The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1854-07-04
PROCEEDINGS OF THE MEMBERS OF CON-
GDEss ADvEESE TO THE NEBRASKA BILL.
Their Address to the People.
WASHINGTON, "Wednesday,

ize the territories of Nebraska and Kansas
held pursuant to previous notice, in the city of
Washington, on the Goth day of juno inst, the
Hon, Solomon Foot, of Vermont; was elected
chairman and the Hon. Daniel Mace Of lndi'
ana. and the Hon Reubin K. Fenton, of Now
York, were appointed Secretaries.
A committee appointed for the purpose re.
ported an address to tho people of the United
States, which having been discussed and a.
mended was unanimously adopted, and order
ed to be published.
TO THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES
Tho eighth section of the act for the adms-
sion of Missouri into the Union, known as the
Missouri Compromise law, by which the tro-
ducton ofslavery into the regions now known
ms Nebraska and Kansas was forever prohibit
cd. has becn repealed That law which in lS-
20, quieted controversy which mcnaced the
Union, and upon which you have so long re-
posed, is obliterated from tho statute book.-
We had no reason to expect the proposition
when we assembled here six months ago, nor
did YOU expect il. No state, no citizen oil
any State, had demanded the repeal.
II seems duty We owe to tho country to
state the grounds upon which we have stead
fastly, Intellectually, opposed this alarming and
dangerous act.
You need not be told that the slavery ques-
ton lies at the bottom of II. AS it was the
slave-holding power that demanded tho enact
ment of the Missouri Compromise, so it is the
same power that has now demanded its abro-
CATION.
African Slavery was regarded and denounc-
cd as a great evil by the American colonies,
cvon before the revolutions; and those colonies
which are now slaveholding states, were equal
" earnest in such remonstrances with those
which arc now free States. Colonial laws,
framed to prevent the increase of slavery,
wero VETOED by tho King of Great Britain
This exercise of arbitrary power to enlarge
and perpetrate system universally regarded
as equally wrongful to itself and injurious to
tho colonies, was one OF tho causos OF tho
revolution.
When tho war was ended there was an i'm
POROUS necessity for tho institution of some
government i'm the than unoccupied territories
of the United States. In 1874 Jefferson pro-
posed, and in 1856 the continental Congress
adopted, tho ordinance for the government OF
tho territory lying northwest of tho Ohio, by
which it was declared that there shall be nei-
ther slavery nor involuntary servitudo except
for the punishment of crime. The great and
Hourishing States since organized within that
territory, on tho basis of that ordinance. are
induring monuments of tho widom of the
statesmen of the revolution.
The foreign slave trade was regarded as the
source of American slavery, which 1t was be.
lieved would be dried up, when that fountain
should bo closed. In adopting the constitu-
tion. it was so universally anticipated that the
foreign slave trade would be prompted, that
all parties acquesccd in the s'ipulating post
poning that measure ill 1908 The foreign
slave trade was prohibted-thus the source OF
slavery was understood to be dried up, while
the introduction of Slavery into the terrific
ries was prohibited. The slavery question, so
far as it was national ono, was understood to
be finally settled, and at the samc time tho
State had already taken up and were carrying
forward system of gradual emancipation
1903, Louisiana was acquired by purchase from
France and included what is known as the
States of Louisiana, Missouri Arkansas and
Iowa. and the territories known as Kansas and
Nebraska. Slavery existed at tho time IN New
Orleans und at ST. Louis. and so this purchase
resulted in bringing tho slavery question again
before Congress. In 1872 the region imme-
dately surrounding New Orleans applied for
admission into the Union. under the name Of
the State of Louisiana, with a constitution toll
Grazing slavery. and the free States acquiesced.
Eight years afterward the region connected
with St. Louis demanded admission under the
namo of tho State of Missouri, with consttu.
ton tolerating slavery. The free States rover
ed to tho principle of 1887, and opposed the
admission Of Missouri. unless she would incor-
porate into her constitution an inhibition of
slavery into the State. The saveholding
States insisted upon her unqualified admissio.
A controversy arose which was sectional and
embittercd, and which, we are assured by con-
temporaneons history seriously imperilled tho
Union. The statesmen of that day in Congress
settled the controversy by compromise. BY
the terms of this compromise the FREQ States
assented 10 the admission of Missouri with her
siavehoidng constitution, while the slavehold
ing States on their part yielded the exclu-
sion of Slavery in oil tho residue 81 the torrito-
ry which lay north of SO deg. 80 min., consti.
tuting tho present territory Of Kansas and Ne
brasEa. The slaveholding States accepted
the compromise as triumph, and tho FREQ
States have ever since left il undisturbcd and
unquestioned. Arkansas. a part of the terrific
ry of Louisiana, which lay south Of 36 deg. 30
min, in compliance with an implication which
was contained in this compromise, was after
ward admitted as n slavcholding State, and
the free Staics acquiesced.
in 1919 Florida slave-holdng province of
Spain, was acquired. This province was aftor-
wards admitted as a slave holding state. Tho
free states again scquiesccd. In lS45, Texas
an independent slave holding state, was an
nexcd and provision in the article of annex
eti0n for the subdivision Of her territory into
five States. The free Safes although they re-
garded the annexation, with the probable in
crease ofths number of slave states, with very
great disfavor, nevertheless acquiescod again.
New territories were acquired by tho treaty Of
psace which closed the war with Mexico. Tho
people of California formed constitution pro-
hibiting slavery, and applied for admission in
10 the Union. Violent opposition was made by
the slavo states in and out Of Congress, threat
ening the dissolution of the Union if California
should be admitted. Proceeding on tho
ground of these alarms, congress adopted an
other compromise, the tprms of which were,
we're, that ten million dollars of the peoples
moaey should be given to Texas to induce her
to relinquish very doubtful claim upon an
inconsidcrablo part Of New Mexico, that New
Mexico and Utah should bo organized without
an inhibition OF slavery, and that they should
be afterwards admitted as slave or free states
AS the people, when forming constitutions,
should determine: that tho public slave trade
in the District of Columbia should bc abolished
without effocting the existence Of slayssy in
tho districf. md that nou md r,oorou,