The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1855-12-27
THE SrRUGGLE OF SLAVERY AND
FREEDOM.
Letter from Francs p. Blair.

/ GESrLEMEN:-Having rehnquished poiIu-
cal employment. and, 10 avoid encounterinS
again IFS anxie,ies. addicted myself TO country
lie, am constrained 10 decline your insi.a
tiou to ioin the Republican A .cia ion of
Washington City, although tempei by the
honor OF becoming its presiding officer Yet
feel il nv duty 10 say. that in the main |
concur in the aims Of the A>socia ion. To
exclude Slavery from the Territories of the
mi ed States and to rebuke the violation Of
the Compromises which were made 10 stand
up as covenants tween the Slave and Free
Sta.es to effect that exclusion, are, in my opin
ion, the most important movements which
have en- gagged the public mind since the Revo-
luton.
The extension Of Slavery over the Ter
rories would prove fa.ai TO their prosperity;
but the greatest calamity to be apprehendei
from it i the destruction OF the Confcderacy,
on which the welfare OF the whole country
reposes. Every conquest of this element OF
di>cord which has 50 often threatened the dis
solution Of the Union. increases The danger
Every surrender Of The Free Safes invites in
yasion.
The cause which your organization Is inten-
ded to promote may well draw to its support
men Of ali parties. Differences on questions
Of policy, on constitutional construction, Of
modes Of administration, NAV well be merged
10 unite men who believe tina. nothing but
concert OF action upon the part Of those who
would arrest the spread OF slavery, can r.
sIst the power Of combination now embodied
to make it embrace the contiuen. from ocean
/ TO ocean.
The repeating clause Of the Kansas bill is
predicated on the nuility of the clause in the
Constitution which gives to Congress the pow
er ''to make regulations reSpecung the Teri
tories" of the United States. Yet nothing is
clearer in the history of our Government than
that this phrase, giving power to Congress ''to
make regulations respecting the Territories.
was meant to give 1t the power to exclude
Slavery from them.
Mr.. Jefferson's resolution Of 1884, declar-
ing "Mat there shall be neither siorery nor in
voiuntory servtude IN any Of tie States'' laid
off in the Western Territory. was subsequent
ly renewed in the Congress of 1895, which
added, that this regulation shall be an article
of compact" and it was voted unanimous
ly by the delegations of eight Safes out of
twelve.
1t was passed by the unanimous vote of all
the States by the Congress of 1897. which sat
co;emperaneously with the Convention form
ing the Constitution, and that Constitution
gave Congress the power ''to make regulations
respecting the Territories" and moreover af-
firm the validity of .'the engagements enter
ed into before the adoption OF the Constitu-
tion." by the contederation-one Of which
engagements was that made by the reLulation
, excluding Slavery from the Territories Thus
the Congress of the confederation and the
Constitution united in giving double sanction
to the exclusion.
The first exerted the power of enaeting
Mr.. Jefferson's 5 ntcrdict of Slavery in the Ter
ritories then held by the United States, to which
1t has previously given an impressive sanction
by adding. This regulation shall be an ar;i-
Gle OF compact" &c; and the Conven ion
guaranteed this engagement, entered into
un Ter the Confederation, by declarns it ''val-
id, - and employed the same terms. .'requl4-
ton of tie Territories" 10 transmit the pow
er here exerted to future Congresses. In the
face Of this history and the letter Of the Con
l'utlon granting the power 10 make regu.a-
tons it deemed fl e>peca the Territories
Of the United ate>, the authors of the Kan
sas Nebraska bill deny the constitutouali.v
OF all the regulations which excluded Slavery
from the Territories and Sc a; naught ali the
prece ientS that confirm them which have fol
lowed in uninterrupted succession. from the
foundation Of The Government.
! Tha; other clause in the Constitution. en-
/ powe:ing Congress 10 pass laws to p~even,
the migration oE importation Of slaves after
1905. shows the fixed purpose Of the found
ers OF our ui9n to limit tie increase Of this
evil. The con 'equence was an Inhibition,
which prevents a S)ush Carolina plau;er, v %
has slaves il Cuba. from bringing them 10
his home plantation; and 10 remove this OBJ
>trdc,.on 10 the Increase of Slavery within tie
Union, and open Africa 10 supply the demand
made by the new act, the Northern nul.iiers
are already called upon br the Southern allies
1 to lend their al /; aud certainly ii ose who
{ ,h-,, o. !
Mr.. Douglas. that every clt!zsa has an ina
lienable ri5h; TO move in:o any of the Tersi.o-
ries with his properly, Of whatever kin or
description" The Constitution and conpro.
misses notwithstanding. can hardly refuse it.
II was on the aauexa'ion Of the Mexican ter
ri.orie, that Mr.. Calhoun asserted this princl-
pie. to unsettle the fixed policy Of the nation,
beginning with the era OF the Declaration Of
independence: and applies IL alike to the COM
promises Of 1920 and 1852. Mr. Douglas
thus sums up the position taken and The re
suit:
Under this section. as IA the case or tie
-Hericaa laV in Veg -Kerico and Ulah. it is a
disputed point whether Slavery is prohibited
IN the Nebraska country BY valid enactment.
lhe deci>lon OF this question involves the
constitutional power of Congress 10 pass laws
prescribing and regulating the domestic in>ti-
tutons OF the various Territories of the In
Ton. In the opium of those eminent statesmen
who hold that Congress is invested with no
rlghtiui authority TO lesisla'e upon the subject
OF Slavery In the Territories the eighth see.
ton OF the act preparatory tSthe admission Of
Missouri Is null and void. while the prevail
ing sentiment in large portion Of TIE Union
sustanS the doctrine that the Constitution Of
United States secures 10 ey ~ citizen an ina
iienaas rigkt TO move iu.o any of the Terri.o
ries with his property. OF whatever kind and
deScription AMI 4, hold and apiax tba Sa,,,a