The Richmond palladium., 1856-12-04

tive, and judicial. is open 10 amendment by its
very terms; and Congress or the states may, IN
their discretion propose amendment TO Il solemn
compact though it in truth is between the sovereign
States Of the Onion. In the present instance a
political enactment which had ceased to have
legal power or authority of any kind, was repealed
The position assumed, that Congress had no moral
right TO enact such repeal, was strange enough,
and singularly in view of the fact that the argu
ment came from those who openly refused obefi-
ence to existing laws OF the land having the same
popular designation and quality as compromise
a4s-nay, more who unequiyoealiy disregar6ed
ahs condemned the most positive and obligatory
iRjuactieDs Of the Constitution itself aad sought
By every means within their reach, TO deprive o
portion of their fellow citizens Of the equal enjoy
ment Of those rights and privileges guaranteed 10
al by the fundamental compact OF or Cu;on.
This argument against the repeal Of the statate
line IN question: vas accompanied by another OF
congcnj4 character, and equally with the fermer
destitute Ci foundation in and truth IL
was imputed that the measure original in the
conception Of extending the limits o. slave labor
hes 5nd those psc-Io:sly assigned 10 il, and that
such was Us natural IS vel as intended eject and
these haseiess assumptions were made, in the nsz-
tbern States the g-ouad Of unceasng assault upo-.
constitutional right.
The repeal il terms ot a statute, which was al
ready o. s9ete, and also na!l for unconstitutional
~ could haze ~ Influence to obstract or 80 pro
litical or social institution. Wben the act organ
lin. the Territories Of kansas and Nebraska was
passed the inherent effect upon that portion Of the
public domain thus opened to legal settlement,
to admit settlers from all the States Of the
Union alike, eacn with his convictions o. public
policy ard private interest there TO found III their
discretion subject TO such limitations as the Con
stitution aud acts of Congress might prescribe
States hereafter 20 be admitted into the L MON
1t free field open alike to all, whether the
statute line of assumed restriction we're repealed
or not. Iaat repeal did not open 10 free compe
titon of the diverse opinions and domestic icstitu
tions fed, which, without such repeal, would
have been closed against them: it found that field
of competition already opened in tact and in law.
All the repeal did to relieve the statute-booa
of an Objectionable enactment, unconstitutional
in effect, and Injurious in terms 70 large portion
of the States.
l. it the fact that in all the unsettled regions of
the United 81 .tes if emigration be left tree to act
in this respect for Itself without legal prohibitions
on either side, slave labor will spontaneously go
here, in preference to free Labor? Il is the
fact, hat the peculiar domestic Institutions of the
Southern States possess relatively 81 mae. of
vi@or. that where sver ayenae is freely open
to all the world they viii penetrate 10 the exclu-
sion of those OF tie Northern States? i il the
fact, that the former euior. compared with the
later, such iTresisuby superior vitality ndepen-
dent Of climate, soil! and all other accidental cir
cdnstances rs 10 be able to produce the supposed
result, in spite of the assumed moral and natural
obstacles to It's accomplishment and Of the more
nsnerors population Of the Northern States?
The argument Of those who advocate the ea-
actment Of ne. laws Of restriction. and condemn
faf ref 1eH 2t so d s5 II @@ @@ @ve o seextend
ag or selfsustaining pDNer of their own, and will
90 nowhere aElesS forced by act of Congress -
And if Congress do bat pause for moment il
he policy of stern coercion: If it venture % try
the experiment Of leaving men 10 judge for them
selves what institutions will best sait them il il be
BOT strained up TO perpetual legislative exeTtlon
On this point; if Congress proceed thus TO act in
tie very spirit Of liberty, il is at charged with
aiming to extend slave labor into all the
Territories of the United States.
OT course, these imputatioas on the intentions
Of Congress i'll ths respect, conceived as they
were in prejudice sand disseminated in passion
utterly destitute Of any Justification in the nature
Of things, and contrary to all the fundamental
doctrines aud principle Of civil liberty and self
government
While, therefore in general the people of the
\ orthern States have never at any time arrogated
for the federal government the power to interfere
directly with the domestic condition Of persons IN
the Southern States, but on the contrary have dis
ayowea all such intentions, and have shruhk from
caus pcuoRs affiliations with those few who pursue
their fa1atical objections avoWedly through the
route mplaied means ef revolutionary change OF
cessary Consequences civil aud servilc war--yet
many citizens have suffered Themselves 10 be drawn
INTO one eraneSCept political issue 0i agitation
after another, Gapertainiag 10 the same set o opn
ions ard which subsided as rapidly a. they arose
when il came to he seen it uafursnly did, that
they Incompatible with the compacts OF the
Constitution aud the existence OF the nloh.-
Thus when th acts Of some Of the States to nui
ly the existing extradition law imposed upon Con
gress thr duty OF passing new one, the country
was invited nv aaitators To enter into party organ
zaton Tor its repeal but that agitation speedily
ceased by OF the impractlcabliity or lis OBJ
iect So when the statute restriction upon tie
institutions of new States hv geographical line,
had been repealed the country vas urged 10 de-
mand its restoration and tha: project also died
aIrnest nitS birth Then followed the cry ef alarm
from the North against imputed southern eh-
croachments; which cry sprang in reality from the
spirit of revolutionary attack on the domestic
Institutions of the South and. after troubled ex-
is;ence Of few months, has been rebuked by the
voice of patriotic people
OF this last agitation one Iamentable feature
was that il was carried at the immediate eZ-
rerse of the peace and happiness of the people ct
the Territory of Kansas That was made the
battle field, not so much % opposing factions or
interests within ITSELF of the conflicting passions
Of the whole people of the nted States, Revo-
luticnarv disorder in ka1s;ls had its origin in pro-
iectS of intervention deliberately arranged 10y
certain members of that Congress which enacted
the law for the organization of the Territory
A nd when pro9agandist colonization Of Kansas
mad thus been undertaken in ore section of the
njan, for he systematic promotion OF its peculiar
views Of policy there easued. matter Of course,
counter action with opposite views in other see
tiors Of the Union.
l.. Consequence Of those end other Incidents
many acts Of disorder it is undenisble. have been
7eraetrated in Kansas, TO the occasional inter-Ep
ton. rather than the permanent suspension q
r. -u1ar government. Aggressive and most repre-
hensible incursons into the Territory were under
taken. both in the North and in the South, aud
entered il on its northern border bv the way OF
Iowa as well as IN the eastern by way Of Nissorr;
and there has existed within ], a state Of iUSGr
reciion against the constituted suthoritiss, Eot