Demoine courier., 1854-12-21

ever establish an institution of learning
IL can be done under rs favorable aus.
pices now, as at any future time. ! do
not believe il to be sound policy, to es.
tablish literary institution tina, shall
come into rivalry with the various de-
nominational colleges, now struggling in.
10 existence. Those institutions should
be encouraged, and not depressed.-
They can and will educate the young
men who wish 10 enter the professions oil
law, physic and divinity. Blu, the State
has a greater want, than of lawyers and
doctors. She wants educated farmers
and mechanics, engineers, architects,
chemists, metallurgiss and biologists. -
She needs men engaged in the practical
duties OF life, who have conquered their
professions, and who are able to Impair,
their knowledge TO others. She wants
farmers who shall be familiar with the
principles of chemistry, as applied to
agriculture; architects and mechanics,
who will aJorn her with edifces worthy
of so fair land; and engineers and geol.
osists who will develop her resources.
and thus argmen, the wealth aud hap
piness of her citizens. This want can
only be supplied by the establishment OF
a school of applied sciences. | have
no hesitation, therefore. in recommend.
ing that the University fund be appro.
propriated to establish practical scien.
tihc or polytechnic school.
The State and County agricultural
societies are doing much to improve ag.
riculiure and the industrial arts, and de-
serve encouragement from the govern
inert.
The General Assembly canno. be too
urgently called on to take immediate
steps to establish State charitable inst.
tutlons. According to The most reliable
information, there are now more than
one hundred pauper insane persons in
the State. One half of these are con.
fined in the common jails, and are thus
placed beyond even reasonable expec,
iation OF recovery, the other moie,y are
roaming at large, terror 10 their friends
and neighbors, and by exposure to excl.
Ting causes rendering their disease hope
less!y incurable. Every dictate of hu-
maniiy-every principle of sound pub
lie polcy--demands, that the State
should make immediate provision for
the care and treatment of this unforiu
nate class of our fellow citizens.
There can be no question of desire
on the part of the people of the State,
that their constitution should be amend
ed. /, is needless at this time to allude
to the arguments that may be urged in
favor of change in that instrument
The amendments can only be made by
a constitutional convention. The only
question now presented is, shall the
people have the privilege of determining
for themselves, at The ballot box, whether
they want revision and amendment at
all! Not single valid argument can be
urged against this proposition. A sub
mission of the question of re vision TO the
people can be aiieded with no expense,
for, according to the Constitution, it must
be done at general election. If the
decision, therefore, is against revision,
The State will sustain no injury; if in
favor of il, the genuine doctrine of pop.
ulaf sovereignty will be vindicaied.
There is strong public sentiment in
favor of radical change OF the present
laws regulating the manufacture and sale
of intoxicating liquors. Every friend
of humanity earnestly desires that some
thing may be done to dry up the stream 8
of bitterness that this traffic now pours
over the land. have no doubt that a
prohibitory law may be enacted. tina,
will avoid all constitutional objections,
and meet the approval of vast majority
OF the people of the State.
The public mind has been. and is now,
greatly excited on the subject of slavery
in the territories of the United States
At the last session of Congress, that sol
emn compact, known as the Missouri
Compromise, which had existed more
than thirty years without any attempt TO
disturb (which was passed at the in
stance Of the Southland which the peo-
pie of the whole country have been
taught by the great .expounders Of the
Constitution, to regard as inyiolable as
as the mos, sacred provisions OF that in
strument iiself,--was repealed. By thai
compromise, all that portion of the orig
inal territory of Louisiana that lay north
of the parallel of SO degrees 80 minutes,
was forever dedicated to freedom. By
its repeal il is attempted to subject that
vast domain TO the whitening influences
of African slavery
This only compromise that favored
freedom was rulhles sly violated Ly the
very men who were most clamorous for
the maintenance of every compromise
that favored slavery. 1t was done in
defiance of the remonstrances of the
people, and by palpable violation OF
parliamentary rules. The motive with
which it was done is apparent. Whilst
its few supporters in the North at.emp,
to justify the act, and shield the perpe.
traitors from reproach, by appealing to
the doctrine OF popular sovereignty, its
principal supporters in she South utterly
repudiate that doctrine, and openly avow
that they will never submit TO it. The
primary motive was to extend the area
of slave territory. and thus give politi