Daily Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1854-1855, 1855-11-22
RI q HlHals LHTFnRs.

Mr.. VnANusS - Il
7, seems 10 Is the general and best-'n-
f.,ned ssiniossehat alshougkthe iseaers Of
...,ruc,;on which Attorney General Cush-
-, xro,e to the U. S. District Attorney At
philadelphia. scarcely afforded proper
,coround for the Official notice Of the hnghsn
gsovernmeu,, yet that ne matter o. those
;ns,,.ct;ons somewhat invaded the Depart
a,,e.t Of State, and assumed 70 do ~as'
would have been more properly done "
Mr.. Marcy.
I, hns .aso excited. reasonable curiesHy
IA know how and for what purposes MT
= Cushiuc's letters we're published m Vac pa
ners. Certainly, by such publication tue
District Attorney could have been no 'u'.
sher and no better informed as 10 the man
NJ, ~ performing his duties. II has how
ssf .vc,. been also intimated on this point 'ha'
2. he tome Of the letters is caleula,edit NOT
intended to irritate the British GoSernmen''
thew we're published. not SO much LOT Tue
sake Of accomplishing that purpose g LOT
tho more immediate one Of giving the people
of this country something to talk about ana
thu. withdrawing their attention from Inc
general and glaring misconduct OF MAJ
Pierce's Administration.
We, shiak it most probable that tie 'as'-
mentioned motive was the prevailing one
) But though office-holders are accustomed
"a draw largely on the credulity, guiieliily
md passions of the people, they iaiiea IN
their. reckoning in the present instance
There ought to be some punishment io'
nersons who thus use their high oiilces LOT
election eering aud party purposes and only
.eek to derive, from the important stations
which they are supposed to fill Tor the puf-
nose of bene6ting the whole country op-
nortnni,ies for advancing their Own inter
ested and private aims. 1t is no trhiing
!. matter that the peaceful relations OF TWO
countries should be even jeopardlzed by such
conduct, aud though no legal enactment
nav have been violated by the TRANSACTION
Il should receive the scverest and most oe-
cided reprobatiOn ofthe people.
As the inquiry is often made as 10 WHAT -
The Ordinance of 1887, OF which SO much Is
but comprehensive synopsis Of that docu-
ment.
The Ordinance of 81 was an act passed
BY the last Continental Congress under the
old Confederation for the Government of the
"Terrtory northwest of the "Ohio"-that
ie, Of all the territory then belonging to the
Confederation. In that Ordinance the pro-
viso that Slavery or involuntary seryitude,
except for crime, should never be allowed
in the Territory, was for the first time en-
acted, though il had been draftedby Thomas
Jefferson three years before. That proviso
saved what is now Ohio, Indiana, Illinois,
Michigan and Wisconsin from the curse OF
slsveholdiDg-saved them in spite ola petit
ton from all the authorities OF Indiana Ter
aritory (ncluding what is now Illinois,) to be
s allowed to legalize slayeholding for term
Of years, owing to the scarcity Of labor. This
petition Congress, on the report of CON-
mittee composed of two Shareholders out of
three, unanimously refused togrant, leaving
= them TO get along as veil as they could
with Free Labor alone. Such was Popular
Sovereignty" fifty years ago-the sovereign
Il Of the whole American people over what
vitality concerns them all, and their postcriiy
after Them.