The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1857-09-25
THE UNION
EASTERN JOURNAL.
FRIDAY MORNING, SEPT. Is, 1857.

see that it requires an elaborate answer.
The paper containing the article, though
purporting to be issued OH Tuesday the
18th, was really issued the Saturday pre-
yious to the election, and circulated through
the county on that day. The returns do
not indicate that the people We're affected
very much by the Democrats reattimation
of the charges. The people of our coun-
ty added their quota TO the majority which
Mr.. NJ. received, and his election by some
Thirteen Thousand more cffectually re-
plies to the ISLANDERS Of the so called Dem
ocratie Press, than anything we can say.
The article in the Democrat, We are
glad to perceive, though occasionally
scurrillous, is generally more decent
in its language, than the one on
which we commented. We design TO
notice only point or two. To prove
Mr.. NJ. a traitor to the Democratic party,
the Democrat assumes that the compro-
misses of 1850 applied as well to the ter
ritories north of 80" 3O', rs to the terri
tories obtained by the treaty of Mexico.
Were this so, there might be some plau-
sibiity in the argument. II is M as
sumption of the Democrat without the
slightest testimony TO support it. The
compromises OF 1850 were series of
measures applying only to the particular
subjects embraced in the several acts pass
cd. So FAR as they had reference TO any
territory of the United States, they only
asserted thatthc people of Utah and New
Mexico might come into the Union, with
or without Slavery. No one when they
passed, either north or south, in Congress
or out, supposed they had any wider APP
plication than TO the territories obtained
from Mexico. No one supposed for amo-
mcnt, that they disturbed the Compro-
mise of 1920. Everywhere, north and
south, in Congress and out, it was believed
that so far as the territory north Of $50
So was concerned, the Missouri Compro-
mise had dedicated it to freedom. The
acquiesencc of the Wing party in those
measures in 1852, was prcdicatcd on this
belief the declaration Of the Democratic
party the same year, to resist all attempts
to renew agitation on the question of
Slavery in Congress,was based on the idea
that the compromise Of 1920 had settled
the question so far as the territory north
of $50 3O' was concerned in favor of free
dom, and the compromises Of 1850 had
settled the matter Sc far as all the other
territories were concerned. This was the
posture Of affairs,-this was the general
understanding of the people when Mr..
Pierce assumed the management of pub
lie affairs in 1853.
In 1854, when the bills for the organ
ization of the territories of Nebraska and
Kansas were reported by Mr.. Douglass in
the Senate of the United States, they con-
tanned no provision for the abrogation of
the Missouri Compromise. A provision
to that effect was moved by Mr.. Dixon,
a Wing Senator from Kentucky, and at
that time the Washington Union de-
nounced the motion as "a Wig trick"
got up for the purpose of renewing the
agitation of the Slavery question to injurc
the Democratic party. Mr.. Douglass at
first refused to concur in the proposition,
but on being threatened by Mr.. Atchison
of Missouri, rs Mr.. \. has since declared,
that if it was not accepted he would re-
sign his place rs President of the Senate
which he then held, and move it himself,
the bills were rccommittcd, the sneaking
introduced, with lying ref.
crcncc to the passage Of the Compromise
of 1850, and the Union, which had de-
nounccd the proposition rs "a Wing
trick" in less than n month came over TO
its support. We recollsct well of hearing
a distinguished democrat Of this city de-
nouncing the proposition Of the repeal
when fir; made, rs a wing trick, and il
our memory serves us, 1--WE have not the
files OF the Democrat before us) the Dem
ocrat took the same view Of the matter.
In our discussions with the Democrat, We
have, in more instances than one, intro
duccd proof, tina, Of Mr.. Cooper of Penn
sylyania, one Of the committee Of thirteen
who reported the Compromise Of 1850,
showing that the committee never sup
posed tina, these measures had any appli-
cation to the Missouri Compromise. The
assumption tina, they did, was au after
thought, got up by designing Southern
politicians, acting in concert with North
crn Doughiaces to make the measure
more palatablc to the Northern Democ-
ncy. The unanimous passage Of the re-
solves Of our Legislature Of 1854, voted
for by Mr.. Morrill,, was public declare
ton, that the people ofthis State did not
think the Missouri Compromise was affec-
ted by tie compromises Of 1850.
The Democrat says Mr.. Morrill, said to