Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1856-01-09

sion. notliag surviving i. save The dormant letter
Of the statute.
But, long afterwards. when. by the proposed
| accession q ine KepuLlc Of Texas, the U..ited
atss to take their next step in territorial
greatness. similar contingency occurred aud be-
came tho occasion for sjsterna tied attempts to
intervene in the domestic affairs uf section Of
tie Union, III defiance Of tier rights States,
aud IF the stipulations Of the constitution. These
attempts assumed practical direction, in tie
shape IF persevering cnteavors. by some of the
representatives, in beth houses uf Congress, to de-
privc the Suushern Safes of tile supposed benefit
of the provisions Of the act authorizing the or
ganizatisa OF the State of Misspnr.
| But, good sense Of the people, and the vital
force u the constitution, tri!n.pEec over Section
al pre- jadce. and tic political errgrs Of the day.
ana tue S:aie If Texas returned to the Uni,n
sae was. With social institutions which ber peo-
Ide had Chosen themselves, and with ex, .ress
agreement, by tn. re-anncxing act, that she
should lie susceptible Of subdivision into plu-
rality of States.
Whatever advantage the interests of the South
ern States, ss such. gained by this, were far in-
feror III results, as they unfoided in the progress
Of tinie to those which sprang from previous con-
cessols made by the South
TO every thonghti..l friend Of the Union.-to
the true lovers of the coun,ry,--to all who long
Ell and lal ored for the full success of this great
experiment of republican Eistitutions,-it
cause of graduation that such opportunity
| llad occurred TO Illustrate our advancing power
on this continent, AMI to furnish to the world ad-
dtiuna assurance of the strength and stability of
| the constitution. Vino would wish to see Florida
still European cclonyl Who would rejoice t.
hail Texas .s a lone star. instead of one IN the
galaxy Of States2 Who d ,es not appreciate Il e
lnealculabe bsnefits of the acquisition of Louisi-
] anaf And yet narrow views and sectional pur-
poses would inevitably have excluded them al.
from the Union.
But an tier struggle on the same point cnsued,
when our victorious armies reture,l from Mexico,
aud it devolved On Congress to provide for the
territories acquired by the treaty of Guadalupe
Hidalgn. The great relations of the subject has
now become distinct and clear to the perception
of the public mind, which appreciated the evils
Of sectional controversy upon the question of tie
| admission of States. In that crisis intense
solictusle ervaded the nation. But the patriotic
impulses OF tie popular heart, guided ly the adj
monitory advice of the Father Of his Country.
rose superior all the diff, uities f the ncerpo-
| ration IF empire into the Union. In the
counsels OF Congress there was manifested ex
tfeme aatagonism If opinion and actinn between
ssiue representatives, who sought by the abusive
ana unconstitutional employment of the leaisla-
tive powers of the government TO interfere in the
condition of the inchoate States, and to impose
their social theories upon the latter; ind 9TH
er representatives, who repeled the interposition
of tie general government in this respect, and
maintained the self constituting rights of tie
States. La truth, the thing attempted was, IN
form al ne. action of tie general government
while in reality 1t was the endeavor, by abuse ni
legislative power, to force the IDEAS Of internal
pulley. entertained in particular States. upon al
lie.i independent States. Once more the consti-
tuition and the Union triumphed signaily. The
new Territories were organized without restrlc-
tions ON the disputed pciut and were thus left to
judge in that particular for themselves; and the
sense OF constitutional faith proved vigorous
enough in Colgress not only to accomplish this
Al Il 4
less important one, of SO amending tie provisions
of the statute for the extradition of fugtves from
service, to place that public duty under the
safe guard Of the general government. and thus
relieve it fr.,m obstacles raised up by the legsla-
ton of Some of the States.
Vain declaration regarding the provisions Of
law for the extradtion of fugitives from service.
with occasional episodes Of frantic effort to OBJ
struct their execution by riot and murder, con-
tinued, for brief time, TO agitate certain locali-
ties. But the true principle, Of leaving each
State and Territory to regulate its own laws of
labor according to its own sense of right and
expediency, had acquired fast hold Of the public
judi dsen,cnt, to such degree, that, by common
CONSENT it was observed in the organization Of the
Territory Of Washington.
" hen, more recently, it became requisite TO
organize the Territories Of Nebraska and Kansas,
it was the natural and legitimate, if not the in
evtabe consequence of previous events and legis
lation, that tie same great and slund principle,
which had already been applied to Utah and
New Mexico, should be applied to them-that
tthey should stand exempt from the restrictions
proposed in the act relative to the State of Mis-
souri,.
These restrictions were. in the estimation of
many thoughtful men, null from the beginning,
unauthorized by the constitution, contrary to tie
treaty stipu,ati,ns for the cession of Louisiana
and inconsistent with the equality of the States
) = They had been striped OF all moral authority
by persistent efforts to procure their indirect
peal through contradictory enactments. They
had been practically abrogated by the legislation
| attending ii organization of Utah, New Mexico
and Washington. If any vitality remained IN
Il EN-, it would have been taken away, in effect,
by the new territorial acts, in the form originally
p,epo. ed in tbe Senate at te first session Of She
: last Congress. It was marty anil ingenious. as
we'll as patriotic and just, To do this directly and
plainly. and thus relieve the statute books of an
c act. which might be Of trsslpie future injury
but of no possible future benefit; and the measure
of its repeal was the final consummation and re-
ccgntion of the principle, that no portion OF tho
f / United States shall undertake, through assump-
f ton of the powers of the general government tc
dictate the social institutions of any other portion
The scope and effect Of the langhage of repea
were not ltft in doubt. twas declared, in terms
to be :. the true intent and meaning of this act
not to legslate slavery into any Territory State
nor to exclude If therefrom, bit leave the people
thereof ;rfec.,y free to form and regulate their
a domestic institutions in their own way. subject
only to the constitution of the U. States"
The measure could not be withstood upon
e its merits alone 1t was attacked with VIC
lencc by the false or delusive pretext. that i
constituted breach of faith. Never was OBJ
. lection more utterly destitute of substantial
e by sensible men that regulativc or decfara
te.y xuI,o tod tan, or f.,rfx