The daily union., 1856-04-05

dignity and candor which will for him ready
hearing, from those who have adopted different views
and have arrived at opposite conclusions.
TIE POWER OF GREAT PRINCIPLE-THE PAST,
THE PRESENT, AND THE FUTURE.
The permanent establishment of great principles in
government is uniformly the result of labor of discussion
and generally of intense popular excitement The history
of every great question that has arisen since the dawn of
our revolution illustrates this truth 1t not to be
pected therefore, that the principle of constitutional popu
Tar SoVeregny the Trroriss would be exception to
the rule This principle uauguraed in the celebrated
struggle which preceded the passage of the compromise
measures OF 1850 Its application to the Territories of
Utah and New Mexico gave quiet and repose to the popu
lar mind after several years of angry and threatening ag
taton. Those had with fierce opposition
the North and the South but their passage general
acquescence in them restored the country cond
on OF peaceful quiet Some of the opponents of the Com
PROMISE who considered that injustice had been done
the settlement acquiesced because established prnc-
pie which they hoped would prevent the of
future agitation Others acquesced under constrain be-
cause the overwhelming popular approval of the
showed that further opposition would be unavang An
other class acquesced they alege because they
sovereignty for the settlement of the difficulties in regard
to Utah aud New Mexico only and not universal rule
for future application to all territorial governments.
The state of general calmness and quelude which
acterzed the public mind when President Pierce entered
upon his executive duties the result of the popular
qdescence in the compromise which we have
alluded After expressing his unqualified approval OF
those measures and pedgng himself them faithfully
executed President Pierce his inaugural address fer
venuy hoped thai the question rest and that
sectional, or ambitious, or hnatical excitement might
again threaten the durability of our institutions or OBJ
seure the light of our prosperity This hope has been dis
appointed, and it becomes matter of the first moment to
understand correctly the which have again precp
tated the country into its present agaod condition
The proposition give territorial government to that
immense tract of the public domain known as the Ne
braska Territory necessarily involved the question of
slavery 1t had been obvious for several years that this
Territory could be longer withheld from settlement by
citizens The interests of the Indians who occupied IL
did require to be appropriated their exclusive use
whilst absolutely essential the demands OF
the white for purposes of permanent homes To pro-
vide for its appropriation, therefore to the legitimate pur
poses of the public domain by Of treaties with the
Indians and by organizing for it territorial
governments, duty manesuy devolving on the
Executive and Congress that but little exception could b.
taken to it. The difficult question to the policy to
be adopted in regard the kind of territorial government
which ought to be provided.
little reflection will satisfy every mind that there was
no possibility Of giving territorial organization to Ne
hraska and Kansas without ncurrng the risk of revving
the slavery agitation. IF bill had been presented con-
tung reference the subject of slavery the herp
people and particularly those of Missouri and Arkansas
would promptly aud earnestly have protested. They
would have said that this leaves the Missouri restriction in
existence aud it's practical II its legal operation is
10 exclude the people Of the South from an equal partc
patton in the enjoyment Of property in which they have
ga equal interest with the people Of the North that the
Missouri restriction Of questionable constitutional va
dy based upon arbitrary rule whose principle was
unjust and degrading entire section Of the Union
and which had been superseded by the principle of cons
tutona popular sovereignty adopted in the compromise
measures Of soO-and adopted too after the North had
repeatedly and pcrsisteny refused recognise its obga
tory character 6nal settlement of the slavery question
The people Of Missouri and Arkansas would have protested
with peculiar urgency of the direct ntere,
which they have in consequence Of their relative geogapb
ic positions 1t is impossible therefore not to see that
the subject of slavery would inevitably have resulted in the
revival OF sectional agitation,
On the other hand whether n bill containing the non-in-
tovendou principle would revive the slavery agitation or
must depend upon the further question whether this
principle would be acquesced in when applied Nebras-
ka aud Kansas It had been when applied to Utah and
New Mexico. If 1t inevitable thing hat differ
ent rule would be insisted for Nebraska and Kansas
from that which existed in Utah and New Mexico
the revival of sectional agitation inevitable rpou
such BILL
1t follows that however much it was desired to main
tain the Of rcpose which existed it impossible
do except by abandoning the vast domain know as
the Nebraska Kansas Territory useless public property
The adoption Of such alternative would have involved
derelictou Of public trusts which would have been
wholly iuexcusable The President and Congress chose
the plain path Of duty and proceeded to it's discharge
with unwaverng frmuess They determined, after full
deliberadon that the Territory organized without
removing Missouri restriction either expressly or by
necessary implication injustice would be done to one sec
ton Of the Union and the people Of that section would
have good to resist the measure and to revive sec