Daily national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1854, 1854-03-11
THE AMENDMENTS TO THE NEBRASKA BILL
DISSATISFACTION.

THE AMENDMENTS TO THE NEBRASKA BILL
DISSATISFACTION.
The Richmond (Va) Enquirer pronounces
/ the Nebraska Bill emascuated" by the two
| amendmel ts made in the Senate-the first,
providing as follows:
aThat nothing herein contained shall DC con
strued to revive Or put in force any law or
regulation which may have existed prior to the
act Of 9th March, 1920, either protecting, es-
tablishing, prohibiting, or abolshing Slavery
The second, striking out from the sixth SEQ
ton the words:
1 aAll the laws passed by the Legislature,
| Assembly, and Governor, shall be submitted to
the Congress Of the United States, and, if dis
approved, shall be null and Of no effect"
The Enquirer holds that before the passage
of the Act Of 1920, Slavery existed in all the
Territory acquired from Louisiana, in virtue OF
the local law of the Colony; that the effect Of
that act was to repeal the law; that the effect
of the repeal Of the act would be to revive the
law; that the amendment therefore, providing
expressly against the revival Of the Slave Code,
is an act Of Federal Intervention against Sla-
very, in violation Of the very principle which
the Bill is designed professedly to carry out
aWhatn it asks, dis the value Of the principle
of the Bill, if it do not deny to Congress the
power to legisIate in respect to Slavery in the
Territoriesto
The history of the amendments this: Some
weeks since, some Of the Northern Democratic
papero denounced the Bill, for attempting in
sidiously to legislate Slavery into Nebraska.
The repeal Of the Missouri Compromise, they
argued, would be the revival Of the old Slave
Code Of Louisiana. Edmund Burke, of New
Hampshire an opponent Of the Administration
but an advocate of the Bill, reckless of any
consequences to himself provided he could sue
coed in prostrating the Administration Party
/ in New Hampshire caught at this idea and
pressed it home upon the People Of that State,
who were about to elect their State officers and
the members of the Legislature. II was fair,
he said that they should understand clearly
what the Bill meant comprehend fully the
consequences which would follow its passage.
| That it would revive the old Slave Code of
Louisiana there could be no doubt-he saw
this distinctly, but he should meet the RESPONSE
bility, and vote for it. Let them do the same
let them sustain the Bill, with their eyes wide
open. OF course, such advocacy as this was
calculated to do great damage to the Admins
tration Party in New Hampshire; and the
loss of that State at such crisis as this, was
a blow to be averted at almost any sacrifice.
/
Senators are kept informed Of what is going
on in the country. The state of things in
| New Hampshire was well understood among
them. Mr.. Clayton, in the course of his
speech, endorsed this view of the effect Of the
BILL in re-establishiDg Slavery; and Mr.. Chase
as we learn from the debate reported in the
Globe, had prepared an amendment, intended
to obtain from the Senate an expression Of
opinion on this very point. Administration
Senators grew uneasy, and Mr.. Stuart in the
course Of come remarks, introduced the sub
iect which was debated at length. Intima-
ting purpose to move an amendment so
as to counterfeit any such effect, Mr.. Chase
told him that he himself had one already pre-
pared Subsequently, it would seem, the mat
ter was committed to Mr.. Badger, who pro-
posed the amendment in the form quoted
above, and it was adopted, by vote Of 35
to 6.
The Southern Senators generally attached
little or no importance TO it, but they were
anxious TO keep down opposition to the Bill in
the Senate, and to put an argument in the
mouths of the advocates Of the measure in
New Hampshire, so as to enable the Admins
tration Party to stand on better ground And
q the organ took good care to give the requi-
site prominence TO the amendment, in the fol-
lowing paragraph:
"Thc other tamendmcnt) was proposed by
Senator Badger, and is substantially the same
as one proposed in the House by Mr.. Dean,
declaring that the repeal Of the Missouri Com.
promise act Of 1920 shall not be construed to
revive the Louisiana law Of 1903 We under
stand that these amendments have removed
the objections Of several members to the bill,
and that the strength Of the measure In the
House is thereby materially increased. Pre-.
tented friends of the bill can no longer seek 10
defeat II BY falsely fpr, stnting ii as having The
legal tf,et of establishing Slavery IN the Ne
braska Territory There now can be no eduii-
ling about the full recognition Of the principle
~ o,-inierUention--a principle phich evoy
Democrat comedies 10 be sound
The amendment ere this, has been heralded
all over New Hampshire, SO as to affect the re-
suit Of the election to DO held thcre next Tues
day. After that, tho Bill viii be acted uponyin
the House, and then, should the objection raised
by the Richmond Enquirer to the amendment
be taken up and insisted on by the Southern
Press, we may expect to see strenuous effort
made to strike IL out
The other amendment, adopted ON motion Of
Mr.. Douglas, taking from Congress the power
to revise tho acts passed by the Territorial
Legislature, meets with no more favor. The
Enquirer remarks:
.The value If Tho Nehraaka hill ia npa;r