Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1854-05-01


upon strict adherence to the letter and shirt
OF the eighth section Of the aeS of CONGRESS
Of the United States, entitled Al act TO A.
s.'of iSe me people Of tho Missouri Territory to
FORM a constitution and State goeeynmeat, and
Jor ne admission Of such State into the Union
on an eqaat footing ,cith the original States, and
70 proht6st slavery IN certain territories. APPROX
ed March 6, 1920"
with an instruction to the Senators. and n
request to the Representatives in Congress, to
vote accordingly.
The peace, permanency, and welfare of
the Union depend upon strict adherence to
the Missouri compromise of 1920" So re-
solved the General Assembly of Missouri as late
as lS47. believed the Assembly was right
then: believe it now: and so believing,
shall "adhere to the compromise now
as then, sin spirit and in letter."
1 should oppose any movement to impair
that compromise, made in an open, direct,
manly manner; much more shall l oppose it
II made in a covert, indirect and humanity
way. The bill, or bills before us, undertake
to accomplish their object without protesting
It-upon reasons which are contradictory and
unfounded-in terms which are ambiguous
and inconsistent-and by throwing on others
the responsibility of its own act. 1t processes
not to interfere with the sovereign right of the
people to legislate for themselves; and the
very trst line of this solemn profession throws
upon them horse-load of law, which they
have no right to refuse, or time to read, or
money to purchase, or ability to understand.
1t throws upon them all the laws of the Uni
ted States which are not locally inapplcahle;
and that comprehends all that are not special
lymade for other places; also, it gives them
the Constitution of the United States, but
without the privileges of voting at presiden-
tial or congressional elections, or of making
their own judiciary. This is non interference
with vengeance. A community to be buried
under mountain of strange law, and cover
ed with constitution under which they are
not to have butone single political right. Why
this circumlocutions this extension of
mountain of irrelevant law, with the excep-
ton OF the only one relevant and applicables
Slr, 1t is the crooked, msiduous, and pusillan-
imous way of efecting the repeal of the Mis-
souri, compromise line. 1t includes all law for
the sake of leaving out one law and effects q
repeal by an omission, and legislates by an
exception. 1t is a new way Of repeating
law, and a bunghng attempt to smuggle
slavery into the Territory. and all the country
out to the Canada line and up the Rocky
Mountains. The crooked line Of this SNUG
Cling process is this: " abolish the compro-
mise line, and extend the Constitution over
the country the Constitution recognizes
slavery: therefore, slavery is established as
soon as the line is abolished, and the Consti-
tuition extended: and being put there by the
Constitution, it cannot be legislated out"
This is the English of this smuggling process;
and certainly nothing more unworthy of leg
islation-more derogatory to Legislative body
was ever attempted to be made into law.
Sir, the Constitution was not made for Terri
tories, but for States. Its provisions are all
applicable to States, and cannot be put in OPP
Grafton in Territories They cannot vote for
President, or Vice President, or members of
Congress, nor elect their own officers, or pre-
scribe the qualifications of voters, or admins
ter their own laws by their own Judges, sher-
IFS, and attorneys; and the clause extending
the Constitution to them is a cheat and an il
fusion, and a trick to smuggle slavery into the
Territory. Nor is it intended that they shall
have any legislative right under the Constitu-
ton, even in relation to slavery. They may
admit it because it is to be there by the Con-
stltution; they cannot exclude it because the
Constitution puts it there. That is the argu-
ment; and it is juggle worthy of the trick
of one egg under three hats at the same time
and ueder neither at any time. Besides,
the Constitution is an organic not an admin
istratiye act. 1t is code of principles, not of
laws. Not clause in it can be executed ex-
cept by virtue of law made under it--not
even the clause for recovering fugitive slaves.
Is lConclltStop to-nsorroaol