
promise W hat are the equivalents in this
Ia" What has the North given and what
has the South got back that makes this con
tract : Who prttendo that this is a contract
W ho pretends that it is anything moie than
the exercise OF an ordinary act oi legislation
II, then, law which has all the forms aud
solrmnitics recognized ny common consent as
l compact, and covered with traditions can