The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1856-03-27
z DD1kEss of the axe pu bIics-n Convention
heId al Pittsburg, February 2e, is58-
10 tic PeQple etethe United Slater:
TIE MISSOURI COMPROMISE.

souri, formed out Of territory Purchased from
france ii 1903. applied%to Congress for ad-
mission to the Union as s!aveho!ding state
The application strenuously resisted by
the people of tie Free States Il was every
where fe!. tina. the decision involved conse-
quences OF the last Importance TO the welfare
Of the country. ani tha. if the progress @.
Slavery was ever TO be arrested, that vas the
time 10 arrest IT, Tie siaveholding interest
demanded its admission right, and denied
tie power Of Congress 70 impose conditions
upon new States applying TO be admitted ia:o
the ConfedeIacy. The power rested with the
Free States and Missouri was denied admis
sion. But the subject was revived. The si-ye-
holding interest, with characteristic and timely
sagacity, abated something Of It's pretenslons
and settled the controversy on the basis Of
compromise. Mssouf. was admitted into the
/ Union, by an act dated March 6. 1920, in
which It was also declared that "all that Ter
ritory csded By France to sthe United States
under the name of Louisiana. which lies north
Of 36 degrees 80 min. Of north latitude. not
included within the limits Of Missouri, sLA-
VERY AND INVOLUNTARY sERvIrUDE, otherwise
than in the punishment of crimes whereof the
parties shall have been duly convicted, SHALL
BE- AND Is HEREBY FOREVER PROHIBITED. In
each house Of Congress q majority OF the
Members from slaveholding States voted in
favor Of this bill with this provision, thus de
claring and exercising by their votes the con
sttutional power Of Congress to prohlDt
Slavery even in territories where it had been
permitted by the law of France a. the date Of
their cession to the United States. new
Slave State. Arkansas. formed out Of that Por-
ton OF this territory lying south of 80 deg.
so min to which the prohibition was not ex-
tended was admitted 30 the Union IN 1886
Two Slave States thus came into the Conled-
eracy by virtue Of this arrangement; NAile
Freedom gained nothing by It but the PROM
bitiou of Slavery from a vast region winch
Freedom had male no attempt to penetrate.
Thus ended the first great contest oI rec
dom and Slavery for position and power III t1e
General Government. The slaFehoIdlA5 m
terest had achieved virtual victory. Ii Sc
cured all the immediate results tor whlea It
struggled; it acquired the power OF ottsetnn5
I in the Federal Senate two of the Free States
Of the Confelera.y; and the time could not
be fo-eseen when, in the faltIlment OF us
compact! ii would yield any positive and prac-
teal advantage 10 the interests OF Freedom
Neither then nor for many years thereafter.
did auv statesrsan dream that, when that
I period sho.il .... y. -'avehnidloE interest
would trample is bond and hing rs iAI'n
to the winds.
quarter Of a century elapsed before the
meantime, in fastening It's hold npon the Gov
ernmcnt, in binding political parties TO It's
chariot, and in seeking IN Congress to stltie
the right Of petition, and to crush all freedom
Of speech and Of the press. In every slave
\ holding State none but shareholders or those
whose interests are identified with Slavery,
were admitted to fill any office, or exercise
any authority civil or political. Free whites,
not Shareholders , in their presence. or IN the
midst of their society, were reduced to vas
sslage little less degrading than that of the
slaves themselves. Even at this day, although
the white population of the slaveholaing States
is more than six millions, Of whom but 3i7,
525, or less than one SeUcnteenth, are the own
ers Of slaves, none but Shareholder, or one
who will act with exclusive reference to Sla-
very. is ever allowed to represen: the State IN
any National Convention, in either branch Of
Congress. or in anv high position of civil trust
and political power. The slaveholding class.
small as 1t is. Is the governing class, and
shapes legislation and guides all public action
for the Advancement of its own interests and
The promotion Of is own ends. During all
that time, and from that time even to the pres
} ent. al slaveholdng delegates in National
Conventions. upon whatever else they may
differ always concur in imposing upon the
Convention assent to their acquisitions IN re-
gard to Slavery. as the indispensable condition
Of their support. Holding thus ia their hands
power to decide the resuls of the election, aud
using that power undevatingly and s.ernly
for the extortion Of their demands. they have
always been able 10 control the nominations
Of both parties, and thus. whatever may be
the issue, to secure 3 President who is sure
to be the instrument Of their behests Thus
has It come TO pass that for twenty years we
have never had President who would ap-
point to the humblest Office within his gift, in
anv section of the Union, any man known to
hold opinions hostile TO Slavery, or % be ac-
tive in resisting It's aggreSsions and usurpa-
tons of power. Men. the most upright and
the most respectable, in States where Slavery
IS only known bv nsne, have been inehg gjble
to the smallest trust-have been held unfit to
distribute letters from the Federal pos.-otloe
} to their neighbors. or trim the lamps Of a
lighthouse upon the reno,sst point of our ex-
} tended coast Millions Of our citizens have
: thus been diSfranchisej for their opinions con-
: Corning Slavery, and the vast patronage OF the
: General Government has been Systematically
| welded in its service and for the promotion
: Of its designs.
I Ii was bv such discipline and under such
iufiusuces. that the Government and the coan-
try were prepared Tor the second great stride
; OF Slavery toward new dominion, and for the
> asowsl .! motives by which j, was siten led,
ANNEXATION OF rEx4s AND THIS WAR WITH
MkXTco.
r Texas WAS Admitted ato ne Union the
e9,h 81 December l845-w th a ansfitutioa
e iorbidd,as tbs aboilQ q Slavery and q
j stipulation taaJ tour more Safes should be,
. come me Elbers Of the Canfedsracy. whenever
they ghs be formed within her limits. aad
= with or without S.averv. - their inhabitants