The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1855-10-27

The occupations of the new region west OF
the Mississippi, which had thus been saved
FOR Freedom, was artfully postponed indefi- |
nitely, by defeating it as home for the
but perishing Indian tribes. 1t
sounds in favor Of the humanity OF the I'M
privileged class, if not of their prudence,
that they neither demonstrated nor complaint
ed of that dedication.
The success of the privileged class in Sc
curing to themselves immediate possession
of Missouri and Arkansas in exchange for
the reversionary interest of the unpriyileged
eFss IN the remainder of the louisiana
purchase, stimulated them to move for new
national purchase of domain, which might
yield them further acquisitions. Spain was
Unable to stetain longer the slaveholding
provinces of East Florida and West Florida
which lay adjacent to the Slave States. They
fell to the United States by an easy pur
chase, and the privileged class with due dill
gence procured their organization as State
and it's admission into the Union. The spell
of Territorial aggrandizement had fallen on
the United States of America, and simulta-
neously the spell of dissolution had fallen on
the Uuited States of Mexico. The privileged
class on our side of the border entered Texas,
established Slavery there in violation of
Mexican laws, detached that Territory from
Mexico, and organized it as an independent
sovereign State. Texas, thus Independent
and sovereign, sought annexation to the
United States In the very hour when the
virtue of sufficient number of the unprvi-
legged classes was giving way to effect con-
stitutional annexation of Texas, the Presi-
dent of the United States, with a Senate not
70 alo
cuted a coup d etdt, by which that State un-
lawfully, and in defiance of all precedent,
came into the Union under covenant stipu-
lating that four new Slave States might be
created out Of this territory and admitted as
Slave States, while, by solemn mockery,
an inconsidetable fragment that lay north of
go 3O' was ostentatiously dedicated to
Freedom. There remained no other new
territory within the United States, and so by
this strange partition of Texas there was a
third final settlement of the pretensions of
the privileged class and it was acquiesced
in by the unprivileged class who thought
themselves secure in The old Northwest
Territory by the Ordinance of 1907, and
equally safe in Kansas and Nebraska by the
Missouri Compromise.
The public repose that followed the annex
alton of Texas was of short duration. Mex
leo resented that ofense. A war ensucd
and terminated in the transfer of the entire
northern portion of Mexico to the United
States. The Mexican municipal laws forbade
Slavery everywhere, and the new possessions
were under that law. Not whit the less
for that reason did the privileged class de-
mand either all equal partition, or that the
whole should be opened to their colonization
with slaves. The House of Representatives
resisted these pretensions, as it had resisted
similar ones before but the Senate seconded
the privileged class with its accustomed zeal.
SO Congress was divided and failed to organ
ize civil governments for the newly acquired
Mexican territories and they were left under
martial law. The question raised by the
priy;;,,,, ed class went down to the electors.
The people if,lcmDtly filled the House of Re
personalities with Il majority sternly OPP
posed TO extension o. Slavery Tie breadth of
single square mile. They increased tie
force Of the unprivieged cla, in the Senate,
whle they called to the Presidency General
Taylor, who although himself stakeholder,
was committed tc non-interycntion on ttr
question in CongIrss and to execute faith
fully whatever constitutional laws Congress
should edcrt. Under these circumstances
California and New Mexico, youthful com
munities, practically pee from Slavery and
uncOrruDted by the seductions Of the priv
legged class of its political organs, fastened
to establish constitutions end apply for ad-
missions as Free States, while the eccentric
population of Deserct, INDUCING latitudin-
arian principles equally in matters of religion
and of politics, prayed to be received into
the Union as State or as Territory, and
with or without Slavery as Congress should
prescribe. The privileged class remonstrat-
ed, and seditiOus movement was organized
N their behalf in the slaveholding States to
overawc Congress, if possible, and to inaugu-
rate revolution if their menaces failed. You
all know well the way of that memorable
controversy. How eminent men yielded to
the menaces without waiting for the revolu-
ton, and projected and rendered to the privi-
legged class new compromise, modelled after
the already time-honored compromise of
1920. You all know how firmly, notwith-
standing this detection Of leaders, honored
and beloved, tie House of Representatives
and even the Senate repealed the compromise,
and how firmly the unprivileged class of
freemen throughout the Union demanded
the unqualified and unconditional admission
of California into tie UiiioI, and refused to
allot any further territories to the privileged
class for the extension of the system of hui
man bondage. You all remember, too, how
in a critical hour the President sickcned and
died and how Tic hearts of Congress and
of all the people sorrowed a. his grave, and
thenceforward all was lost. You remember
how tie provisional successor Of that lament
Ct, President with onlino,Is haste accepted
the resignation OF his cabinet and committed
the seals to new one pledged Ike himself
to the adoption of tic compromise, which
the people had condemned, and how at last
after painful struggle its adoption was eff
fected. | think also, that you have not thus
soon forgotten the terms Of that compro-
mise, the fourth final and everlasting settle
ment of the conflict between the privileged
and unprivileged classes Of this Republic.
You have not forgotten how the ordinance
of 1887, which excluded Slavery from the
region northwest of tie Ohio, was left to
stand as an institution too sacred to be even
questioned. How the Missouri Compromise
which extended that ordinance across the
Mississippi, ard over all Kansas and Nebras-
ka, was made at once the authority. prece-
dent and formula of the new compromise,
and even declared to be all irrepealable law
for ever. How California, which refused to
become a Slave State, was grudgingly ad-
mitted into the Union as free one How
the hateful and detestable slave auctions
were banished from under the caves of the
capitol, quite across to the opposite bank of