Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1856-01-03

of the States. They had been stripped of all
moral authority by persistent efforts to pro-
cure their Indirect repeal through contradicto.
ry enaclments.
They had been practically ahrogated by the
legislation amending the organization of states.
If any vitality remained in them, it would
have been taken away in effect by the new
territorial acts, IN the form originally proposed
to the senate, at the first session Of the last
Congress.
| 1t was manly and ingenious, as well as pa
trlotic and just, to do this directly and plainly,
and thus relieve the statute book of an act
which might be of possible future injury, but
I of no possible future benefit; aud the meas
ure of its repeal, was the final contamination
and complete recognition of the principle that
no portion Of the United States shall under
take, through assumption of the powers of
the general government, to dictate the social
institutions of any other portion.
| The scope and effect of the language of re-
! peal were not left in doubt. 1t was declared
in terms to be the true intent and meaning of
this act. not to legislate slavery into any ter
ritory or State, nor to exclude it therefrom,
but to leave the people thereof perfectly free
TO form and regulate their domestic institu-
tons in their own way, subject only to the
| Constitution of the United States.
Tbs measure could not be withstood upon
its merits alone. 1t was attacked with vvio-
lence on the false or delusiye pretext that it
constituted breach of faith. Never was OBJ
lection more utterly destitute of substantial
| Justification When before was it imagined
oy sensible men that regnlative or declara-
tive statute, whether enacted ten or forty
years ago, is irrepealables That an act of Con-
gress Is above the Constitution
II indeed there v ere in the facts any cause
| n m had foif - ~.
only VINO have never ceased, from the time of
the enactment OF the restrictive provision TO
the present day, to denounce and condemn it;
who nave constantly refused to complete II
oy needtul supplementary legislation; who
nave themselves, again and again. attempted
70 repeal by the enactment OF Incompatible
| provisions, ana VINO, by the inevitable reac-
tiohary enect OF their own violence on the
suoleet, awakened the country to perception
OF the true constitutional principle OF leaving
the matte involved to the discretion Of the re-
speetlve existing or lncipient States. it is not
PRETENDED that TINS principle, or any other,
precludes the possibility OF evils in practice,
disturbed as political action Is liable to be by
| hnman passion. No form of government is
exempt from inconvenience, but in this case
they are the result of the abuse, and not of
| the legitimate exercise of the powers reserved
or conferred in the organization of terri
tory.
they are not to be charged to the great prin-
clple OF popular sovereignty; on the contrary
they disappear before the intelligence aud pa
triotism of the people, exerting through the
ballot box their peaceful and silent, but lre-
sistible power.
If the friends of the Constitution are TO
Lave another struggle, its enemies could not
present a more accountable issue than that of
al.
a Republican form of government. being ex.
cluded from the Union because lis domestic
Institutions NAV not in all respects COMFORT
with the ideas of what is wise and expedient.
entertained in some other states,
Fresh from groundless imputations of breach
of faith against Others, men will commence
the agitation of this new question with indu-
bitabe violation of an express compact of the
independent sovereign powers of the United
States and the Republic of Texas, as well as
of the older and equally solemn compacts.
which insure the equality of all the States
But, deplorable as would be such violation
of such compact in itself, and in all its di-
| rect consequences. that is the very least of the
evils involved. When sectional agitators shall
have succeeded in forcing on this issue, can
their pretensions fail to be met by counter pre-
tensions9
viii not different States be compelled, re-
spectively, to meet extremes with extremes
And if either extreme carry its point, what is
that SO far forth, but dissolution of the Uniona
If new State, formed from the territory of
the United States, be absolutely excluded
from admission therein, That fact, OF itsolf
constitutes the disruption OF the Union be.
tween II ana the other states, but the pro-
cess OF dissolution could MT stop there
would not sectional decision, producing
snch result, oy a majority OF votes, either
Northerh OF ooutnerh' Oh necessity drive out
the oppressed ana aggrieVed minority, and
pace IN presence oil each other, two lrreeon-
ciaoiy hostile considerations
II is necessary to speak thus plainly OF pro-
Jects, the onsprlng OF that sectional agitation
now prevailing III some OF the States, which
are as ltnplacueaole rs they are unconsttu-
tlonal, ana whlch, II persevered IN, must and
VIII emo ealanltously. IL Is either dlsunon
or civll war, or 1t is mere idle, angry, aimless
disturbance OF puoIe peace and tranquility.
DIsumonior what II the passionate rage
OF fanatlclsm and partizan spirit did not force
the TACT upon our attention, it would be diff
cult 10 oeheve that any considerable portion
Oh tne people OF TINS enlightened country
could nave SO surrendered themselves to a
iahatlcal devotion to the supposed interests Of
the relatively few Africans in the United
otates,as totally to abandon and disregard the
Interests OF me twenty-hVe miilons OF Amer
leans to trample under foot the injunctons
Vi hordl anu CONSTITUTIONAL oDllSatlon, ana TO
those who are associated with them IN t5e on.