Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1856-06-19

Slavery in the state and territories ,andrecog>
nised bv the legislation o. 1850, commonly
called the Compromise Measures, is hereby
declared imperative and void" Thus, with
insidious ostentation,was it pretended that an
act violating the greatest compromise OF our
Legislative history, & setting loose the foun-
dations of all compromise, was derived out
of the Compromise. Then followed in
the Bill the further declaration, which is
: entirely without precedent, and which has
been aptly called "a stump speech in its
i belly" namely: sit being the true intent
& meaning of this act,not to legislate slavery
iEto any Territ ory or state, nor to exclude
} it therefrom, but to leave the people
: thereof perfectly free to form and regulate
their domestic institutions in their own way,
Z subject only to the Constitution ct the United
States" Here were smooth words, such az
belong to cunning tongue enlisted in a
bad cause But whatever may have been
their various hidden meanings, this at least
was evident, that, by their effect, the Con-
gressional Prohibition Of Slavery, which lad
always been regarded as seven-folds shield,
of SO . so, was now removed, while princi.
pie was declared whicE would render the
supplementary Prohibition of Slavery in
Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington, sin
operative and void, and thus open to Slavery
all these vast regions, now the rude cradles
of mighty States Here you see the magni-
tude of the mischief contemplated. But my
purpose now is with the Crime against Kan
sas, and shall not stop to expose the con-
spracy beyond.
Mr.. President, men are wisely presumed
to intend the natural consequences of their
conduct, and 20 seek what their acts seem
to promote. Now, the Nebraska Bill, on its
very face, openly cleared the way for Sla-
very, and i: is not wrong to presume thatits
eriginators intended that natural conSe-
Iuences of such an act, and sought in this
way tC extend Slavery. Ofcourse, they did.
And this is the first stage in the Crime
against Kansas.
But this was speedily followed by other de-
velopsments. The bare-faced scheme was
soon whispered, that Kansas must be slave
State. In conformity with this idea was
the Government of this unhappy Territory
organized in all its departments; and thus
did the President, by whose completely tine
| Prohibition of Slavery had been overthrown,
.end himself to a new completely giving
to the conspirators a lease of connivance,
amounting even to copartnership. The
Governor, Secretary, Chief Justice, Asso-
ciate Justices, Attorney, and Marshal, with
whole caucus oil other stipendiaries, nomi-
mated bv the President and confirmed by
the Senate, were all commended as friendly
to Slavery. No man, with the sentiments
Of Washington, or Jefferson, or franklin,
| found any favor; nor is it too much to say,
that, had these great patriots once more
come among 8, not one of them with his
recorded unretr4cted opinions on Slavery,
could have been nominated by the President
or confirmed by the Senate for any post in
that Territory With such auspices the
conspiracy proce eded. Even in advance Of
the Nebraska Bill secret societies were or
ganized in Nilsson ri, ostensibly to protect
her institutions, and afterwards, under the
name of Self Defensive Assoc iations," and
of blue Lodges" these were IN ultipied
throughout the western counties of that
State, betOre GRy countsr-moUement ]: ON the
Nortt. II was confidently anticipated, that,
by the activity of these societies, and the
interest of shareholders everywhere, with
the advantage derived from the neighborhosd
of NJ il souri,, and the influence ofthe Terri
toriul Government, Slavery might he intro
duced into Kansas, quietly but surely, with
out arousing a coniict-That tie crocodile
egg might be stcalthily dropped in ;he sun
hur Mt soil th'ro 10 ee hatchcd uDobserved
until it sent forth lis reptile monster.
But the conspiracy was Unexpectedly balk-
ei. The debate, which couyulSed L, ngress,
had TIRED the whole country. Attention
from all sides wal directed up.n Kansas,
which at once becrme the favcrite goal of
emi .ration. The Il had loudly declared,
thai its object was ''to leave the people per-
fecty free to form and regulate their GoEes-
tic institutions in ;heir oxn way" and its
supporters everywhere challenged the d eter-
mindtion OF the quest on between Freedom
and Slavery by competition OF emigration.
Tnus, while opening the Territory to Sls-
very, the bill also opened it to emigran,s
from every quarter, who might by their votes
redress the wrong. The populations North,
sung by sharp sense of outrags, and in
spired by noble cause, Poure into the
debatab,e land, and promised soon to estsb-
lish upremacy of numbers there, invoking,
of Cause, q Just supremacy OF Freedom.
TLen was conceived the conSummation Of
the Crime against Kansas. What could
not be accomplished peaceably, was to be
accomplished forcibly. The reptile monst,r,
that could not be quietly and securely hatch
cd there. was to be pushed full-grown in
to the Territory, All efforts were now
given to the dismal work of forcing Slavery
on Free Soil. In fragrant derogation Of the
very Po, ular Sovereignty, whose name help
ed to impose this bill upon the county, the
a'rociuus object was now distinctly avuwed.
And the avowal has been followed byI he act,
Slavery has been lforcibly introduced into
Kan-as, and placed under the formal safe
guards of pretended las. How this was
done, belongs to the argument.
In depicting this consummatioR, the si2s-
plest outline, without one word of collar, will
be best. Whether regarded in its mass Or
its details, in its origin OF its result, it is ell
blackaess, Hum ned by nothing from itself.
but only by the hcroiSm Of the undaughtcd
mon and women, whom it cnvroned. A plain
statement Of facts W i'll be picture Of faithful
history II preserve in its darkest gallery.
In he foreground all willrecosnise famisr
character in himself connectin, link BE-
tween the PreSid. INT and the border ruffian
less conspicuous for ability than for the
exalted place he has occupied-who err..
sat in the seat where you now sit, sir; where
once sat John Adams and Thomas jefferson;
also, where once sat Aaron Burr | need
not add the name of David K. Atchscn.-
You have not forgotten that, at the session
of Congress immediately succeeding tks
Nehraska Rill. he came tariil. u b., dnfx