Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1856-09-11
WHOLE NO. STA.
From the Boston Courier.
- Southern Aggression >,


ms Is a iayorite expression Of the Abolition
i'ts, the Free-soilers and the Republicans Ia re-
spect TO the passing of the Kansas bin and the
repeal OF the Missouri Compromise IL il used
by the artfui TO infiame the Moth against them.
by fastening upon the inhabitants of tho sIsve
States exclusively tho odium of those measures
and it is believed and accepted as true. by mpl.
titudes residing in the free States that they were
forced upon the North by the aggressive power
Of the South. Mr.. Stevenson, in his speech de-
lvered before the Whig Convention last week. ex-
poses this fallacy In conclusive manner He
says it was party aggression by which that great
crime was perpetrated. This is the truth. Look
at the record. The Kansas bill was drawn up and
introduced into the Senate by Senator Douglas---
lie is a native OF Vermont aud Senator from the
| free State Of Illinois. He was the ardent and ef8-
Gent supporter Of the bill. Ii was passed in the
Senate by thirty five votes in favor, against thir-
teen in opposition to it,
Among the former, that is those who voted for
the bill, were the following Senator's from free
States: Messrs. Brodhead of Pennsylvan Cass
OF Michigan, Williams OF New Hampshire, Stuart
OF Michigan, Gwinn of California, Jones of Iowa,
Norris OF New Hampshire, Weller of California,
Petit OF Indiana, Shields of Illinois. Toucey OF
Connecticut, Thomson and Wright Of New Jer-
sey, making, with Mr. Douglas, thirteen Senator's,
representing free States who voted In favor of this
bill.
against the bill came from slave States, namely,
Messrs. Bell of Tennessee and Clayton and Bayard
OF Delaware The whole number of votes on the
hnal passage was forty If these thirteen
free State Senators had voted against the bill it
would have reduced the number in favor OF it TO
twenty-five, and the bill would have been defeated
by four majority against il.
Again, there were absent at the final passage of
this bill, four Senators from free States namely
Cooper, of PennsylvaDa; Bright, of Indiana
Dodge, OF Iowa; Dodge, of Wisconsin Where
were these free State Senator'S? Follow the bill
into the House Of Representatives, and see how
| the record stands there Let it always be remem-
bered that, in the House Of Representatives. the
free States had majority Of upwards of fifty
votes, Q44 to 49, On the final passage of the
Kansas act the votes stood 1l3 yeas to loo nays !;
it was passed by thirteen majority, of whom forty
three came from free States The whole number
OF Representatives from free States was Ia
Forty. of these recorded their votes In favor
of this bill The whole number of Representa-
tives from the slave States was lightweight; six
OF these voted against the bill If the forty three
| Representatives from the free States had voted
against it, the bill would have been lost in the
House by an overwhelming majority
The record proves that this act, so far from be-
ing an act OF Southern aggression" was passed
by the efficient aid of Northern yotes-thrteen in
the Senate (besides four absentees) and
in the House; and without this the Kansas bill
could not have passed through either branch of
Congress.
The extent of the aggression" of the South in
this case, was their acceptance Of boon las they
deemed it) offered to them by tho North Il Is as
clear as light, that more than one-third of all the
votes given in favor Of the Kansas act were cast by
persons Inhabitants living in and representing the
free States Is it just to the South to insist. as
our orators and papers do, that this was an aggres.
sion by the South?