The true Democrat., 1856-02-26
The Missouri Comprornise

There seems to be mlsapprehenslon Tn eel. tain quarters about the terms of the act of Con- gre.s approved March 9th, 1920 known as the Missouri compromise. This celebrated con- promise is, in its terms and provisions, nothing more than the Wilmot Proviso, applied to all that territory ceded by France to this govern ment, which lies north of 36 deg. 30 min of act
 "SEC. s. And De tt further enacted That in all that territory ceded by France to the Unit ed States, under the name of Louisiana, which lies north of thirty-six degrees and thirty mn- utes north latitude, rot included within the limits of the State, (Missouri,) contemplated by this act, slavery and involuntary servi- tude, otherwise than in the punishment of crimes, whereof the parties shall have been duly convicted, shall be and is hereby, forever prohibited"
 This is all in that celebrated act upon the subject of slavery, and it is nothing more than the Wmot proviso While the terms of the act prohibit southerners from carrying their slaves north of 36 deg. 30 mn thus giving all north of that line to aboltionism, there Is no provision in the act guaranteeing that the ter slave States. The matter stands thus; all north of 36 deg. 30 min., shall be free soil, and shall be formed into free States, while all so,Ah of 3G deg 30 min., shall be open to future arbi- tramcnt; that is, the south surrendered to the north all of her rights north of 36 deg. 90 mn., without obtaining any guarantee for the admission of slave States south of that line.
 Such is the Missouri compromise-such s the act which was repealed by the Nebraska and Kansas law, and for repeating which, the northern democrats in the last Congress were beaten by the new order known as Know Noth- ings. Kansas, though touching the north west corner of Arkansas, is north of the line, and had not the repeal of the Missouri compromise been effected would now be, by act of Con- gross, free territory. But, as the matter now stands, under the Kansas \ Nebraska law, and we have the opportunity and the right, We hope to make Kansas a slave State. Hence, the passage of the Kansas N ebraska law was IdNOTaUic to SOIUfefU, ana aGNerSc to northern interests. And as it was the act of the NA- TIoNAL DEMOCRACY, who desired to put the southern States upon an equality with the northern, their defeat, at the north, by the combined and fused forces of the black repub- licans, the free-soilers and Know Nothings, is easily accounted for.
 But the hour of retribution is already at hand. The election of Banks, an abolition k'aoao Nothing, is but the expiring effort of the unholy fusion. The sober second thought'' has already taken possession of the public mind at the north, and the NATIONAL NEBRAs- KA DEMOCRACY, who were beaten so badly in the congressional elections, have began already their conquering career. At nearly all the recent State elections, both north and south, they have shown their might and scattered the tused forces before them. We believe, among the masses of the northern people, that the principle of justice is still alive that the prn- ciple maintained by the democratic party of equal rights to all sections of the Union, is still cherished, and that at the next presden- tial and congressional elections, they will over- whelm the enemies of the republic, whether found under the guise of republicans, abolition ists, free soers, women's-right men, whigs or Know Nothings
 The democratic party occupy the only na- tional ground, and they must succeed.