Weekly national intelligencer., 1854-04-15
SPEECH OF Mr.. YATES,
OF ILLINOIS,
or TIE NEBRASKA UESTf0N
HOUSE, or REPRESENTATIVES., MARoH %, 1864.

u.
representatives. Of the State of Illinois desire to avail my
self of the present occasion to express my views on the
subject of the Senate bill referred TO this committee pro-
posing establish Territorial Governments for the Ter
rories of Nebraska and Kansas shall coatne myself
to that portion said bill which proposes to declare in
operative and void the Missouri compromise act prohi-
biting slavery north of the parallel of $50 SO in the ter
Ory ceded by France to the United States IN lso3 COM
monty known as the Louisiana Territory.
One humble myself cannot hope to throw any
new light subject which has been illustrated by the
ability and eoquence of the NEST distinguished States
men of the country and yet SIT, humble as am teei
that there are those around my distant home who will
expect to address this committee and who will be in
terested to know the which govern me IN the
course have marked for myself TO pursue There
is perhaps, propriety in my addressing the com
mittec from the fact that thus far voice from Illinois
has heard against the bill III either House. ana thst
State has been leading on the cohorts friendly to the
bis Rblest champion in the Senate being the distn-
guished Senator from that State, while my coleague,
(Mr RcuARpsoS) the able chairman of the Committee
on Territories leads the column of its friends In this
House Whatever then is to be the glory or the shame
Of this measure in that glory shame the State which
have the honor in part represent must largely par
tcipate.
Not intending sir, to be personal, should have pre-
ferred that this reviyng afresh the slavery ag
taon which least twice has Jared the pillars of the
Unon had found its paternity with some other senstor
from some other State than Illinois. One OF the free
States Of the Northwest in the full enjoyment Of the al
most unappreciable blessings Of slavery restriction,
abosh-I mean the ordinance of 1TS7-surely such
State should suffer her sister
10 rejoice in that freedom which mpels her onward
in the race TO glory.
Mr. Chairman, the country quiet; the tiger of
slavery was ut bay the lion of freedom reposing
quietly in his northern lair the compromise measures OF
1850 although bitterly opposed, had passed. and were
regarded hnaity the camors and fears and ankle
ties of that perous crisis had subsidized the two ustri
patriots whose strongly identified with
those had gone down 10 their graves with all
their country's honors hest fanstcisr ITSELF having
longer food prey upon hushed the fell spirit Of
secession and dsunen had shrank back 10 ss covert den
OF darkness: the soreoui had passed, and bursting
from behind il the rainbow cf peace union, and conea
tion archsi the political heavens ...'.,.. ~.
What member q The prssel; Congress viii ever forget
che 6e.lshts1i &-<F5ess u=5sE EAisA met: We met
eaeA siAe-, lsi No-s5s-u Southern men, but Is
AzptrncAzss rsrss-t-s az-ec sTosEeraood-thep peo-
eaEaas trsBr LI he Ersz: ;ects Of national
4Ichsr sGte1iicn, and Congress was re-
surfing fDn As ss throu ghout the country the high
kxIaa1rr thEf Ills 10 be business session. There
as.laIss1ists hare bu they said word twas
- tie Ss.igr Of free State to thrust the fire.
srHas Ct Discard into peacefu, councils, to pick
atssA tie bleeding wounds which had been happily
ksGs3 OPEN vide the sluices of agitation and to
siys fearful Of sectional strife dangerous
Union and peace and which God alone tell when
where how is to terminate. The warmest friends of
the Senator were ct loss TO know what Influenced him
volunteering this boon to the South Mar
veous, transeeudant generosity, The South had not
asked it the country had asked it not single voice
demanded it memorial to either House had prayed
for it. Is there member this floor who came here
with the intention of moving provso to the Territorial
bill abrogating the Missouri compromised If there is
such request him to rise in his place None, sir
no. not one. ...,- s. ......
At the last session of Congress the Senator from I
nos introduced bill into the Senate for the establishment
of the Territory of Nebraska, but silent the sub
Of slavery and said not word about superseding the
Missouri compromise.
Mr.. RICHARDSON Does my colleague intend to be
understood saying that the Senator from Illinois intro
duced bill into the Senate in relation to this matter
Mr.. YATES. will yield to my colleague this
but the remarks which desire to submit will occupy s
<he time that 8 allotted to me; uud must decline all
Interruptions from every hereatter and in doing
l mean dscourtesy. l have simply to say that
understand that the honorable Senator from Illinois,
chairman of the Committee Territories in the Senate
did introduce such bill. If mistaken, willingly
make the correction. ,. ,...
Mr.. MILLER. Mr. DouGbAs did not introduce the
bill, but he reported back from the Committee on Ter
1itories .... ..., "....
Mr.. YATES / stand corrected. 1t does not alter the
point The point is that silent the subject of
slavery The Senator had then found ont that the
Missouri compromise superseded by the of 1850
At the last session Mr. Hall, from the slaveholding
State of Missouri introduced bill for the establishment
of the Territory Of Nebraska but it silent the sub
ject Of slavery At this session the able and excellent
member from Missouri mr. MrLLRR) introduced SINH
lar BILL silent the subject of slavery Although but
imaginary line divides Missouri from this Territory and
many of the citizens Of that State anxious to emf
crate the Territory with their slaves yet acting upon
the principle declared by their Senator r ATcHIsoN
in 1850 that il evident that the Missouri compro
mise could not be repealed" and that $50 far that
question was concerned they might well agree to the
admission of the Territory next year. or five years
hence acting upon this principle they did not propose
a repeal of the Missouri compromise The South, up to
this session her plighed faith and regarding the
Missouri compromise with almost the sanctty of writ
ten constitution and the compromise acts Of 1850
nay of the slavery question, did not propose to super
sede the former disturb the latter. repeat, it was
reserved for Northern man. the Senator Of free State
and that State Illinois, to anticipate the wants Of the
South, and subject this Territory to the blight OF
African slavery And to the deep chagrin and discom-
future of the North she is met with the argument
that the South did not propose to in the matter
but she refuse the generous offer Of the North
know, Sr, reply that the North has made no such
cfer; yet the South affects 50 consider it. and the
North is to suffer all the consequences Of this mprudent
and unauthorized surrender of her rights by Northern
Senator and to place in the hands of her antagonist
argument which has already been fatally welded
in securing to the support of the bill almost every South
man, without distinction Of party some of whom,
had to know, would have preferred that it had
never been brought iuto the halls of Congress
This is confessedly progressive age; and it
tura to suppose that as country advanced in all the
elements Of progress, education and aud science
moved forward in their triumphal car and the brilliant
sunlight of Christianity flashed its full radiance upon
the world, the great cause of human freedom was
not to retrograde. But, sir will call your attention
n painful contrast In 1879 Senator from Illinois for
nery the president Of the Convention which formed the
Constitution of that State, gentleman Of enlarged mind
and great WORTH offered in the Senate toe very resrc-
ton against slavery contained in the Missouri compro
mise. Thrtyye years after when the evils OF the sys
tenn of slavery have been made plainly visible in the de-
ISOLATION il has written on the soil State where