The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-12-13

This repeal was the adoption OF Mr.. Calhoun s
multiplying doctrine IN extenso.. The power of
Congress to make laws excluding Slavery
forever from its Territories as such, was denied,
and all the Territories were openedto Slavery,
on the ground of the " inalieaable riqhtn of
every citizen "to move into any of the Terrific
ries scith has property, Of achatecer kind or de-
scriptiOn :" and the law of squatter sovereiontv
was superadded, and substituted for the soyer-
| eighty of the United States over the public do
main. Thus fell, at the dictation of Mr.. Atchi
son, supported by the coalition effected between
| the Wings and Democrats of the South, under
the pressure and through the intrgues of the
Nullitiers, Mr.. Jefferson's noble principle, en-
deared to the country both for its moral grandeur
and political wisdom. 1t is the first thought
uttered In the Declaration of Independence ;
| and to the denunciation of the King of Great
Britain for the crime of bringing Slavery to
our shores, the original draft adds, as the deep
est aggravation, that "he has prostituted his
| negatiUe for suppressing erery Legislative at
tempt to prohibit or to restrain this erecrable
commerce."
The first legislative attempt to restrain the
progress of the mischief which the King of Great
Britain visited upon this country, was Mr. JEFF
terson's resolution excluding Slavery from the
Territory of the United States in l784-the next
was that introduced by Rufus King, in 1885
celvlng the vote of twothrds of the States of the
Confederacy, and the last the unanimous vote
The fourth movement was that of the Con.
vention, in the Constitution itself, providing
against the importation of slaves after 1903, de-
| claring the binding validity of the engagements
entered by the Congress of the Confederacy on
| the Government of the United States to exclude
| it from the Territory, and securing to the new
Government the power of making similar pro-
vision for future acquisitions of Territory. The
nth regulation to restrain the progress of Sla-
very was that of the Compromise of l820-the
sixth. that of 1850. 1t is remarkable, that al
| though these great measures had their origin
| with Democratic leaders, Federal and Wing
| leaders OF greatest renown united in their sup
port. The constitutional provisions on the sub
ject had the unanimous suffrage of all the Illus
| trious men in the Convention who framed the
| Constitution of the United States and from the
| silence on the subject in the State Conventions
called to ratify the Constitution, it may well be
| presumed that these also were unanimous in
| their approval of what had been done under the
| Confederacy and in the new Constitution to re-
| strain the introduction and limit the extension
| OF Slavery. And may not men of all parties
| now unite to restore, what the patriots of all
parties, during the first seventy years Of our
| Government, contributed to establish?
|
| if the men who abhor the late innovation Oh the
long-settled policy of the nation can be induced
to relinquish petty differences on transitory
topics, and give their united voice, in the next
| Presidential election, for some man, whose ca
| pacity, fidelity, and courage can be relied upon
to oppose the issue which the present Admins
| tration has made to control it. The contest
has grown out of Presidential aspirations. The
| decision of the People at the polls, in choosing
Chief Magistrate, will end it. Senators will
easily comply, when the nations demand is
backed by the existing Presidential power and
patronage, and hopes of the future succession,
which always animate the leading members of
| the body.
| The Administration has staked itself on the
| support of the party of privilege-of class in
terest-which makes it unit. 1t conGdes in
the success which has crowned the olgarchy
everywhere in the Old World, and secured its
triumphs on the MAXIM Dicide and conquer"
The Wings and Democrats of the South are q
combination, to carry into the next Presidency
| some candidate absolute in maintaining the re-
| pealing clause of the Kansas Bill, which multi
fies the principles of the Ordinance, the provis-
ions of the Constitution made to give them eff
feet, and all the Compromises which have been
made in pursuance of them, with the sanction
| of all sections of the Union. If the majority
/
| eminent will unite, accept the issue rendered
| by the Administration and make THE REPEAL
OF THE REPEALIYG CLAUSE OF THE KANSAS ACT
paramount in the impending contest for the
| Presidency, all will be restored that has been
lost to free institutions, by opening the Terrific
ries, North and South, to Slavery. The Com
promises of 1920 and 1850 being restored, there
will not be an inch of the territory of the Uni
ted States, once exempt from Slavery, on which
it can legally intrude; and Mr.. Atchison's at
tempt by an armed force to carry out the multi
hcation plotted of the caucus which gave birth
to the Kansas Bill, will, like the attempt of his
prototype, Mr.. Calhoun, to give effect to South
Carolina notification, be paralyzed by the
frown of an indignant nation made potent by
an honest and firm Executive.
And there will end the career of those gen.
| tlemen who arrogate to themselves the exclu-
sive tutelage of the Democracy of the country,
as ended that of Mr.. Calhoun and his prose
lytes, who took the peculiar charge of the
" State Rights" party. They sunk, under the
universal conviction that their zeal for State
Rights was an ardent passion to reach political
| power, at the hazard Of extinguishing in the
blood of the people the wise and free institu-
tons 1t had cost so much to establish.
Our innovating Democrats, who put under
foot the representative principle; who violate
the known will of their constituents who scorn
their instructions to redress the wrong they
have committed; who reply to the suffrages that
condemn their conduct, that they are not Dem.
ocratic suffrages; who, in the penitude of their
infallibility, read out of the Democratic party
Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut New
York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan,
Illinois, Wisconsin, and Iowa, because they will
not submit to the will of these, their Represent
atives: who have set up test which must for
ever exclude Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and
Vermont; who have bartered away the rights
secured to them all by compacts-will soon learn
that Democracy does not reside in the organiza.
ton of intriguers, but in the mass of the people
1t is the glory of our great Republic, that its
Democracy springs up from the soil and -four
| ishes in the fresh air Of our widespread coun-
try; and that its rich harvests, imparting health
strength, and spirit, to our whole system, is
gathered annually at the polls. The Democra-
cy which is bred in caucuses and Cabinets is
a sort of hot-bed species-a delicacy suited to
the taste of epicurean politicians, whose appe-
tites are their principles Incumbents and ex-
pectants of offices and dignities claim a sort of
patent right in the machine of Government to
create a Democracy adapted to their purposes.
Their innovations in the machinery are con-
trivances to renew their privileges for new
terms, and the people are the subjects who are
to be used up in ito pay tribute for this
privilege, and take pride in the skill of the op-
orators.
The telegraph wires and the Cincinnati Con.
vention are to bring all the mastery combina-
tons of the Administration in contact with the
masses at the appointed time. But, will the
wires work? Undoubtedly the people. far and
wide will have their inst e., A. %,