The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1855-08-01

thereof. Who will say that Congress
ought not to legislgtc upon other prop.
crty owned BY tho Union Our Navy.
Yards, Arsenals &c., are recognised ns
the property of the nation, and are made
the subjects Of legislation. Our public
lands are also, as property of the United
States placed under the special care Of
Congress. tnd laws regulating theft sale
and settlement are passed from time 70
time by that body The South would
not assume the broad ground that Con-
grcss was stepping out, of its appropriate
sphere, if it provided by statute law for
the existence of slavery in territory be:
longing to The nation. But il is the fear
arising from the fact that such an enact
mcnt would be so utterly nt variance
with every principle and justice and
right, as to create civil war, aud thus
prejudice tho continued existence Of tho
institution in the several States whore it
now exists, that they undertake to ex.
clude Congress from legislating upon the
subject of slavery in the territories at
all. The effect Of this would bo to mo.
dify the " ordinance Of 1887, together
with the entire Missouri prohibition.
Hence, our whole doli!ain of national
territory" would be surrendered to tho
"embracc of Slavery" This would lit.
orally make " Slavery national and Lib.
erty sectional" Such result would DO
hailed by Shareholders with dclight, while
tho friends Of Liberty would mourn and
weep. Our national banner would DO
but the emblem Of oppression, proclaim:
ipg the existence Of "African servitude."
To sum up this point in few words,we
think that Congress, having the power
to legislate upou Slavery 10 tho terri.
tories Of the Uuiop, may interdict its es-
tablishnicut ,wIthip their bounds. This
view was adopted in the adthifsion of
Texas into the Union as State. This
course Of policy was observed in refer.
encc to the whole North Western Terri
tory, under the ordinance of 1887, ond
from which the free Western States
were ultimately formed, and admitted in
to the Union. We consider that ho
State in its application for admission id.
to the Union has any right to tiatm that
Slavery shcN form pdt, of its social
system. 1t is for Congress to determine
this right The State may express its
preference for shch a state Of sStlety But
Congress alone can determine its riEh.
to exist or not. With this view, tho
question arises, upon the soundness Of
tho theory that Congress ought not to
legialatc upon Slavery within The terri.
tories Of the Unittd States. States arc
formed froin Territories, and Territorics
are tho property Of the whole Union.
The fundamental law of tefritoty il
derived from Congress, and is statutory
in its nature and e2tont. Congress is
not, in our opinion, a body of men elect.
ed and organized to legislate for Slave
ry providing for its extension aad per
pctuity, the cuiargeiiieut of its bounds,
and strengthening of its power, but to
lcgislatc for the 'gtnctal welfare" OF
the nation, to establish by law the great
principles Of justice" and secure tho
blessings of liberty" mot curse Of slave
ry,) to ourselves and our posterity; and
if it fails to secure these for the people,
it violates The constitution Of tie land,
that provides primarily for their exis-
tcnce and pcrmanency.
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