New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-03-01

Territory And having made these ensctments for the
establishment Of Slavery, the Legsiaiure aPPonted
their enforcement; thus depriving the people OF az
mower over the enactment Of their own laws and the
choice Of officers for their execution
Ths. these despotie acis evenn tney ha1 Deen psseu
NV duly elected by the people of the er-
riforv would have been null and VOID, nasInuch as
thew are plainly in violation OF the Federal Constu-
ton IL too clear for argument Congress ltseh Is ex-
pressly forbidden by the CONSTITUTE. 81 the : ntea
sneech and of the press; and i Il absurd To sup
pose that Territorial Legislature, deriving ali It's
hover from Congress- should not be subject TO the
sam restrictions But these laws were not enacted by
the people of Kansas. They were imposed upon them
nv an armed force. Yet the President OF the United
States in special Message sent 10 Congress on the ith
az Ian 1856 declares that they have been enacted by
the dulv constituted authorities OF the Territory, aud
that they are Of binding obligation upon the people
thereof And the llth Of Feb, 1880, he Issued MS
Proclamation deDouncne any attempts resist or sub
vert these barbarous and void enactnents and varn
ing all persons engaged in such attempts that they
via be oppo.ed not only by the local militia. BIT BY
any available forces belonging 70 the regular army OF
the United States Thus has the Federal Government
solemnly recognized the usupaion set up IN hansas
bv invaders from Missouri and pledged al the power
Of the United States TO its support. American history
furnishes no parallel TO the cruelty and tyranny Of
these acts of the present Administration. The expul-
zion OF aliens and the penalties lnhcted upon citizens
for exercising freedom of speech and OF the press
der the Alien and Sedtion laws, which were over
thrown by the Republican party OF l'9s were Ienient
and mild when compared with the outrages perpe-
trated upon the people of Kansas under color Of Law,
by the usuTplng invaders sustalheu ny TIC Feuera!
Government.
With a full sense Of the Importance Of the declara-
sion we affirm that the execution OF these threats by
the President Of the United states upon the people of
Kansas would be an unconstitutional exercise oi TX
ecutive power presenting O Of intOersble tyranny
that American citizens cannot submit 70 II end re-
main free and that if blood shall be she'd in the prose-
cuton Of 20 unlawful purpose, those by whose agency
il NAV be split will ne held to d strict and stern
count bv the feemen Of the Republic. SO plain, pal
pahle and deliberate violation or the Constitution
would Justify the nteposition OF the States, whose d.
Nv il would BE- by all the constitutional means in their
power to vndicate the rights ana liberties OF the cit
zen against the power Of the Federal Government;
and We take this occasion to express to our fellow
citizens in Kansas, against whom these unconstitu-
tional acts directed, our profound sympathy with
them in the stance which II is their nght and their
duty TO make TO them and our detenninaton 10 make
that sympathy efficient by all the means which We
may lawfully employ
Thus for period Of twenty five years has Slavery
been contendng under various preteXts, but with con-
slant success, against the tendencies of civilization
and the spirit of our institutions for the extension and
perpetuatOn of its power. The degree in which the
Genera Government has aided It's efforts may be
traced in the successive steps has taken. In l7s,
all the States in the Confederacy united in ordainng
that Slavery should be forever prohibited from all the
territory belonging TO the United States In l!s9 the
frst Congress Of the United States passed law re-
affirming this ordinance and reenactng the prohibition
of Slavery which il contained. In 1920, the slavehod
ing interest secured the admission of Missouri "a
Slave State into the Union by acceding to similar
prohibition of Slavery from the Louisiana territory
living north of 80 deg. 80 min. lie 1854 that prOhlbi-
tion was repealed and the people of the territory
were eftfree to admit exclude Slavery in their own
discretion. In 1856, the General Government pro-
claims lis determination TO use all the power OF the
United States TO enforce upon the people obedience to
aws imposed upon them by armed invaders establish
ing Slavery and visiting with terrible penalties their
exercise of freedom of speech and of the press upon that
subject While two thirds Of tse American people hive
in States where Slavery is forbidden by law, and while
five sixths of the capital enterprise and productive
industry of the country rest upon Freedom az their
basis Slavery thus controls all departments OF their
common government, and wlelds their powers on It's
own behalf.
THE PLEAS URGED N DEFENSE OF THESE
AGGREssIoNs OF SLAVERY.
As q matter of course for all these acts and for al
the outrages by which they have been attended the
slayebodipQ interest preends TO find warrant ID the
Constitution of the United States. AL usurpatlon, in
protesting TO be free must have the color OF
law for it's support. No outrage committed by Power
upon Popular rights Is left without some attempt at
vudicaton The partition of Poland, the overthrow OF
the Constitution of Hungary, the destruction of Irish
Independence, like the repeal Of the Missouri Com
promise and the conquest of kansas, were cohsum-
mated with a scrupulOus observance Of the forms OF
law.
THE PLEA THAT THE MISSOURI COMPROMISE WAS
NOT 4 COMPACT.
|. The repeal of the Missouri Compromise. i IL
urged on behalf of those by whom was effected, In
yolyed no violation of good faith, because that Com
promise was merely an act of Congress, and as suoh
repealabe at pleasure. Regarded az legal technical
ity not disposed to contest this plea Inc Com
promse was undoubtedly embodied ID Congressman
enactment subject to repeal But in this case by the
very nature of the transaction the faith Of the parties
was pledged that this enactment should not DC repealed
Tue spirit OF the law, whatever Its form, was the spirit
Of compact Its enactment was secured by an ex-
change OF equivalents. The saveholdDg interest pro-
cured the admission of Missouri into the Union by
sentng and voting through it representatives IN Con-
gress that north Of its southern line IN the Territory
Of Louisiana Slavery should be prohibited foreCer.
Without that consent and that vote the admission Of
Missouri could not have been secured; would the
prohibition of Slavery until 1854 until any other date
or for any other time than that specified III the act name
w. torerer-have purchased the assent OF the Free
States 10 the admission of Missouri Slave State
into the Union. The word t0reUeT, therefore,
material par of the law, and Of the consideration for
its enactment. Such law may be repealed, but its
repeal rupture of the compact-the reputation OF
n solemn covenant. The Missouri Compromise has
been regarded as such compact from the date Of It's
enactment in all sections and by all the people of the
country. Successive Presidents have invoked for it
respect and an obligation scarcely inferior 10 that of
the Constitution itself; and Senator DOUGLAS himself
as late as in ls45 declared that il had been
lied in the hearts the American people sacred
thing, which no ruthless hand would ever be reck-
I" less enough TO disturb" Whatever therefore, the
mere form of the bond may have permitted, good
faith on the part of the Representatives of the slave
holding interest required that it should be kept nvo-
late.
H. Nor Is this charge of bad faith, brought against
the slaveholding interest, for having repealed the
Missouri Compromise answered or evaied by the
pleas urged in its defense-that originally il was forcby
imposed by the Free States upon the Slave States with
out their consent-that il subsequently violated
by the Free States in their refusal to extend lis pro-
visions over NewMexco and Ctah-or that its repeal
having been offered by the Free States themselves
could not be resisted refused by the representatives