Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1856-03-27

February, 1856, he issued his Proclama alton
denouncing any attempt to resst or sub.
vert these barbaous and VOID enactmenfs
ard wrrning all persons engaged in such
attempts, that they will be opposed, mot
only by the local militia, but by any avail.
able forces belonging to the regular army
Of the United States. Thus has the Feder.
al Government solemnly recognized the usur.
patton set up in Kansas by invaders from
Missouri, and pledged all the power OF the
United States to its support. American
history furnished no parallel to the cruelty
and tyranny Of these acts Of the presen,
Administration. The expulsion of aliens
and the penalties inf cted upon citizens fol
exercising freedom Of speech and of the
press, under the alien and sedition laws
which were overthrown by the Republican
Party of 1898, were enient and mix when
compared with the outrages perpetrated up.
on the people Of Kansas. under color o
law, By the usurping invaders. sustained by
the Federal Government. ~
With full sense of the importance oI
the declaration, we affirm that the -execu.
ton of these threats by the President Of the
United States upon the people of Kansas,
would be an unconstitutional exercise OF
Executive power, presenting a case of in.
tolerable tyranny; that American citizens
cannot submit to it and remain free, and
that if blood shall be shed 10 the prosecu-
ton of SO unlawful purpose. those by whose
agency it may be split will be held to a
strict and stern account by the freemen
of the Republic. So plain, palpable and
would justify the lnterposition Of the States,
whose duty it would be, BY all the constitu.
tional means in their power, to vindicate
of the Federal Government; and we take
this occasion to express to our fellow citi-
zens in Kansas, against whom these uncon-
stitutional acts are directed, our profound
sympathy with them in the resistance which
i. is their right and their duty to make to
them, and our determination to make that
sympathy efficient by all s,he means (which
we may lawfully employ.
Thus, for period of twenty-five years,
has Slavery been contending, under various
pretexts, but with constant success, against
the tendencies of civilization and the spirit
Of our institutions OF the extension and per-
petuation of its power. The decree in
which the General Government has aided
it's efforts may be traced in the successive
steps it has taken In 1887 all the States
in the Confederacy united in ordaining that
Slavery should be forever prohibited from
all the territory belonging to the United
States In 1889 the first Congress of the
United States passed a law reaffitming this
ordinance and re-enacting the prohibition OF
Slavery which it contained. In 1920, the
SlavehoIding interest secured the admission
Of Missouri as a Slave State, into the
Union, by acceeding to similar prohibition
of Slavery from the Louisiana territory ~
ing North of 36 80. In 1854 that prohi-
bition was repealed, and the people of the
territory were left free to admit or exclude
Slavery, in their own discretion. In 1855
the General Government proclaims its de-
termination to use all the power Of the
United States 10 enforce upon the people
obedience to laws imposed upon them by
armed invaders, establishing Slavery and
visiting with terrible penalties their exer-
else of:freedom Of speech g. of the press upon
that subject. While two-thirds of the Ame-
rican people live in States where Slavery
is forbidden by law, and while fve-sixths
of the capital, enterprise and productive in
dustry Of the country rest upon freedom as
their basi is, Slavery thus controls all depart
ment sof their common government, and
wields their powers on its own behalf.
THE PLEAS URGED IN DEFENCE OF THESE AG-
GREssIoNs OF SLAVERY.
As a matter of course, for all these acts
and for all the outrages by which they have
been attended, the Slavehoding interes:
pretends to find a warrant in the Constitu-
ton of the United States. All usurpation'
in countries protesting to be free, must
have the color of law COR its support. No
outrage committed by Power upon PoPula-
rights, is left without some attempt at vim
dication. The partition of Poland, the over
throw of the Constitution OF Hungary, the
destru ction of Irish independence, like the
repeal of the Missouri Compromise and tht
conquest o: Kansas were consummated with
a scrupulous observance Of the forms o
law.
! THE PLEA THAT THE MISSOURI COMPROMISE
WAS NOT A COMPACT.
I. The repeal Of the Missouri Compro
mise, it is urged on. behalf of those b,
whom it was effected, involved no violation
of good faith, because that CompromiS,
v IS merely an act OF Congress and as suci
re repealable at pleasure. Regarded as lega
technically, we are not disposed to contes
this plea. The Compromise was undoubtedl,
embodied ~ a Congressional enactment
subject to repeal. But in this case, by tn
very nature OF the transaction, the faith o
the parties was pledged that this enactmen
should not be repealed. The spirit OF the
law, whatever It's form, was the spirit OF
compact. Its enactment was secured by al
exchange OF ofequivalents. The Slaveholdini
interest procured the admission OF Mss 'ur
into the Union, by consentlng, and votini
through its representative IN Congress, ina
n north of its Southern line, in the Ferrtor
of Louisiana, Slavery should be prohiblte
foreper. Without that consent and that vot
The admission ol Missouri could not hav
been secured:--nor W juid the prohibition d
Slavery until 1884, or until any other dat'
or for any other tim, taan that specified
the ac,-naneiy. Joreusr,--have purchase
the assent of the Fres States 70 the admi'
n sion of NJ Mssouri az Save STATE into .h