Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1856-05-23

lies holth oi oo ueg ~ mln OF nofth latitude, hot
included within the limits Of the State OF Missouri
SLAVERY AND INVOLUNTARY sERvIrUDE, otherwise
than IN the punishment Of crimes whereof the parties
shall have been duly convicted, SHALL sE, AND 10 /
HEREBY SoREvER fEOHIsITED." In each House Of
Congress a ma jority Of the Members from slave |
holding States voted in favor Of this bill with this pro-
vision. thus declaring and exercising by their votes
the constitutional power Of Congress prohibit Sla
very even in territories where it had been permitted
by the law Of France at the date of their to
the United States new Slave State, Arkansas, |
formed out Of that portion OF this territory lying south
OF 81 deg. 80 mn.. TO which the prohibition not
extended was admitted to the Union in 1885. Two
Slave States thus came into the Confcderacy by virtue
Of this arrangement; while Freedom gained nothing
by it but the prohibition Of Slavery from vast region
which Freedom had made attempt 10 penetrate.
Thus ended the trst great contest Of Freedom and
Slavery for position and power the General Govern
ment. The savehOding inteIest had achieved vir-
tual victory II secured all the immediate results for
which II struggled it acquired the power Of offsetng
IN the Federal Senate two OF the Free States of the
ConedeIacy and the time could not be oreseen when
IN the fulfiiment Of ITS compact II would yield any
positive and practical advantage to the interests of
Freedom. Neither then. for many years there
AFTER did any statesman dream that, when the period
should arrive, the slavehoding interest would ranple
on It's bond and fling Its faith to the winds.
quarter OF century elapsed before the annexation
of Texas. Slavery had been active. meantime, in las
tenng IT'D hold upon the Government in binding polt
zeal parties to ats chariot, and in seeking in Congress
to sthe the right OF petition and TO crush all freedom
of speech and OF the press. In every slavehOldlng
State none but Shareholders or those whose interests
| identified with Slavery were admitted TO ill any
office, or exercise any authority, civil political.
Free whites, not Shareholders their presence, in
the midst OF their society," were reduced to vassaage
little less degrading than that Of the slaves themselves
Even at this day. although the white population OF the
suInrQf Than nf
but 3i7 ,J25 less than e-seVenteenh the
ers Of slaves, but a stakeholder who will
act with exclusive reference Slavery, allow
ed 10 represent the State any National Conv enton,
in either branch Of Congress- in any high position
| Of civil trust and political power The slaveholding
class, small ii is, is the governing class and
shapes Legislation and guides all public action Tor the
advancement Of its own interests and the promotion
OF its own ends. During all that time and from that
time even to the present. all slaveholding delegates
| IN National Conventions, upon whatever else they
may differ always concur in imposing upon the Con-
venton assent to their rcqusitiOns regard
the indispensable condition OF their support Hold
ing thus their hands power TO decide the result OF
the election, and using that power undevatlngly and
serny for the exOrtOn Of their demands, they have
always been able to control the nominations OF both
parties, and thus, whatever may be the ssne, 10 Sc
cure President who 10 be the instrument of
their behests Thus has it come TO pass that for
| twenty years we have never had Presideet who
would appoint to the humbest office within his gift,
in any section of the Union, any man known TO hold
opinions hostile to Slavery, to be active in resist
| ing its aggressons and usurpations of power. Men,
| the most upright and most respectable, III States
where Slavery only known by name, have been in.
eligible the smallest trusthave been held unfit to
distribute letters from the Federal post-ofce 10 their
neighbors trim the lamps of lighthouse upon the
remotest point Of extended coast Millions OF our
citizens have been thus disfranchised for opin
1
General Government has been systematically welded
in its service and for the promotion Of its designs.
II by such discipline, and under such in
fuences, that the Government and the country were
prepared for the second great stride Of Slavery to-
ward new dominion, and Tor the avowal Of motives by
| which it attended.
| ANNEXATION OF TEXAS AND THE WAR WITH
| MEXICO.
Texas was admitted into the Union the 29th of
| December, lS45--wth a constitution fOrbidding the
abolition Of Slavery, and a stipulation that four more
States should become members Of the Confederacy,
whenever they might be formed within her limits,
and with without Slavery, as their inhabitants
might decide. The General Government thus made
virtual provision for the addition Of five new Slave
States the Unionpracticallys securing to the slave
holding interest ten additional members in the Senate
I-representing States it might be. with less than
l,OUO,OOO inhabitants, and outvoting five Of the old
States with aggregate population of 100000.
| lie corrupt tyrannlcal hlnRS U England, Wncn
votes were needed in the House Of Lords sustain
them against the people, created Peers the emer-
gency required. Is there in this anything in more
fragrant contradiction 10 the principles Of Republican
Freedom, more dangerous to the public liberties,
than in the system practced by the saveholdng inter-
| est represented in the General Gov yernment.
But a third opportunity close at hand, and
Slavery made third struggle for the extension Of its
i domain and the enlargement Of its power.
i The annexation of Texas involved US war with
| Mexico. The was waged on our part with vgor,
skill and success 1t resulted in the cesson to the
United States of New Mexico, California, and Desc.
ret vast territories over which extended by Mex
ican law prohibition Of Slavery. The shareholders
demanded access them all--ressted the admission
of California and New Mexico, which the energy Of
freemen outstripping in its activity the Government
and even the slaveholdng interest, had already con-
yerted into Free States, and REASONABLY menaced
Congress and the Union with overthrow if its demands
were not conceded. The free spirit of the country
was reused to Indignation by these pretensions, and
for time the whole nation rocked to the tempest
which they had created. Untoward events aided the
wrong The death of the President threw the whole
power of the Administration into tmid and faithless
hands, Party resentments and party ambitions in
terposed against the right Great men, leaders of the
people, from whom in better days the people had
learned lessons Of principle and patriotism, yielded
to the howlings of the storm and sought shelter, in
submission, from its rage. The slaveholding interest
was again victorious. California, with her free
sttuton, was indeed admitted to the Union but
New Mexico with her constitution forbddng Slavery
within her borders, denied admission and re-
| ma nded to the condition Of Territory and while
Congress refused to enact q positive prohibition OF
Slavery in the Territories of New Mexico and Deseret