Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1857-03-13
The Missouri Compromise.

Of the Supreme Court, in the case Of bred
Scott, was delivered to-day, by Chief Jus
tce TANEY. 1t was full aud elaborate
statement of the views of the Court. They
have decided the following points:
First-That negroes, whether slaves o,
free, that is, men of the African race, are
not citizens of the United States by the
Constitution Sccond-That the ordinance
of 1877 had no independent constitutional
force or legal effect subsequently to the
adoption of the Constitution, and could not
operate of itself to confer freedom or citi-
zenship within the Northwest Territory ,on
negroes not citizens by the Constitution
Third-That the provision of the act Of
1920, commonly called the Missouri Com
promise, in SO far as it undertook to seclude
negro slavery from, and communicate free
dom and citizenship to negroes in the nor
,hern part Of the Louisiana cession, was a
Legislative act exceeding the powers of
Congress and "void, )" and Of no legal effect
to that eud. In deciding these main points
the Supreme Court determined the follow
Ing incidental points: First-The express
sion "Territory and other property of the
Union in theConstitution, applies Sin terms
only, to such territory as the Union pos
sessed at the time of the adoption of the
Constitution. Second-The rights of cit
liens of the United States, emigrating into
any Federal Territory, and the power Of
the Federal Government there, depend on
the general provisions of the Constitution,
which defiues in this, as in all other re-
spects, the powers Of Congress. Third
As Congress does not possess power itself
to make enactments relative to the persons
or property of citizens of the United States
in ,ederal territory, other than such as the
CONSTITUTION c0uIeis, 81 4. canpo. oors.;.-
.ionally delegate any such powers to
Territorial Government organized BY 1t
under the Constitution. Fourth-The le-
gal condition of slave in the State Of
Missouri is not affected by the temporary
scjouru Of such slave in any o,he: State,
but on his return, his condition still de-
pends on the laws of Missouri, and there
fore as he could not sue in the Courts of the
United States, the suit must be dismissed
for want of jurisdiction.
Justice NELSON stated the merits of the
case, the question being whether or not
the removal of Scott from Missouri with
his master to Illinois, with view of tenn
pOrary residence, worked his emancipation
lie maintained that the question depended
solely on the law of Missouri, aud for that
reason the judgment of the Court below
should be affirmed.
Justice CATRoN believed the Supreme
Court has jurisdiction to decide the merits
of the case. He argued that Congress
could not do directly what it could not do
indirectly. If it could exclude one species
of property it could another. With regard
to the Territories csded, Congress could
govern them only with the restrictions of
States which ceded them, and the Missouri
Act of 1920, violated the leading features
of the Constitution, and was therefore void
He coucurred with his brother Judges, that
Scot, is slave, and was so when the suit
was brought.
WASHINGTON, March In the T. s.
Supreme Court, this morning, Justice NJ
LEAN delivered hi. views, arguing that
slavery is limited to the range of the State
where established by mere municipal law
If Congress deems slaves or free colored
persons injurious to the territory, they have
the power to prohibit them from becoming
settlers therein. The power to acquire
territory, carries with it the power to yov-
ern it. The master does not carry with .
him to the Territory, the law of the State
from which he removes-hence the Mis-
souri, Compromise is constitutional, and
the presumption is i'll favor of the freedom
of Dred Scott aud hi, family, who were
free under decisions for the last twenty
eight years.
Justice CURTIS dissented from the opin-
ion of the majority Of the Court, as deliv-
cred by Chief Justice fancy, and gave his
reasons for dissenting He maintained
that native. born colored persons can be
citizens of the State, and Of the United
States that bred Scott and his family
were free when they returned to Missouri;
that the power of Congress to make all
needful regulations respecting territory,
was not, as the majority Of the Court ex-
pressed, limited to territory belonging to
the United States at the time Of the adop-
ton of the Constitution, but has been ap-
piled to five subsequent acquisitions of
lands that Congress has power to exclude
slavery from the Territories, having estab-
lished eight Territorial Governments with
out it, aud recognized slavery in six, from
the days Of Washington to John Quincy
Adams.
These opinions occupied FIVE hours in