The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1856-12-10


, the land having the same popular desi
, nation and quality as compromise acts
nay, more, who unequivocally disregart
ed the most positive and obligatory il
functions of the Constitution itself an
sought by other means within their reac
to deprive portion of their fellow cit
zens of the equal enjoyment of thos
rights and privileges guaranteed alike t
all by the fundamental compact of -ou
Union --
This argument against the repeal o
the statute line in question, was &C
compauied by another of congenial char
acter, and, equally with the. former
destitute of foundation in reason ant
truth. 1t was imputed that the meas
ure originated in the conception of ex
tending the limits of slave labor beyond
those previously assigned it, and ,tha
such was its natural as well as intended
effect and those baseless assumption.
were made in the Northern States-the
ground of unceasing assault upon con
stitutional right-the repeal in terms Of
a statute which was already obsolete and
also null, for unconstitutionality could
have no Influence to obstruct or promote
the propagation of conflicting views OF
political or social institutions.
When the act organizing the Terrific
ries of Kansas and Nebraska was pass
ed, the inherent effect upon that portion
of the public domain thus opened to le-
gal settlement, was to admit from all
the States of the Union alike, each with
his convictions ofpublic policy and pri-
vate interest, there he found in their
discretion subject to such limitations as
the constitution and acts of Congress
might prescribe new States hereafter to
be admitted into the Gnion-it was u
free field open alike to all. Whether
the statute line of assumed restriction
was repealed or not, the repeal did not
open free competition of the diverse
opinions and domestic institutions, a
field which without such repeal would
have been closed against them, it found
that field of competition already open
in fact and in law
All the repeal did was to relieve the
statute book of an Objectionable enact
meat unconstitutional in effect, and in
furious in terms to large portion of the
States Is it the fact that in all the
unsettled regions of the United States,
if emigration be left free to act on this
respect for itself without legal pro-
hibitors on either side, slave labor viii!
spontaneously 60 everywhere in prefer
ence to free,labois Is it the fact that
the peculiar domestic institutions of the
Southern States possess respectively so
-sst4ela- vi1,t,r-tlrut wlrrresoever an ave.-
g. IL \ 4 -,
will penetrate to the exclusion of those
of the Northern Statesl
Is it the fact that the former enjoy
compared With the latter such irresista-
bly, superior vitality independent of eli
mate, soil and all other accidental cir
cumstances as to be able to produce the
supposed result in spite of the assumed
moral aud natural obstacles to its accom-
plishmeut and of the more numerous
population of the Northern statesl The
argument of those VIII advocate the en-
actmeut of new laws of restriction and
condemned the repeal of old oues in
effect AYERS that their particular views
of government have no self extending or
self sustaining power of their own and
will go nowhere unless forced by act of
Congress. Aud if Congress do but pause
for moment in the policy of stern CO.
ercion, if it venture to try the expert
ment of leaving men to judge tor them,
selves what institutions will ,ibest suit
them, if it be not strained up to perpet-
uaf legislative exertion on this point If
Congress proceed thas to act in the very
spirit of liberty, it is at once charged
th r IL
all the new Territories of tie United
States
OF course these imputations of the
intentions of Congress in this respect,
conceived as they were in prejudice, and
disseminated in passion, are utterly des-
titute of any justification in the nature
of things, and contrary to all the funda-
mental doctrines aud principles of civil
liberty and self government. While
therefore in general the people of the
Northern States have never at any time
arrogated for the federal government
the power to interfere directly with the
ern states, but on the contrary, have
d savowed all such intentions and have
shruuk from conspicuous afiliation with
those few who pursue their fanatical
objects avowedly tn ough the contem-
plated means of revolutionary change of
good, and with acceptance of the neces-
sary consequences, a civil and servile
war; yet many citizens have suffered
themselves to be drawn into one evan
escent political issue of agitation, after
another appertaining to the same set of
ooinioDS ond uhich ON bs;daH as rapidly
as they arose, when it came to be seen,
as it uniformly did, that they were in-
compatible with the compacts of the
Constitution aud the existence of the
Union.
Thus when the acts of some of the
States TO multiply the existing extra
iition law imposed upon Congress the
duty of passing new one the country
was invited by agitators to enter into
party organization for its repeal but
that agitation speedily ceased by reason
of the impracticability of its object. So
when the statute restriction upon the
institu ions of new States by geo.
graphical line had been repealed the
country was urged to demand its restor-
alton and that project also died almost
u 18th its birth, then followed the cry of
alarm from the North against imputed
Southern encroachments which cry
sprang in reality from the spirit of rev.
olutionary attack on the domestic in
stitutions of the South, and after q
troubled existence of a few months has
been rebuked by the voice of patriotic
people.
n