Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1856-03-14
AGGRESSI0NS AND INSPIRATIONS
or THE
SLAVE POWER.
DECLARATION of PRINCIPLES
AND PURPOSES OF THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY.
ADDRESS OF REPUBLICAN, CONVENTION,
At PITTSBURGH, FEB. -, 1886.

lCoHeiuded.)
the PLEAS URGED ~ DEFENSE oF THESE
AGGREss1oNs or SLAVERY.

been attended. the slavchodlugt niorcsi pre-
tends 10 find O warrant 10 the Constitution o
the United States. All usurpat.on, in coun.
tries protesting TO be free, must have The
color Of law for It's support. No outrage
committed by Power upon Popular rights ls
left without some attempt ut vindicauon.---
The partition of Poland, The overthrow OF
the Constitution of Hungary, the destruction
of Irish Independence, like the repeal OF Tho
Missouri Compromise and the conquest OF
Kansas, were consummated with a scrupu-
lous observance OF the forms Of law.
rnE PLEA THAT the MISSOURI coMrao-
MISE WAS NOT A COMPACT.
!. The repeal of the Missouri Compro
Mise. it is urged on behalf of those by whom
t was effected. involved no violation OF good
faith, because that Compromise was merely
AN act of Congress, aud o. such repealable
at pleasure. Regarded ns O legal technical
ity, we are not disposed 90 contest this plea
The Compromise WIS undoubtedly cmbodl-
ed 90 a Congressional enactment, subject tu
repeal Bot n this case. by the very nature
of the Transaction the faith OF the parties
was pledged that tbis enactment should not
be repealed The spirit Of the law, whatcy.
or lbs form, was the spirit Of compact us
enactment was secured by an exchange of
equivalents. DE sIavohoIding interest pro-
cured the admission of Missouri into the
Union by conserving and voting through It's
representatives, boo Congress that north of lts
southern line BOO thc Territory of L1n's'anl
Slavery should be prohibited J0rsre-. With
out that consent and That vote the admission
of Missouri could not have tceu secured 4,
nor would The prohibition of slavery unit.
lojl or until amy Other date or for any oth-
or time than that specified BOO the act, name
ly t0itrer hlye purchased the assent of the
Free States % the admission OF Missouri as
Slave state into the Union. The word
6reuer, therefore was a material part of the
law, and of thc consideration for MS enact
ment. Such law may be repealed, but It's
repeal is rupture of the complct--the re-
pudiau1n of d solemn covenant The MIS-
souri, Compromise has been regarded as such
compact from the date Of i's enactment IN
all sections uuI By all lhg people Of the
country Successive Presidents hayc in.
yoked for 10 respect aud an obligation
scarcely inferior 10 ihlt OF the Constitution
itseli: and Senator Douglas himself us late
a. in 1915. declared that 10 bad been "cln-
unzal boo the hearts of the American peo-
Pile as sacred thing which mo- ruthless hand
would ever DEE reckless enough % disturb "
W halever. therefore, the mere form OF the
bond may have permitted good ia''h on ihe
part OF ihe Represent ives OF the s'lV'hold-
ing interest required that Dc should oa Kept
Iuvlolatr.
II Nor is This charge Of bad faith, bro'i
against iha shyehl.dng interest for having
repealed the Missouri Compromise, answer
ed or eyadcd by the pleas urged in ITS de-
Tense -,lat originally It was iorcib'y iupo.-
en- by iao Free States upon the Slave States
without their cousrnt-lhat 1t was subse-
qnendy violated by the Free States in their
refusal 20 extend bis provisions over New
Mexico and Uuh-or That ITS repeal, having
been offered by the Free Suites themselves
could not Dee resisted or refused by the rep-
resenauyos of Slavery. u Even ifitwer
true that the prohibition of Slavery north of
80 deg 30 min. was originally enacted by
the Free States, against the votes Of th,
South, the fact that the admission of Ms
souri, was accepted as the price of that pro-
mbluon, would have made the saycholding