Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1858-08-27

THE CAMPAIGN IN ILLINOIS.
EXTRACTS PROM THE
SPEECH OF SENATOR TRUMBULL
AT cHIcAeo, (lIlNoIs.)


TERRITORIES
Il will be necessary TO devote a few mo
ments-l shall be very brief upon that poin
Ito a history Of the slavery question. Thu
is necessary because parties dispute as tC
what each processes. Each of the great par
ties of the country processes devotion to tn,
constitution, and each charges upon the 9th.
cr the entertaining Of views which it denies
When such is the case we must look at the
facts, and, as intelligent men. you must Judge
who is right. When the government was
formed we all know that slavery existed in
many Of the States, and the government was
formed upon the principle of letting the slave
ry question alone, to be managed by The
States in which it existed. But. so far as the
federal Government was concerned. it took
cognizance OF this question in the territories
I belonging to the United States This is a
matter of history Before the adoption OF
this constitution the territories which had
| been ceded to the United States as they ex-
isted under the articles Of the confederation.
we're governed by what was known as the
ordinance Of 1897, and that ordinance, as you
well know. excluded slavery from all the ter
ritory which then belonged to the United
States When the constitution was formed,
same condition in which the convention found
it And now ! wish you to bear in mind
the distinction between the State and Terri
tory-ior a great deal of the confusion and
difficulty which has arisen In the country in
regard to this question is by coniounding
States with territories The whole question
which now divides parties relates to the gov
eminent Of the territories, not States at all
Aud hos tshf ag.l t,t,1
gether must have some object TO confuse the
public mind This policy continued to OK
clude slavery from all the territories of tho
United States for many years When North
Carolna and Georgia ceded the western terri
tory belonging 20 those States to the United
States, ii was SO well understood that the
federal government would abolish slavery in
the territories which they ccded unless there
was provision against it, that such a clause
was inserted in the deed of cossion Ia 1903,
when we acquired Louisiana, slavery existed
there. 1t remained, and Louisiana was adj
mitted as a slave State And when Missouri
came to be admitted, in 1920, it was admit
ted on condition that the balance Of the ter
ritory lying north Of SO degrees 80 minutes
north latitude. should remain free while it
was a territory. There has been a great deal
of confusion in the public mind in regard to
the meaning of the Missouri Compromise.
That COMPROMISE. or the clause of it in CON
troversy read something like this: That
i'm all territory north Of thirtv-six derrces
thirty minutes north latitude slavery or in
voluntary scryitude. cxcept as the penaltv for
crime. shall be- and is forever nrobibited -
Much stress has boen laid bv those who seek
TO mi,lead the publie mind pDon fine word
o. forever This word 5. forever" makes the
sentence n ittle poro ,r,rbofic bnt il ,,ivcs
to it no otber mcnninr in a lcq,l mint or
view tbnn il would bayc had if this word bo1
been omitted The Nis.orri Cornnrop;so
rotated no that torrifor,, so lon, as II ror,a;,.
cd a TERRITORY hut mai moment artorwarJs
I, had no anplicotiop to tbo cogrtry whom
,l Omitted st,t. rA,,l,,s. Wb,t,,.,s
the object of rcncalnr tbc Nissouri Com.
promise. WAS II rot to ,ivc tbo nco,lc
when thev CANA D., c,r,r s,,to ,,oyo,,,,,l.,,,
the ,iyht to bovo slavery ar not. WI
lhrv Lad FL v,itbop, s,cI, rono,l -r, voicc-3
). Tb,t's so',7 100, ,s ,,orc.cl, NJ th.y L,d
II oftor rs renesI bocadsc tbat nroyis;on of
.be law ceased IN onoroto the n,o7ro,t tbc
.erritorv coasod IN oxist !, territoriai CON
lition-tbc morent IN. s,ato yyns f,rrod--
!,