Mineral Point tribune. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1854-1858, 1856-09-09

souri, and other slave holding states while the
National Administration is apparently accesso-5
ry to this subversion Of their rights, or unwil-
ling to protect the people of that Territo1n from
these outrages. The course to be pursued by
the State Of Wisconsin, in this emergency,
will leave to your judgment to determine.
l am WI u satisfied that the only way to main
tain harmony amor e the States, both North and
South, Is to restrict slavery to Its present limits
This was evidently foresees by the founders of
this Republic, who, By The ordinance OF 1887,
dedicated to freedom all the Territory then be-
longing to the United States, and prohibited
slavery OF involuntary servItude therein in
tending thereby to place it beyond the power
of Congress to extend the bounds of slavery, and
forever to stop its agitation.
AS lovers of freedom and the Union of these
States 1T is our duty to oppose the further in
crease OF slave territory, preventing slavery
thereby from cursing new territory from max
ing dlshonorable free labor, as 1t inevitably must
where 1t comes in competition with it from
strengthening a system which threatens to de-
stroy the fraternal feeling among the states and
the Union itself which disgraces us among the
nations OF the earth and which begets an evil
and domineering spirit among those connected
with 1T, inconsistent with republican form of
government.
| 1t Is absurd to suppose that slavery and free
| dom can exist together tremendously, while
the Congress of the United States is continually
eiiiA SihB inc r. gnfS OF slavery, ana repeating
sacred compromises for the purpose of forcing It
iEto tree territory.
| The only way to maintain friendly feeling
among the several States of the Union is to ded-
Icate the territories to freedom, and when that
becomes the sealed policy of the Government
the agitation of the question of Slavery will
cease.
Slavery is the direct cause of the present ex-
asperated state of feeling between the different
NOR Inn of fha IInsn 70 ,1x, -
dissension which threatens permanently the
peace of the country and endangers the perpe-
tuity OF our republican institutions. Peace and
safety can never result from nlagnifying and
aggrandizing the source of all this disturbance
and danger but on the contrary must be sought
by restricting it and diminishing its power, to
prevent sectional strife and bitterness.
The extension of slavery is not only antago-
MYSTICAL to the policy of the founders of gov
ernment, but to the very spirit of our instItu-
tions; i, tends to subvert them, by putting sla-
very and freedom on an equality, to compete
with each other for the possession of our terri
toral domain. Every dictate of patriotism and
enlightened stai csmansbip bids us confine that
baneful institution within its present limits and
preserve the territories for the triumphs of free
labor and the benchcent agencies that accom-
pany it-free schools, a free press and the en-
terprise and greatness which are their unfailing
attendants. If this policy shall obtain, the day
| is not distant when the broad domain lying
bctweed the Mississippi and the Pacific ocean,
shall be studded with constellation of states
all free. crowned with the blessings that follow
in the footsteps of freedom, and 80 many pledg-
es of the perpetutity Of the Union and the free
institutions of our common country.
In view of the condition of the finances of the
State it is desirable that your session should
be short one. and ] shall be happy to cooper
ate with You in every conceivable way to at
tain that object. COLES BASHFORD.