Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1858-03-19

tuhll w : 'n' ui the Southern States. MI n
thc iorin r contemplated an carly cmanriln
tion. The lathors s'om not to have antiri
ritd an enlargement Of the national terri
tory; consequently, th"y expected that al
the now States to be hereafter ndmittc,
would bo organized upon subdivisions of TN
then existing States, or upon divisions Of TIN
then existing national domain. That do
main lay behind the thirteen States. an,
stretched from the Lakes to the Gulf. an,
was bounded westward by the Mis.issipri
1t was naturally divided by the Ohio river
and the Northwest Territory and the South
west Icrritory were organized ON that div
SION. 1t was furcs2cn, even then. that the
new States to ho admitted would ultimatol,
ovorbalanco the thirteen original oncs. Thcy
were. however. mainly to ho yet planted and
maturcd in the dcaort with the agency of
human labor.
The fathers knew only two kinds of labor.
tho same which now exist amonr ourselves
namely, tn labor or African slaves and
the labor of frccmcn. The former then pre-
dominated in this country, as it did through
out the continent. \ confessed deficiency Of
slave labor could I've supplied only by doncs-
TIC Increase. and by continuance Of tho then
existing importation from Africa. The SUP
ply of free labor depended on domestic in
crease, and voluntary immigration from
Europe. Settlements which had thus carly
taken on frcc-abor character, or slave
labor character, were already maturing in
those parts Of the old States which were TO
be ultimately detached and formed into new
| States. When new States of this class were
| organized, they were admitted promptly,
either ~ lr 20 States or as slave States without
| objection. Thus Vermont. Il free State. was
admitted in 1871 Kentucky, slave State.
lI'2 and Tennessee, also slave State. in
| ! 9b. Five new States wcro contemplated to
be erected in the Northwest Territory. Prac-
tcallv it was unoccupcd, and therefore open
to labor of either kind The one kind or
the other, in the absence Of any anticipatcd
emulation. would prcdominatc. lust as Con
gr"ss should intervene favor it. Congress
lnt",enrd in favor Of free labor This in
! decd, was an act of the Continental Congress
| but it was confirmed by the first Constitution
al Congress. The fathers simultaneously
adopted three other measures of less direct in
t"Yention. First, they initiated in l7Sq. and
completed in lSOS, the absolute suppression
oi the African slav" trade Secondly. they
organized systems of foreign commerce and
navigation, which stimulated voluntary cmi-
grafton from Europe. Thirdly. they cstah-
lishcd an easy, simple and uniform process of
naturalization. The change of the balance
OF power from the Slave States to the Free
oa'rs' Which we are now witnessing. is due
c,i'ily 10 those four early measures of nation
al intervention IN iavor OF Tree labor. 1t would
nave taken placc much sooner, 1t the borders
nn ~, 'fe h'puhllr mad remained unchanged.
Inc purchase OF Louisiana and the arquSi-
''oh ~ flurida' however, wcr' transactions
rtsui'ihS from nigh political necessities, in
disregarl oi the question between free labor
ana slave labor. In admitting the new State
oi LOUISIANA which was organized on the
siaVe iaoor settlement OF New Orleans, Con
gress practiscd the same neutrality which it
lal lMi"re exercised IN the States of Kentucky
ana tennessee. No serious disput" arose un-
I'll lSl', when Missouri, organized within
the lorner province of Iouisiania upon
save hhor settlement IN st. Louis, applied
i"r adhiSslon us slave state, and Arkansas
,La - li'l'i ~ ~ |" appear sum III
to., s"luo ,''"'acUt. Inc paiancc "' power
aI.oaJ, rd .,t aa't 9ea''S aHi iree states was
oIoyon r.oo So ~ an ''iu'i'prluhl' ana th'
with the cIovcn siavd Statds in tbr Scnait'n "f
the United Sratcs. The slave States unanim
ouslv insisted on an unoualifiod admission Of
Missouri The free Statcs with less uuonim-
ity. demanded that the new state should re-
n9lncc slavery. The controversy seemed IN
shake thc I'nnion to its foundations and il
was terminated Lv comrromiso Missouri
was admitted as n slave STATE Arkansas
rather hv implication than by cxrrcss agree
mcnt was to he admitted ond if was after.
wards admitted as a slave State. On the 9th
or hand slavery was forever nrohihitod in all
that mart of tho old rrovinco Of Louisiana
,,ot rnmo;rir,, ,,roccu,iio1 ,rbicb u,r,L
Gor tho naroIlcl of 364 20, nortb Iatituda
The reservation for free labor included the
ries of Kansas and Nebraska and seemed am.
ple for eight. ten or more free states The
severity of the STRUGGLE and tbo conditions Of
the comnrom,se indicated very plainIy. how
ever. that the yiror Of national intervention
in G,vor of creo 10 nor and rroo States was ox-
boustcd Still the cxistinc statutes were
adeouote to secure an ultimate ascondoncv Of
tbe free states
ine pol'cy u in'e'.e,l'ioh III iaNoI os slaNc
iaoor anu sia'e states began WIN 'he iur'hef
rfihoIai oi the porders Oh Tue hePuplic'
cucciIuliy auihi' lha' 'his Pol,cy mas not pech
poIsis'rnt oreAciusl'e' ana clain ohly that
IL mas oeeh ana yet Is predominant am
hot now 10 uepiore the annexation oi texas
! remark SIMPLY tha' II was hoid measure
o, uouo'iui icohstitutiohaiity,a ais'ihc'ly au1ft-
eu "s an ACT oi intervention IN laVor OF SIav'
ianor. ana maze or in'enoed 10 he ihaue most
cncc'iVe ny 'he s'iPuiatioh ,nat 'le ne" 9tatc
ol leAas may hereafter DC ulVlued anu 50 re-
orgahized as 10 constitute nNe slaNe o'"u's'-
ihis great act cast lohe shado" before Ia
sh"ioH W,ilcn ptcpieAcu the people OF the Tree
states IL was then that feeble soclle move
mcnt, whlch aihea ny moral persuasion al
,n' ,hahu''iissioh "i sla'es' gave pace 10 l.on-
ucai organizations: "hlch nave ever since
gone On increasing III onerey anu eAtsnl' vi,