Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1856-10-10
WHOLE NO. s5A.st.

the Missouri Compromise annulled. The
sth section Of that act is as follows "A.
4 Be il further enacted. That in all the
Territory ceded by France to the United
States. not included within the limits OF
the State contemplated by this act. sla--
very and involuntary sersitude, otherwise
than in the punishment Of crimes, where.
of the parties shall have been duly convict
ed. shall be. and hereby is. forever prohibi-
ted /; provided always. that any person ess
Gaping into the same from whom labor or
service is lawfully claimed in any State or
Territory of the U. States, such fugitive
may be lawfully claimed and conyeyedto
the person claiming his labor or services
as Aforesaid.
This is, upon its face. simple legisla.
tive enactment unjustly depriying. the
slaveholding States of their equal rights
in the Territory north of SO deg. 80 min,
1t undertakes to pledge no faith, and the
act nowhere makes the 9th section the
condition Of anything else done or TO be
done. The only consideration that gave
it greater Importance than any other 4eg7
islatiye enactment, was that it establish
ed principle for the settlement Of the
angry controversy between the slsyehold-
ing and the non-slayeholding sections Of
the Union upon the subject of slavery in
the Territories--the principle OF division
by geographical line. When this mode
Of terminating the great controversy was
acquiesced in by the whole country. the
9th section assumed the character of a
compromise, Incorporating into our legislR-
tive system permanent rule for the ad-
liustment Of conflicting sectional preten-
sions in reference to the Territory of the
United States. The 9th section was com.
prehensiVe, and applied its principle to oil
the Territory of the United States subject
to Congressional action, whether settled or
unsettled. The whole was embraced, be.
cause principle was established which
was designed to settle the whole Terrific
rial question. So far as the 9th section
was compromise of the question Of Con.
gressional Intervention on the subject OF
slavery in the Territories. the principle of
compromise was that the Territories were
to be geographically divided between
the two sections-e e1cLnding. slavery north
tof the designated line. and Dermistin0 il
south Of that line. When Texas was ans
nexed, the South, in faithful observance OF
this compromise. applied the principle TO
the unsettled and unorgani8ed Territory
within The limits Of that Slave State, and
prohibited slavery north Of SO deg. 80
min. The section OF the Missouri 40. was
at that time unhesitatingly recognized
not simply as q legislative enactment.
operative only within the scope Of its let.
ter, but as comprehensive compromise.
embodying principle upon which these
and perma:urely adjusted. But when
| ~. IL Sk,k0 ~
cially for the South to the acquisitions Of
Mexican Territory. it was deliberately
and repeatedly repudiated by the non.
slavehoIding States. In the Northern
view. the 9th section then ceased 10 be
great compact for the adjustment Of
sectional strife. aud became a mere legis-
lative enactment. applicable only q far as
its terms might reach. Throughout the
protracted struggle which was closed by
the Compromise OF 1850, the Southern
representatives in Congress laborad 10
maintain the Missouri Compromise, and
TO obtain the application Of the principle
of the eth section TO the Mexicah Terrific.
ries. So anxious were they to preserve
the principle Of geographical division.
that they proposed 70 modify the line and
to make the partition upon Tho line Of 3b
deg. 80 min. II is unnecessary 70 20 In.
TO any detailed history Of the Conaression.
al proceedings upon this subject. Tho
efforts OF the South 10 preserve the Mis-
souri, Compromise were unayaiIin0. and
all their propositions were pertinacfonsly
rejected by sectional majority. The
North refused to recognize the principle
Of the 9th section as sanctioned BY public
faith, or as appropriate in itself 70 the sets
Element Of the sectional CONTROVERSY now
evinced on the subject Of slavery IN tho
Territories. This old principle was cast
away. A new compromise had TO be or.
ranged. and q new principle Of adjustment
was introduced as the basis Of the mea-
sures of 1850. The principle Of Congress
sional non:interyention WAS substituted
for the former principle Of geographical
partition. As we have before said, the
only consideration which gave sancity and
, the character Of a. compromise to the 8th
section, was fte supposed tablishment as
, permanently aud uniformly applicable 70
all the Territories, Of the, principle Of par
tition, upon line identical or nearly iden.
. teal with that which divides the section
. applicable 10 the profitable employment
: OF slave labor from the section not so ap-
plicable. The action Of the North had
. stripped tho sth section OF this character
and annulled It IS compromise. 7, les
2 principle had been substituted In our sys.
I tenn By the new principle Of 1850. After
: the passage Of the Compromise meas,
: ures Of 1850, rendered necessary by the
4 Northern repudiation Of the. Missouri
. Compromise. that Compromise. 10 the ex.
J, pressiye language employed by Mr.. Bu-
q chansn, at that lime. had "passed away
!, The 9Th aaefiNr had haan e1S;ny,aI ~ Is,