Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1856-10-03


poses is found skulking under its enc
mics standard il the hour of danger.
MISSOURI COMPROMISE.
At this moment the country resounds
with clamor from political faction,
whose policy is to keep alive agitation,
because of the repeal of the Act of Con-
gross of 1920, known as the Missouri
Compromise. BY this repeal, say they,
a sacred compact has been violated.
The Act Of 1920 cannot Justly be re-
garded as compact. 1t was a mere
act of general Legislation, and did not,
by any means, partake as much of the
nature of compact as an Act of Con-
gress establishing protective tariff; for
under its inducements millions of capital
are diverted from one pursuit and in
vested in anothessasAnd yet, who ever
heard tariff act called sacred compact,
overruling the plain provisions of the
Constitution of the United Stascs? A
mere act of Congress, made for special
occasions, to meet a particular exigeney,
cannot be regarded as having the binding
obligation which these factionists claim
for the act Of 1920. Acts Of general
legislation cannot thus be construed
Acts of general Legislation may be re-
pealed by the power which sanctioned
them. Compacts are irrepoalablc, OK
cept by the consent Of the parties to
them.
But, it is further said, that the cir
cumstances under which this act was
passed, and the length of time it had
been acquiesced in, invested it with the
sanctity Of an article Of the Constitution.
And rights, too, have been claimed to
have been acquired under it. Rights !
No rights can grow up under unconstitu-
tional acts. Time gives no title to wrong.
This doctrine Of time consecratine wrong
is most immoral and dangerous one.
Let it be settled, that an act of Congress
supersedes an article Of the Constitution,
and you make that instrument an object
of scorn and contempt Diyest that in
strument of the sanctity with which it
has been regarded by the peoples tie
bulwark Of their liberties, and their de-
fence against power-and the name and
the form Of the Union may, for while,
indeed, be preserved, but The spirit viii
have fed, and after shot period of
conyulsiye existence, it will be rent into
fragments, Or be converted into a gov
ernment in which the Congress of the
United States, like the Parliament Of
Great Britain, will be irresponsible and
omnipotent.
1t is Of the essence Of a compact that
there should be two or more patties to it.
Was this so in the act of 1S20t Byno
means. It was an act of Congtess, and
was not even accepted by Missouri. 1t
was not, therefore, compact between
Missouri and the United StTros. But,
admitting for the argument, that it was
a compact with Missouri, and that Mis-
souri, had accepted and ratified it, how
/ far could the State of Missouri rialitful-
I ly conclude the rights Of the people of
the United States to vast and unsettled
regions outside of the geographical lin
its and north of the parallel of forbidden
latitude? The so-called Missouri Con-
/ promise-or solemn compact, as it is
now called-was nothing more or less
than an act Of general legislation, never
accepted by Missouri, which it concerned.
and therefore could not in law or common
sense be called compact.
The true object Of the act of 1920 wa.
to satisfy temporary exigency twas
adopted with direct reference to the
Presidential contest Of that day. Itan
swered its purpose then. 1t terminated
in sectional controversy which threat
ened the peace Of tho country and the
stability of the Union The motive
which induced that act justified its repeal
Its repeal was demanded by the Unequal
ity Of rights it created between citizens
Of the different States of the Union, in
violation Of the Constitution ofthe United
States, which guarantees equal rights tc
the citizens Of all the States.
A Know NOTHING TR1cx. The lead.
ing men among the delegates from this
State to the Baltimore convention. saws
the Raleigh On. G. ) Standard, were Gov.
Morehoad, Gov. Graham, and Hon. Jno.
III Brvan AVa al I,,a,,, a. 80 Il