The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-01-24
The Nebraska Question The New Bill
the senatc-The Slavery q question.


The original bill lately introduced into the
United States Senate by Mr.. Douglas, from the
Committee on Territories, having been dis
covered to contain the elements of bombshe I
on the slavery question, has been oyerhauled
b. the committee. the President and The Cab-
net, and the Southern leaders OF the Senate
aud the result of their = sober second thought"
is a new bill, providing for two new territori &
instead Of one.
|, will be seen, by reference to our specia
Geographic advices from Washington which we
publish this morning, that this new bill is; :
offspring Of much anxiety. and consultation
and tribulation, and backing and filling, be
tween the President, the Cabinet, ana the les
ing democrats Of both houses who had taken
the matter in hand. But the result makes it q
good days work for Sunday as far as it goo !
We think, however, that after the consumma-
ton of the task. 1t would have been wise on t Q
part of the President, the Cabinet. and all co \
cerned, to have called general prayer meet
ing after the example of Dr. Franklin-for that
there is the trouble Of fierce agitation impeu :
ing no man can doubt Aud where the free
soil allies of the President will turn up at the
end OF the battle Gen. Cass appears to have n
pretty distinct perception.
These two territories are 10 comprise all
that vast region lying between the thirty-sev-
enth parallel ana the British boundary Of the
forty-ninth degree OF north latitude in one
direction, ard transyersely between the Mis-
souri, river and the western boundary of Mis-
souri, on the east, clear back to the Wahsatch
Mountains, which pass within sight OF the Nor
mon settlements of the Great Basin thence
northward along the backbone of the Rocky
Mountains to the British possessions. The
superficial area Of land, sand ard rocks. com
pretended within these limits, is some four
hundred and fifty thousand square miles In
other woIds ten States--if not eleven
equal in size to the State of New York,
without entirely consuming the raw material
No complaint, therefore can be made from any
two proposed territories of Kansas and Nebras-
X The former, however, IL comparatively a
narrow belt extending from the 18th TO the 40th
parallel Of north latitude, being only one hun.
dred and sixty miles wide by an extreme length
which cannot be travelled over short of thou
sand miles Nebraska, on the other hand, ex-
tending from the 10th 60 the 10th parallel. has
ample scope and verge enough in either direc-
ton. Between the same degrees of latitude on
the Atlantic coast we may sail from the shoals
of Barnegat, in New Jersey, far up the coast OF
Newfoundland
Where the Icy mountains from the psle
Ride gayly down before the GUNNER winds
+. Floating ike fairy castles In the sun
Upon the distant main
The two new territories, therefore, being en-
tirely satisfactory as to SIZE we come now to the
examination of the main question. All this vast
area Of both territories east of the Rocky Noun
tains Is subject "a II stands to the Missouri CON-
promise Of 1920, and its perpetual prohibition
OF involuntary servitude, or Southern slavery
The committee Of the Senate however, by and
with the advice and consent of the administra
ton, declare in their bill that the prohibition
OF the Missouri compromise is superseded by
the principles Of the adjustment of 1850, which