Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1855-10-26
VOL. XLIX, NO. 4s......wHoLE NO 1858.

are projected N their advantages Oy the or
game laws.
! might show prioti that privileged
class. thus established or an exceptional
principle. that IS wrong IN itself and antagon-
lstic 10 the fundamental principle Of the gov
ernment must necessarily b. dangerous, if
II be suffered to expand and ngerandize it,
self Blu, uphappily we arc not left to the
necessity of resorling to speculation on that
81 biect. The policy Of emancipation was
set back in this country during the reaction
against revolutionary principles. which nrc-
essarlly attended the Reorganization of gov
eminent and il was set back still more
eflecmally by the Consideration which FOL.
lowed the disastrous failure Of the first re
public in France. The privileged class
promptly availed themselves Of the advanta-
ges which the constitution afforded to fortily
themselves 10 the federal government. The
last federal sets directed against the privil-
eyed chso were the abolition of the foreign
slave trade after ls0S, and the eternal pro-
hbitlon of Slavery in the broad and Their
unsettled region which extends from the
north bank Of the Ohio to the eastern shore
of the Mississippi. Even the passage Of
that ordinance was, by its silence, assumed
10 imply right on the part of the privileged
class 10 culoufzr with silvr. thu region lying
south Of the Ohio and east Of the Mississippi
Unlocked for events have lent to the
privileged class advantages which have more
than counterhalanrcd the adverse effects OF
this early national legislation. ! he invention
Of the cotton gin which easlly separates the
seed from the fibre has made cotton an al
most exclusive agricultural staple in the
states of the privileged class and an eminent
commercial staple of the whole conalry.-
The national territory has necessarily been
enlarged from time TO time to accommodate
an evergrowing population and an ever in
crcasing commerce. Favored by these cir
cumstanccs the privileged class have at the
same time found in home production OF
slaves in Maryland and Virginia and other
States a compensation Tor the loss OF the AZ
riean slave traae; aud they have not been
slothful in unlearning all the fears and dis
missing oil the tImidiiy and cancellation
which marked their conduct during and i'm
medlalely after the revolutionary war. The
admission of Kentucky, Tennessee, MISSES
Ippl, and Alabama as saveholding States
into the Union seemed unavoidable, mas
much as they were the overgrowth of some
of the old thirteen States; and thus these
new States south of the Ohio, Enhancing the
growing free States north Of that river, serv-
cd as n sort Of balance between the privileged
and the unprivileged classes which it was
not necessary TO disturb This was the first
final partition OF the unsettled territory of
the United States between those classes.
In 1904 France ceded TO the United States
broad belt stretching along the western
bank of the Mississippi, from the British pos
sessions on the north to the Spanish province
of Texas on the south. This acquisition,
which was equally necessary for the safety
of the country and for the uses of commerce,
stimulated the desire of the privileged class
for an extension of their territory and an
ACKNOWLEDGMENT Of their power. New Or
leans, situated practically on the coast Of the
Gull of Mexico, WAS already at once an an
cient slaveholding colony and an important
commercial mart. 1t lay contiguous TO the
slaveholding States. Under these circum-
stances, II was without any resistance soon
organized aud admitted into the Union, with
lis ancient laws and customs toleratlng
Slavery. st. Louis, though destined to nc.
quire great commercial Importance, was AZ
yet an uncomfortable town, with few slave
holders and slaves. The Mississippi onl,
]
Which was already cppsecraied To Freedom
The best interests of the country require
and hume nifty demanded that the ordinance
Of 1857, should be extended across the MIS-
sssipp The privileged class, however
took possession of the region around st
Louis, and made partial settlements lower
down on the west bank of the Mississippi
St. Louis and its envitons matured as a State
in 1879, and demanded admission with Slave
ry into the Union. Then. only thirty-two
years after the passage Of the ordinance oil
l7c1 add after its unanimous ratification by
the American people, the privileged class
made common cause with the new slavehold-
ing State, and assuming a tone at once bold,
insolent and menacing they denied the pow
er Of Congress, although in the Territories il
was supreme and exclusive. and equally gu.
preme and exclusive in the admission of new
States, to lerislate at all against their priyil
eyes in the Territories, or to refuse adms-
SION 10 new State, on the ground Of its re-.
fusal TO surrender or abate those privileges
aud they Threatened 10 one loud voice 10
suhvert the Union, II Missouri should be re.
jected. The privileged class were backed
then by the Senate of the United States, as
they have been backed on all similar oceas-
ions since that time They were met, how
ever, with tirmness and decision by the un.
privileged class in the House of Representa-
tives aud so Missouri failed then to be ad-
mitted as a slave State. The privileged
cass rcsorted 10 a new form OF strategy, the
strategy Of compromise, They offered TO BE-
satisfied { Missouri only should be admitted
as Slave State, while Congress should
prohibit Slavery forever ia all the residue OF
that par, of the Louisiana purchase which
lay north OF the parallel of 81 : 30' Of north
latitude. The territory living between the
parallel and the province of Texas and con
sntuliug what is now the state Of Arkansas
being left by implication to Slavery. This
compromise was accepted, aud thus diplo-
macy obtained for the privileged class IN
mediate advantages which had been denied
10 their clamor and passion. This cOmpro-
mise, however could have only the authority
ola repealable act OF Congress, so far as the
prohibition of Slavery north Of 81 3O' was
concerned. Wise and great men contriyed
extraordinary forms TO bind the faith Of the
privileged class to that perpetual Inhibition,
rhey gave in The comDrnmisn the nature aud
TOrm oi a contract, with mutual equivalents
between the privileged class aud the unpriv.
LEGGED class, which il would be dishonorabc
and poriidlous 90 The part Of the privileged
class, at any time, on any grounds or under
any circum iances 10 annul or reYOse,or even
to draw IN question. They proclaimed il "a
beu contract proper t. be submitted TO the
people themselves for their ratification in thu
popular elections. Il WAS so submitted L
the people, and So fatIiied By them. BY viz
tue Of this compromise Missouri came i'm
meliaiely into the Union as Slave State,
aud Arkansas followed soon alerward as a
Slave Stale, while, with the exception of MIS-
sour the compromise OF l7-7, by virtue OIL
the same compromise, was extended across
the Mississippi along the parallel Of 80 .
81 TO the Rocky mountains Thus, and
with such solemnities, was the strife oi the
privileged class Of slaveholdefs Tor aggran-
disemen, of territory finally composed aud
forever settled
II Is not my purpose to discuss the policy
or the justice OF ihal great settlemeHi. As IN
the case OF the constitution, the responsibility
for that great measure rests with gencra.
ton that has passed away. We have 20
deal with il only as a fact, and with the state
ID. Al. lIt.t...l A. -