Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1856-02-29
MI. CnrIile,s sneech.

cred i'll the House of Representatives, on
the l7Ih Of January last. by Hon. John
S. Garlic. on the causes which prevented
an organization Of the House. We do
this to enable tie people of this district
more fully to understand the position Of
their representative in Congress. In pre-
pairing this speech, which was evidently
done with great care. as it was no doubt
as an explanation to his consti>
ents of his course in the House. Mr. Car
lille has sought to throw the responsibility
of the present fanaticial agitation of the
slavery question at the North, upon the
present national administration in the
passage Of the Kansas Nebraska bill and
by SO doing, to direct public attention
from theSfact that the Know Nothing
party has given TO the anti-slovery party
its present Importance and position in our
national Legislature. In doing this, he
has been led into many inconsistencies
which would hardly have marked the
course OF one who had the plain path Of
of truth to follow. In "inquiring into
the causes which have produced this so>
much~to be-regrcttcd condition in which
we find ourselves placed" he Says:
i" Mr.. Clerk, TO what is this agitation, so
fraught with all that is evil, justly attri
butable ? 1t is to be attributed to the
conduct of the Administration and its
friends, at the last Congress, in forcing II
re-opening OF this question of slavery.
which both parties were pledged by their
national conventions of 1852 to keep out
of Congress and repress in the country.
The two great political parties that then
divided the country were pledged by their
national conventions to abide By the com
promise measures of 1850, as final set
Element Of this agitating subject, and up>
on that pledge this Administration came
into power. | aided it--feebly admit,
but to the extent OF my ability-in OBJ
tanning its present position but scarcely
was it installed, and in possession Of the
power given il BY confding people. be-
fore it violated that pledge thus solemnly
given. | will not pretend to sayI what
was the governing motive, but there are
those who are uncharitable enough to de-
clare that it was the effort of waning
Administration TO continue itsclf in pow
err
1t is very strange that an administra-
ton which was placed in power by near,
ly the unanimous vote of all the States,
should commenced to "wane" when "it
was but scarcely installed and in posses,
sion of the power given it by cohGding
people )" but not more strange than that
the administration forced re-opening OF
the slavery question By the passage Of
the Kansas Nebraska bill. The agitation
of the slavery question has not been
closed since our recollection. The aboli,
ton Of the slavetrade in the District oil
Columbia and /" the right of !pctition. y
we're for long time fruitful causes of this
" agitation" Then came the Fugitive
Slave Law, which was agitated enough in
all conscience, for any national man.
According to our recollection the Kansas,
Nebraska bill as reported by the commit
tee, was a copy Of bills organizing othe,
territories, and said nothing about the
Missouri compromise line. 1t was nc
sooner reported than the horde Of nor.
thern fanatics commenced the "agitation'
by denouncing the bill and insisting that
a should clause be inserted in it prohibiting
slavery in both territories. Even the clergy
descended from its high calling of point
ing the erring sinner to God, and took an
active part in this agitation )" three
thousand Of whom, il we mistake not the
number. united in petition sacrilegiously
calling down the maledictions of Deity up
on Congress, if it should fail to prohibit
slavery in those territories. All this will
be recollected by every one who has paid
the slightest attention to this question.
and with these facts before the country,
the assertion Of Mr.. Garlic. that the in
corporation Of the repeal of the Missouri
compromise into the Kansas-Nebraska
bill. reopened the slavery agitation. falls
still born upon the public ear.
What is this Missouri compromise, the
explicit repeal Of which. Mr.. Garlic so
much deprecates 1t is we'll known to
be clause inserted in the bill admitting
Missouri into the Union as State. de-
claring that slavery may exist south of
Sc degrees 80 minutes, north latitude,
and shall not erit north of that line. This
clearly assumes the right of Congress to
legislate upon slavery. not only in the ter
ritories but in the States formed out of
such territories Now if Congress has
no power under the Constitution to legis-