Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-07-16


pended for the purpose Of receiving the report OF
the Committee on Finance. The report Was TO
ceiyed and laid on the table tiIi tomorrow.
TUESDAY EVENING, 8 o'clock, P. N. june IL.
The consideration Of the resolution OF Foster, OF
Massachusetts,, was again resumed
After considerable debate, Vespasian Ellis, OF ID.
c. offered the following resolutions;
"ReSoIped, That this National Convention, with
out expressing any opinion upon the constitution
atty Of the Missouri Compromise as original
proposition, but considering the repeal Of said Com
promise impolitic and unwise, and there existing
doubts as TO the practicability and expediency OF
restoring said Compromise by law, this National
Council hereby declares that the American party
ought not either to insist upon, urge, or require
the admission of any territory into the Union as a
slave State which lies north Of the Compromise
line; and that, on the other hand, said party will
inserpose no objections to the admission OF any
Territory into the Union as slave State which lies
south Of said Compromise line-thus virtually re-
storing, without legislation, the original compact
made between the North and the South in 1920.
q RESOLVED, That Congress has no power to reg
uate slavery in the several States and that II ought
not to interfere with slavery in the District of Co
lumbia without the consent Of the people of said
District and Of the state OF Maryland and that the
Compromise measures Of 1850, should be main
tanned"
Judge Ellis then moved to adjourn, with the un-
Outstanding that the floor should be assigned to
him in the morning; but withdrew the motion In
order to allow ii. J. Gardner, Of Massachusetts, an
opportunity to offer the following resolution:
Rssolued That the vote upon the question pend
ing be taken tomorrow morning at eleven o'clock.
J. J. Lyon, Of New York. moved to lay the res
AZ lad
40, nays 81.
On motion Of Judge Ellis, the Council then ad-
journed till tomorrow morning at nine o'clock.
WEDNESDAY MORNING, June 49, 1855.
The discussion upon the platform having been
resumed, Kenneth Rayner, of North Carolina, read
the following as a basis Of compromise which he
would offer at a subsequent period, at the proper
time:
Whereas, The three great cardinal principles of
the American party are to secure to the nativcborn
American people, the control and management of
their own government toresist the aggressive pol
Icy and corrupting tendencies Of the Roman Cath
ole Church in our country and to maintain and
preserve the Union of these States We do therefore
declare
That the attempts of our enemies to identify the
American party with the agitation of the question
negro slavery, either pro or con, are based OH
misrepresentation and deception; that the ques-
ton of slavery does not come within the purview
Of the objects of our oganizaton that the charges
Of our enemies at the North that one of the OBJ
jects and purposes of the American party is to
tain and extend the institut Of slavery Is found
ed in falsehood and in wrong; that the charge of
our enemies at the South that one of its objects
and purposes Is to favor and promote the abolition
Of or interference with slavery at the South, is
equally founded in talsehood and in wrong; and
whilst we do not deny to the people, either Of the
South or Of the North, the rights Of freedom Of
opinion or Of discussion on this or any other sub
ject we do hereby protest against the attempt to
interpolate in creed, questions extraneous and
foreign 10 the purposes of our organization.
And although the question of slavery is not en-
braced within the aims or objects Of the American
party, yet, in repelling the efforts Of our enemies
both South and North, to force this issue upon US
we do hereby declare that in regard to the ques-
ton Of slavery we leave it where 1t is placed by
the constitution and laws made in pursuance there
Of regarding il sectional question, subject to the
regulation Of the local law.
s. Summons, Of New York, read the following
paper which he desired to lay upon the table, to
DO taken up hereafter in event Of the failure TO
carry the proposition of Mr.. Rayner, for which he
intended TO vote
Upon another question, that Of involuntary SER
~
Of the Federal Government TO the present time,
ever TO have been, what II still is, question
curing the most careful consideration.
All the original States save one, at the time
OF the adoption Of the Constitution Of the United
states more or less participaedin its eDjoyments;
but after a time, and by degrees, the more north
srn States under circumstances where IL could the
more readily be done, freed themselves from It's
embarrassments, and even now, in some OF the
States where II still exists IL is surrounded with
far less anIieties than In Others.
This difficulty came In with the colonies TO the
old States, and when confederatng, was bequeath-
ed to the nation in It's fundamental organization,
but vet left with the States 10 be controlled by their
several sovereign powers.
"On this question, as 10 whether the institution
should be maintained or abolished within Its limits,
each sovereign State appears TO have been left the
famcr Of its own laws, the guardian Of its own
conscience, the judge Of lis own necessities, the
relievtr Of It's own wants-therelore constitutional
Justice and political wisdom imperatively demand
that we should leave Il as we find IL.
ain this connexion we are also reminded that,
in all the old States where il once existed but has
since been abolished by State legislation, these
doctrines were home doctrines, and that they 80
continued TO be until the right Of the discussion Of
the institution itself was In many ways brought In
60 the political arena, engenderng iwill, recrimi-
nation, bitterness, and angry strife between fam
iy Of States which could otherwise have moved
forward as common brotherhood TO a peaceful
destiny.
"we are not as an organization accountable for
the past
AS such, wo have placed no laws upon the
statute books.
cit would, therefore, seem most meet and pro-
per that other organizations should be left 70
iieve themselves from any and all difficulties In
which they may have complicated themselves upon
this question, while we simply declare in spirit Of
the most kindly Cancellation, the path we intend TO
pursue
"In all those States where this institution actu-
ally exists We leave II find II, TO be dealt with
AZ each Of those several States in their sovereign
capacity alone may determine.
" As 10 the District Of Columbia, waving our
expression Of opinion as to the absolute right OF
Congress to abolish II there In opposition 70 the
people Of that District, Of the States OF Mary.
land and Virginia, by whom the territory compris-
inR It's original limits was ceded, those States both
at the time Of such cessioi well as at the pres
emit time having such institution, we deem that UNI
der all these circumstances past and present. while
this institution remains in both the States sur
,d;,,,, ,l,a antira lirnta of that District and nm