Washington sentinel., 1854-03-08

slavery, as their constitution at the time may
prescribe. The language of the bill now under
consideration, on both these points, is copied
| from the bills of 1850; and as the the Terri,
tory is above 36o 30<, Of course the provision
must abrogate the Missouri compromise Of
1920. We must either refuse to carry out the
compromise of 1850, which was considered a
hnal settlement, or repeal the Missouri com.
promise. Hence, all the controversy has arisen
over the following clause of the fourteenth Sec
ton:
THAT the Constitution, and all laws Of the
United States which are not locally inapplicabe.
shall have the same force and effect within the
said Territory of Nebraska as elsewhere within
the United States, except the eighth section OF the
act preparatory 10 the admission OF Missouri into
the Union, approved March 6, 1920, which being
inconsistent with the principle of non-intervention
by Congress with slavery in the States and Terri
tories, recognised by the legislation of 1850,
commonly called the compromise measures,) is
hereby declared imperative and void, il being the
true intent and meaning of this act not to legislate
slavery into any Territory State, nor 10 exclude
il therefrom, but 10 leave the people thereof per-
iecty free TO form and regulate their domestic
institutions in their own way. subject only 10 the
Constitution Of the United States'*
The eighth section Of the act of 1920 reads
us follows:
"SEc. s. And be 10 further enacted That in all
that territory ceded by France the United States
under the name Of Louisiana, which lies north of
3oo 30 north latitude, not included within the
limits of the State contemplated by this act slavery
and involuntary servitude otherwise than in the
punishment OF crimes whereof the parties shall
have been duly convicted, shall be, and is hereby
forever prohibited"
Now, sir, what territory was ceded to us by
~. n.
tied" above 36o 30>? Because the territory,
when received, was all slave territory, and prop
erty of all sorts, by the terms of the treaty was
$50 3O<. By excluding it above 36o 3O>, it
was, of course, implicitly admitted, or rather
continued, below. Louisiana and Arkansas
came into the Union as slave States by the
terms of the treaty, and not by virtue Of the
Missouri compromise. Mr.. Jefferson nego-
tiated the treaty with France, and the Jefferso.
nian claim under it always extended west of
the Mississippi to the Pacific ocean, both sides
OF 360 30>. But whether it rightfuly thus
extended, those who passed the section in
question intended it to be extended to the Pa
cfc ocean, and divide joint property, which
could not be peaceably enjoyed in common.
Those who made the compromise knew very
well that our possessions would extend to the
Pacific ocean. 1t is not only reasonable to
suppose that such was the intention, but we
have the express language of those who passed
the bill that it was. ! find, by the debates,
that Mr.. Hardin, a member from Kentucky,
was the first person who suggested the idea of
division. The following is the language of
his speech on this point, delivered on the 4th
Of February, 1850:
@ 1t strikes me, Mr.. Chairman, that this matter
be settled with great facility, if each party be
SO disposed, and neither give up any point in this
controversy. Can il not be done by permitting
Missouri TO go into the Union without The restric-
tion, and then draw line from the western bound
ary Of the proposed State Of Missouri aue ,est to
tie Pacific North Of the line prohibit slavery,
and south Of Il permit IT. .
So well was it understood that the line was
to be extended to the Pacific, that Mr. Ste
phens, member from Connecticut. but five
days defore the concurrence of the two Houses
in the bill, in speech against it, INDUCED in a
witticism by saying that extending the line to
the Pacific would not prove a very pacifc
measure. The following is his language:
"The south line Of Pennsylvania State and the
Ohio waters now form the boundary line between
the two parties. fyou continue that line 3Go 3o'
Of north latitude 10 the Pacific ocean fear il will
not prove a pacific measure"
q
ing out the intention of the original agreement.
extended the line through Texas, in the reso.
luton admitting Texas into the Union. The
following is the language used-I voted for it
"And such States as may be formed out of that
portion of said territory lying sonM of $50 30 north
latitude commonly known as the Missouri com
promise line, shall be admitted into tie Unioa syHk
mtont slarGry as tile people Of each State asking
admission may desire. And IN snch State or States
sIx,H NE y r. \
ha,c, slatety or inrolmnio,y serrtuae (egcept tor
crime MaHbe prohibited" ....
In lS4s, the following amendment was Of.
fered to the Oregon territorial bill; but so ram
pant had pretended freesolism become that it
was voted down, nearly the whole south voting
for it, together with only four from the north,
to witt: C. J. IngersoH, Charles Bro,cn, and
myself, from Pennsylvania, and Mr. Bi,dsaU
from New FORK. The following is the amend.
ment which was adopted by the Senate, in lieu
OF the Wilmot proviso, and voted down in the
House: .,
"That the line of 500 80 Of NORTH latitude
known as the Missouri compromise line as de-
fined by the eighth section of an act entitled An
act to authorize the people Of Missouri Territory
to form constitution and State government and
for the admission Of such State INTO the Union, on
an equal footing with the. original States, and to
pIohiot SaNCiS III tcEldlH leFTltOrleS, approved
March g. 1890, be, and the same is hereby declared
TO extend 10 the Pacific ocean and the said eighth
section, together with the compromise therein et.
feced is hereby revived and declared to be in full
force and binding for the future organization the
Territories of the United States in the same sense
and with the same understanding with which il
originally adopted" -
From the time we were about to acquire a
large territory from Mexico in 1917 down to
the adoption Of the. compromise measures of
1850, the south over and over again offered
the Missouri compromise. Judge Dargan,
distinguished member from Alabama, said, in
ls47, when the Wilmot proviso was first of:
fered
He had not yet met with the first southern
man who was not willing TO renew and continue
that compromise. They did not ask il from any
wish to obtain political ascendencv over the north
or hope to control here but from the condition of
things around them. They ask their brethren Of
the north 10 renew the same agreement now. and
they OF the south would scrupuIousy fufllit.''
In December, l84s, in the last message