The Rutland County herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1852-1855, 1854-03-03

more or less already pcoplcl by slave
hollcr. wi,h their slaves and 20 have
cxrludrd slavery within their limits
would have been q national act. not of
preventing the introduction Of Slavery,
but Of aboh.hin1 slavery ln short. the
region southwest of ibe Ohio river pre-
seutci field in which the policy Of pre-
venting the iairoiu.iion oi Slavery was
impricticsblc Our forclaiher. never
attempted what sas imprscticablc.
Bot the ease was Otherwise in that
fair and broad region which stretched
away from the bank, of the Ohio. north.
ward to the lakes. aud westward 10 the
Mississippi. II was yet free, or pract-
cally free, from the presence Of slaves.
and was nearly uninhabited and qni,e
uuoccupied There was then 40 Balii-
more and Ohio Railroad no Erie Rail
road, no New-York Central Railroad,
no Boston and Ogdensburg Rnilrord
there was no railway through Canada
nor, indeed, any road around or across
the mountains no imperial Erie Canal
no Welialls OF the st, Lawrence. the
Mohawk, and the Niagara Rivers. and
no steam navigation on the lakes or on
the Hudson, or on the Mississippi
There, IN that remote and secluded re-
.f I
OF Slavery WAS possible; aud there our
lorefalhers, who left no possible national
esod uninterrupted. did prevent it. 1t
makes ones heart bound with joy aud
gratitude, and lift itself up with mingled
I pride and vcneratIQn, to read the hi,lo-
/ ry OF that great transaction. Discardng
1 the trite and common forms of express
sing the national will, they did not mere
/ ly "vole,' OF resolve or enact as
on other occasions, but they ordained" :"
in language marked AT once with pre-
clsion, amplica,ion, solemnity, and en-
/ phasis, iha, there shall be neither
Slavery nor involuntary servtude in
said territory, otherwise than in the pun
ishment of crime, whereof the party
shall have been duly convicted" And
they further ordained and declared that
this law should be considered II compa ct
between the original States and the peo-
pie and States Of said Territory, and for
ever remain unalterable, unless by com
mon consent. The ordinance was agreed
to unanimously. Virginia, in reailirm-
ing her cesslon of the territory, ratified
it, and the first Congress held under The
Constitution solemnly renewed aud con-
iirmed it.
In pursuance of this Ordinance. the
several Territorial Governments sue
cessively established in the Northwest
Territory were organized with pro
hibiton OF the introduction OF Slavery,
and in due time, though at successive
periods, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michi-
gan aud Wisconsin States erected with,
in that Territory, have come into the
Union with Constitutions in their hand,
forever prohibiting Slavery and invol.
uniary servitude, except for the punish
ment of crime. They are yet young
but, nevertheless, who has ever seen
elsewhere such States as they are =
There are gathered the young, the Wig
orous, the active, the enlightened son,
of every Slate--the flower and choice
Of every State in the Union; and there
the emigrant for conscience sake, and
Tor freedoms sake, from every land IN
Europe, from proud and all-conquering
Britain, from heart broken ireland
from sunny Italy, from beautiful France
from spiritual Germany, from chival
rous Hungary, aud from honest aud
brave old Sweden and Norway
Thence are already coming ample sup
plies Of corn, and wheat. and wine, fol
the manufacturers Of the East, for The
planters OF the tropics, and even for tn,
artisans and the armies Of Europe anc
thence will continue 10 come in long
succession, as they have already begur
10 come. statesmen and legislators ioi
this continent
Thus it appears, Mr.. President, tha
it was the policy Of our fathers, in re
gard to the original domain Of the Uni
ted States, 10 prevent the Introduction
Of Slavery wherever il was practicable
This policy encountered greater difficult
ties when it came under consideration
with a view to it, establishment in re
gions not included within our origina
domain While Slavery had been &C
lually abolished already by some Of th'
emancipatins States, several Of them
owing To a great change 10 the relative
value Of the production, Of slave labor
had fallen of into the class OF non-eman
cipaling States; and nov the who'll
family Of States was divided and class.
lied a. ,layehoding or .laYe Siaies, an,
non-sla, eholdng or free States. A riy
airy for political ascrndancy was sooi
developed and, beside. the motives o
interest aud philanthropy which had be
fore existed. there was nos on each I'D,
q desire TO increase, from among th'
candidates for admission into thr Union
The number Of State, ia their re.pectiy,
classes. aud ~ their relative weight ant
influence 20 the Federal Councils.
The conulry which bad been aequir
el from France was. in 1904 organized
in two Territories. one Of uhich india,
ding Nes Orleaas a. iis capital ua'
callel Ofleaus. anl the other having
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