New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-02-28
THE ORDINANCE OF 81.

The recent discussions which have taken place
on the history Of the Ordnance of = are cer-
talDIy sn encouraging sisu. The mhviv huv"i'
edge Of American affairs possessed By even well
educated Americans his been, aud still in mos!
cs,es is, Only a Fourth ofJOly sumnary of the
battles Of the Revolution; while as to the vastly
mere important questions Of the true origin and
real nature Of our institutions, it is hard to say
Whether total indff reGce gross ignorance. OF ar
rogsnt assumption has Predominated. Ofiate'
however, some attention bas been paid 20 the po-
litica portion and t. tie theory OF our history
one of the results, among Others, of the recent
Anti. Slavery agitation. The idea seems to be
taking hold Of the public mind that the really in
teles,iug subjects of inquiry are not Who COZ
handed (if aDy body a. Bunker Hill, or the pre-
else NUMBER OF men slain and wounded here, or
captured there; but how did our political sud
social institutions happen TO take the shape which
they now have who were tie men that took the
lead in casting into formal Sld permslens laws
the popular IDEAS OF the times 10 watch they lived
The chapter which we are enab ed TO give TO-
day, from yet unpublished life of RUFUS KING,
sheds, from the private letters which i. contains
now printed for the first time-tOme new rays
of light upon of tho n.ost inpos.~.t, I'D a.
the sane time most obscure, portions of our Lis.
tory. viz: the po.t.revolutionary proceedings Of
the Confidential Congress The glory Of intro
ducing into the Ord nance of's7 the Allimpor .ant
Anti. Slavery provi,o, is SO great that the credit
of even a remote ard secondary participation in
il. is by no means TO be underrated. To that
crsdi. TIE late Rufus King .certaBy entitled, in
common, as is aow made to appear, with bis cor
responder. Timothy Pickering bu! the superior
honor Ct originating the idea, must sal be
sscrited TO Jefferson, spd the carrying i. into
practical effect ~ Nathan Dane, 10 whose merits
in the case an original letter Of his written three
DAYS after the passage Of the Ordinance, and now
/ first printed. bears new sna conclusive testimony.
The follow il y,tstemfrt 6ill briefly exhibit the
respective relations II AL these persons to the
proyi.o il questions; In /. :. omeol.tely after
the acceptance By Congress If tie Virginia ces-
.ion Of western lands made AZ last in al accept
sble .tspe. Jefferson, a. Chairman OF Commit
tee reported plan drafted by himself for the gov
einlent o. the Western Territory. But though a
I Democrsi-nursing mother frat and af.erward,
even during as lifetime, cAnonized saint Of the
: Democratic psrty-be had by 10 neansat.alned 70
II o.e trsnsceuderta IDEAS Of popular sovereign
~, 10 be e1plo. ed SIS cover for the extension
Of Slavery reached, in our times BY Pierce,
Douglas and other sanc.imonicus apostles of the
Nebrasks Doughfsce, Slavery extending school.
Jefferson, accordingly in this scheme, though
be gave &c the inhabitants Of each Of the diTis-
ion. into which the new territory was 10 De d.
yded, the right Of selecting from among the con-
.ttutions ala laws Of the Original States TEN
pOrary form of government, so soon as they
amounted in number to 20, 900, and Establishing
permanent ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
being still in tie darkness ofignorance and "lsh'
out the rev light of Mr.. Cass and other great
modern slaye.driving and instruction Obeyins
Democratic to lay down certain principles on the
basis of which, - fundamental conditions be-
tween ths original States and the new oaes 40!
! 20 b altered but by mutual consent, as required