Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1857-09-19
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER -, 1857.


President Woolsey and Professor Sill
mar of Yale College, with other distinguish
ed citizens of Connecticut, have memorable
ed Mr.. Buchanan against his using the arms
Of the United States to force the people of
Kansas to obey the laws Of the Border Ruff
fan Code. 70 this memorial Mr.. Buchanan
has sent an answer, the pith of which is
contained in the following paragraph:
The Congress of the United States had
most wisely declared It to be the true intent
and meaning Of this act-the act organizing
| the Territory-not to legislate slavery into
any Territory, nor to exclude it therefrom
but to leave it to the people thereof, perfect
ly free to form and regulate their domestic
institutions in their own way, subject only
to the Constitution of the United States.
As a Natural consequence, Congress has
also prescribed by the same act, that when
the Territory of Kansas shall be admitted
asa State. 1t shall be received into the Union
with or without slavery, as their Constilu-
ton may prescribe at the time Of their ad
mission. Slavery existed at that period,
and silil exists in Kansas. under the Const-
iutioh OF the United States.
This point has at last been decided by the
highest tribunal known to our laws. How
it could ever have been seriously doubted is
Il mystery. If confederation of sovereign
States acquire new Territory at the ex
pense of their common blood and treasure,
surely one set of the parties can have no
right to exclude the other from its eHjoyA
ment by prohibiting them king into il
whatever is srecognzec to be property by a
common Constitution.
The statement here made by President
Buchanan, that the Nebraska bill did not
legislate slavery into Kansas, is the same
that has been uttered thousand times by
the hireling press and tools of the slavehold-
ers. But, we ask, how then did slavery get
there9 1t was prohibited by the Compro.
mise o 1920, and conld not have gone there
without the repeal of that Compromise by
the Nebraska bill. The remarkable decla-
ration of NJ. Buchanan th:t slavery exists
| under the Constitution of the United States''
| deserves inquiry and serious consideration.
Is it trnes If 80, he has been the first Pres
! ident to discover and enunciate the TACT
Not syllable of the kind can be found in all
| the writings of the Presidents, from the time
of Washington down to Piecre.
But since the administration has become
so unreservedly welded to the slave power
of the South such declaration need excite
no surprise. The purpose and aim of the
Democratic party to extend slavery is no
| longer to be questioned. The New Orleans
Delta is after that portion of the Democratic
press in the North which seeks to dodge the
| true issue. 1t accuses them of heresv. be
cause they declare that it is not the duty of
the Democratic party to advocate the exfen-
sion OF slavery. Such now is the open te t
OF party featy. Formerly the coven foot
was concealed, but now it is undsgused.-
We do not wonder, then, that Mr. Buchan-
an, grateful to the South an! fully commit
ted to It's interests, should in his official ca
pacity make the monstrous declaration
that slavery exits in any national territory
ussaer the Constitution Of the Uni ed States
The old motto of the Republic was Liberty
and Union.' Mr.. Buchanan has corrected
the fathers of the nation, and makes "Slave.
ry and Union'' the watc|lword
Freemen of Iowa! will you sanction by
your votes in October next party whose
only object is the extension of slavery
Will you assist in returning to the Senate o
the United States man who has for tht
past six years been tool Of the slave pOwe
and will in the future support all its usurpa
tiUns? .'r'