Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1856-10-09

eiaFaslOn Of Independence. a
This was followed by an age Of comparative
indifference to those principles. William
Pinkney had predicted that The system Of bon
dage in our land "wOuld one day destroy that
reverence for liberty, which is the vital primer
PIE Of "a republic" And can II be expected, ;
te ASKS, that the public mind should glow
Win that generOusardOr in the cause Of free.
dom which can alone save government like
COS from the lurking demon Of usurpatiOnG"
VIZ phOsophic instinct he knew that such an
n JilntiCp could not stand up from year 10
year IN our midst, without, breathing forth a
ske1t influence that would render the once
fresh and vigorous principles of liberty sickly
and degenerate. The living Gre that burned
in the breast Of h. revolutionary fathers, was
sensibly abated. Slavery becoming more
productive, men began to calculate Its value;
and grew more unwilling to throw away the
wrong that was plated with gold.' The i'm
POnderable but priceless principles of liberty
would not, except in the scales OF unselish
minds, weigh against that which was solid,
visible tangible properly. 1t was at that time
that Henry Clay, moved by as noble impulses
as ever throbbed in the hdra an heart, and uilh
a glowing eloquence almost more than mortal
sought to persuade the people Of Kentucky to
emNncipate their slaves But even such FIRE
failed to kindle fame in those cold and calcu.
Iating times, though thousands Of hearts res
pOnded to his fervent appeals. But while, on
one hand. the anxious solicitude to rid them
selves Of the system Of human bondage, had
passed away from the South (or from the poll.
ticians who even then began TO speak for the
people Of that section, and the claim or non!
ntorferance with slavery in the States was
more pertinaciously insisted on by the South
and more readily conceded by the North. on
the other hand, Shareholders themselves had
not come to defend slavery ms either good or
righliul institution, nor sought to extend it. nor
lreamed Of rendering it coequal with freedom,
1or denied nor doubted the j"st right Of Con-
1ies9 to prohibit its increase upon the national
territories. Hwas an age Of conservatism or
Indifference. And had that state Of things
continued, slavery would rapidly have spent
itself, and died. .a. ...
But il was followed by the present age Of
extension in The first years Of which slavery be-
gan 10 exhibit an aggressive character that has
rapidly grown more boil, open and reckless,
up to the present hour 1t commenced by de-
manding portion Of the Missouri territory to
be made into slave state. At this demand
the slumbering North awokc, surprised, griev-
ed and indignant that the system of human
bondage was solcitous of breaking over the
bounds where il was merely allowed by those
who framed The Constitution; and occupying
this or any part of the common domain Of the
Republic. Pennsylvania, with united voice, and
in the most solemn manner, issued Legislative
protest against the threatened measure; and
desired her representatives in both branches
of the national Congress to vote against the ad-
mission OF any territory, as a State. into the
Union, wich would not agree to prohibit slave
ry. But, intimida:ed by the threat of dissolu-
lion, the North, through portion of its rep.
resentatives, reluctantly gave way; STIMULATING,
however, with the South, as compensation
for the surrender of Missouri TO the slave pow
er, that certain other broad regions in the
West should remain inviolably and perpetually
free. Slavery seemed then to have reached
the limits Of its ambition; The fears and Jealous
les Of the North, in Consequence, subsided;
and the lull in the tempest was mistaken for an
abiding calm, But the tiger had tasted blood
and after the first surfeit, was ravenous for
more. One marked triumph had turned the
victor's head, who secretely pined for other
cOnquests. The people of the South were as
yet cOntented to have slavery kept within its
ancient bound,: but lifting of the curtain
shows that The politicians were looking with
coyetous eye 10 our neighbours territories in
the great Southwest, and divisng stratagems
for their acquisition. The fruit that hung on
the forbidden tree was much TO be desired and
at length they plucked and ate. The North Of
Gered strenuous but Intellectual resistance
and the vast slayehOlding empire Of Texas was
added to the Union, AS was foreseen this ra.
pacious act brought to US war with Mexico as
its dowry; which was followed by still furth.
er dismemberment of that weak empire
Thanks to the discovery of gold and the conse
quent rush Of Northern emigrants thiLber, Cal
ifornia was kept free. But all our Mexican
territory besides, was LEFT open to slavery; anc
coupled with these immeasurable accessIons
came the re-enactment of the Fugitive Slave
law, armed with more stringent provisions
than before, and destined to more strict en-
Iforcement. Here again was brief lull in III
storm. But the AGGRESSIVE spirit of slavery