The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-12-04

and Asia. Well knowing that such, and 8 jch
only, are the means and the consequences of
their plans and purposes, they endeavor to se-
pare the people of the United States for Evil
war, by doing everything in their power to de-
prive the Constitution and the laws of mi raj
authority, and to undermine the fabric offJhe
Union by appeals to passion and sectis pal
prejudice, by indoctrinating its people with re-
ciprocal hatred, and by educating them to st md
face to face as enemies, rather than shoulder
to shoulder as friends.
1t is by the agency of such unwarraAt, BILE
interference, foreign and domestic, that the
minds of many, otherwise good citizens, 1--we
been so infiamed into the passionate cond1m-
nation of the domes tic institutions of the So,th-
ern States, as at length to pass insensibI to
almost equally passionate hostility towards their
fellow citizens of those States, and thus fin ally
to fall into temporary fellowship with the ay ow-
ed and active enemies of the Constitution. Ar
IDENTIFY attached to liberty in the abstract, they
| do not stop to consider practically how the
objects they would attain can be accomplish ed,
nor to reflect that, even if the evil were as gaeat
| as they deem it, they have no remedy to Apply,
and that it can be only aggravated by t1eir
violence and unconstitutional action. A q les
ton, which is one of the most difficult of al the
problems ofsocial institution, political econe my,
and craftsmanship, they treat with unreaso Ing
intemperance of thought and language. Ex,
tremes beget extremes. Violent attack tom
the North finds its inevitable consequently in
the growth of spirit of angry defiance at5the
South. Thus in the progress of events we had
reached that consummation, which the voit of
| the people has now so pointedly rebuked of
the attempt of a portion of the States, by ,ec-
tional organization and movement, to Vi urp
the control of the Government of the UE4ted
States. /.
| confidently believe that the great bod of
those, who inconsiderately took this fatal tep,
are sincerely attached to the Constitution and
the Union. They would, upon delibera ion,
shrink with unaffected horror from any Pom
sciOus act of disunion or civil war. But .hey
have entered into path, which leads nowf ere,
unless it be to civil war and disunion, and lieh
has no other possible outlet. They have .pro-
ceeded thus far in that direction in consequ nee
of the successive stages of their progress ha ing
consisted of a series of secondary issues, zach
of which protested to be confined within con.
stitutional and peaceful limits, but which, at
tempted indirectly what few men were wiling
to do directly, that 49, to act aggressively ag inst
the constitutional rights of nearly one-haU Of
the thirty-one States.
In the long series of acts of indirect agi res
sion, the first was the strenuous agitation by
citizens of the Northern States, in Congress and
out of it, of the question of negro emancipation
in the Southern States. !
The second step in this path of evil cons sted
of acts of the people of the Northern Sites
and in several instances of their Governments
aimed to facilitate the escape of persons aeld
to service in the Southern States, and to pre-
vent their extradition when reclaimed ac ord
ing to law and in virtue of express provi. IONS
of the Constitution. To promote this object
legislative enactments and other means Jere
adopted to take away or defeat rights, which
the Constitution solemnly guaranteed. In { tdel
to nullify the then existing act of Congress- con
corning the extradition of fugtives from ser ice
laws were enacted in many States, forbid jing
their officers, under the severest penalti. j, tc
participate in the execution of any act of Con
gress whatever. In this way that systeta o.
harmonious cooperation between the autaori
ties of the United States and of the ses'era
States, for the maintenance of their cortmor
institutions, which existed in the early yeas o.
the Republic, was destroyed conflicts of iris
diction came to be frequent; and COM Fess
found itself compelled, for the support Of the
Constitution, and the vindication of its pt wer
to authorize the appointment of new of GERS
charged with the execution of its acts, as ifthey
and the officers of the States were the minis ers
respectively, of foreign Governments, in ! tate
of mutual hostility, rather than fellow mytgis
trates OF common country, peacefully sutsist
ing under the protection of one we'll const aztec
Union. Thus here, also, aggression was 70 low
ed by reaction; and the attacks upon the Con
stitution at this point did but serve to raiS ny
new barriers for its defence and security.
The third stage of this unhappy sectona
controversy was in connection with the or ;ani
cation of Territorial Governments, and TIP ad
l Z Al u
it was proposed to admit the State of Mxine
by separation of territory from that of Nj ssa
chusetts, and the State of Missouri, formed of 6
portion of the territory coded by France to the
United States, Representatives in Congress- OBJ
jected to the admission Of the latter, u,les.
with conditions suited to particular views O
public policy. The imposition of such a con
dition was successfully resisted. But, at thu
same period, the question was presented OF i'm
posing restrictions upon the residue Of the
territory coded by France. That question was
for the time, disposed of by the adoption of
geographical line of limitation. Y
In this connection it should not be forg, tier
that when France, of her own accord, reso we'd
for considerations of the most far.sighted SO yaci
ty, to cede Louisiana to the United States ant
that accession was accepted by the United 81 ttes
the latter expressly engaged that "the inl abit
ants of the ceded territory shall be incorpo atet
in the Union Of the United States, and a. ,mit
ted as soon as possible, according to the .prin
ciples of the Federal Constitution, to the 10y
ment of all the rights, advantages, and in ,mu
mites of citizens of the United States ara il
the mean time they shall be maintained, ant
protected in the free enjoyment of their Ill srty
property, and the religion which they profess,
that is to say, while it remains in terri,D
, condition, its inhabitants are maintained ant
protected in the free enjoyment of their III terty
and property, with right then to pass int tn
condition of States on footing of ps fec
equality with the original States. (
: The enactment, which established th. re
, strictive geographical line, was acquiescvI il
} rather than approved by the States o. tn
Union. 1t stood on the statute book, however
for number of years and the people e tn
, respective States acquesced in the re-spact
ment of the principle as applied to the St.te o
, Texas; and it was proposed to acquiesce n it
further application to the territory acquirfn b,
the United States from Mexico. Butt thi
} proposition was successfully resisted b. tn
Representatives from the Northern States, ewho
regardless of the statute line, insisted upGa ap
: plying restriction to the new territory genS,ally
whether lying north or south of it, thereby re
pealing it as legislative compromise, ar j, OF
the part of the North, persistently violating tn
compact, if compact there was.
Thereupon, this enactment ceased to hav
binding virtue in any sense, whether as respect
the North or the South and so in effect & wa
treated on the occasion of the admission f tn
, State of California, and the organization If tn
Territories of New Mexico, Utah, and fash
: ington.
7 Such was the state of this question, whs tn
, time arrived for the organization of the 'erri
! tories OF Kansas and Nebraska. In the prog
; ress of constitutional inquiry and reflect On,