Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1856-04-25

or ahnlishidg sItfefs.'
There nre great many words here om-
ployed saying almost the same thing over
and over again and continuing in the body
Of the enactment the reasons of IL, which
reasons are entirely inappIicable, and can
have no force in regard 10 the law one way
or the other What does tail mean2 II il
means anything, and take il that il does, It
must mean, as ! suppose u will be insisted
TO mean, that while thus was q Territory, an
terror 10 and independent Of the formation Of
q State Constitution, the people should. in
the mean time. have the power 10 adopt or
reject slavery as they pleased. This is the
fair meaning and import Of the provision
If 10 does not mean this there is some dupli-
city involved in It, calculated. perhaps inten-
ded. to mislead Certain I nm. sir that the
very honorable and distinguished Senator
from Michigan Mr.. Cass has held that
slavery cannot go INTO a Territory without
local law being passed 20 authorize Us ex-
istence. appeal to the Senator # that is
not 80.
Mr. CAss believe it. It is my opinion
at this dnv
Mr. ColLANrR. If the rentleman says
that, viii undertake. TO prove TO him from
some laws which exist in Kansas that II he
dared repent that sentiment IN that country
be might be condemned to hard labor as a
lelon
Mr.. CAss, It VS. question which the
Supreme Court can decide.
Mr. CoLLAMER. do not know how il
will be decided The Senator now says
that he understands it as | read it. aud he
agrees that slavery cannot exist there until
a law shall be passed to introduce It Well,
sir, law has been pissed by what is claimed
to be the Legislature, that # any man shall
dare tn say that people have not right to
hold slaves there in the absence Of law, he
shall be- liable to Imprisonment for two years
End punishment az har labor.
What sir, is the experiment Of the Kan
sas- Nebraska act, of which have spoken /?
1t is the experiment, instead OF leaving sla-
very prohibited by the Missouri Compromise,
Of leaving the question to the people of the
Territory IN discuss, 10 agitate, to lcgisate
about It from time to time, und 10 make cleo.
tons dependent on the question Of slavery in
he Territory, while remang Territory
| am sensible that there are men 10 some
parts Of the Uated States who say that this
is not the meaning. but | cannot stop 10 ar-
que the point This is clearly the provision
taking the fair Import of the language The
report Of the Committee 50 regards il. That
report asserts that the people Of the Territory
cannot exercise ans powers, except those
which they derive through tneir organic act.
Well, sir, this organic act is the creature OF
Congress. The report says that Congress
can only legislate for Territories in order to
breed them up for States, but not on slavery,
as that Is not necessary for that purpose. 90
Then, | should ike to know how Congress
obtained power to give these people authority
to legislate on the subject Of slavery. Can
Congress grant legislative power it does
not possess? It is not for me to answer.
Mr. President ! object to this experiment
in the first place because it is an experiment
It j. a departure from all the lessons of our
political history. Indeed believe the Sen
ato- from Michigan rather congratulated the
Senate at the time of the passage of the bill
that they had adopted a new principle, and
presume he views 1t so. do not wish to
give II name. Some call it squatter SOY
erciguty aud some popular sovereignty
but It was understood to be new expert
ment altogether. | object to II because Il
Is a new experiment, and | think the expert
ence under It has had no tendency to con.
vince any candid man that the experiment /,
doing the least good. Il was new course
struck out for the first time and what RECON-
mended It least to me was, that Congress,
had heretofore legislated IN regard to slavery
IN all the Territories, and not left ii to the
Territory. |, appeared, however, that there
were quifres in Congress in regard to the
subject. New views and old views were
presented, 40 that Congress had some diff
culty in agreeing. What then did they do
l They repealed the compromise which pro.
hlbited slavery. and turned the whole ques
ton to what Is sometimes called an nchoat,
state-to the ferritory-to the munlcipt
corporation on the plains of Missouri Con
gross repealed the law for liberty there. O
thirty years standing, and thus got rrl o.
this troublesome question by turning 1t oyeI
to that people. That did not commend it,
self much to me
/ object TO It for another reason, because
consider II breach Of two compromises.
know that the word compromise is nov
not unireqnenty used in a Dad sense but
do not mean to use It m any such sense.
AM not aware Of any country IN the worl.
which has more need of the possession nj
such power. Sir, We have great pollica
! problems ~ our hands yet TO be solved 10
this Government, and II may need grea
/ deal OF concll0tlon, of tarbeurance, and o
compromise, If you please, to dispose OF them
shall be sorry to see the word rejected from
| our political vocabulary.
Sir ! come from part of the Unite,
/ States where the people say, " You must un
dersinnd, IN the first place, that You are {,
sustain IN Union al all events" lbey alsc
tell me that the success OF the great poltica
experiment Of selfgovernment for the grea
cuuse of hunlnlty for the world aud for al
time, IS now to be solved in this country
/ Whnt Is il Whether mankind is coupe
[ tuni 10 scll-government How can we ex
1 pect to succeed with II? Certainly by en-
/ tightening and elevaling, 10 every condition
and ~ cvpry respect, those who are To carr
out this great mission in our hands the bod,
of our voters must be people better fed, bet
| ter housed, better clothed, better instructed
and elevated IN thelr social condition, aboy,
/ any other people on this earth. We are ",
4 peculiar people, jealous Of good works"
We must do this with onr labornr CON
/ munty constituting the great mass OF our yo
/ tels, and the policy of the Government mus
| be shaped with a view 20 place them IN th'
/ elevated position TO which ! have alluded
/ There Is large part, very respectable part
/ claiming to be an equal part practically il
/ tins Government they are a great deal NOR,
I than equal-where the laborers arc no
| placed IN this poston-slayes. The ques
ton Is, how can you shape the policy OF the
| Government 10 elevate the condition OF thos,
laborers aud enIighten them, without iniur
lng the safety Of Tho people among WHOM
they live. IL Is troublesome problem
/ Gentemen may scout 1t as involving appar
/ cnl Inconsistencies, but It is n great problem
| for Ms. II needs the assistance of all side
IA It's solution. II reminds me of the goo,
/ old lady who, somewhat advanced in age
wished to have Bible so small that she
could carry It to church in her pocket. AnC
yet 1t must have the largest kind OF print, be
cause she could not see very we'll. do no
perceive how II Is possible to get the larges
kind Of print into the smallest sized Blsle
und It is difficult for mo TO see how we are l.
solve the problem which nave stated, IN
yolving the Inconsistencies TO which hav
alluded, aud preserve the Union, aud ye