The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-04-18
had avs&P3ly psw~ to direct the dnst or p
hibit any portiun 81 it frsn opmatiak I'M tsolN
free&n. rhe eomrrOmiss wasa dssice acsd


freexpm. srhe Seomr romiss wasa d&sice aced
nossts opnions.-to give effect to meg pf$5n-
dccs and caprices. No law could control our do.
nestle emigration or determine the character of the
institutions OF future State. The compromise was,
then, opiate-a trick of politicians and its
career has proved how unworthy it was of the peo7
pie ~ko thought TO enforce it, =
We next met what is known az the Wilmot pro-
viso--a kindred scheme of weakened trimmers
who We're terror-sricken when they saw para
graph in the newspapers Illuminated by some crazy
fanatic concerning the encroachments Of the "slave
power" The Wilmot proviso was Of course an
other compromise 1t was to Control the industry of
the country, to hamper the rights Of States and
subject them to the anti-slayery fur~e which had
found its way into Congress-. ifea,..a. 8si paiif
J, The next and appropriate advance in the anti
slavery epidemic to nulIfy that provision of the
federal constitution which provides for the surren-
der Of fugitives from service, to assal the federal
judiciary and by all the appliances of misrepresent
alton and all the arts of the demagogue, todemoral
lie and weaken that great arm Of the nation. .'s5
We to the great practical question
which was destined to put the whole system of legs-
aton to which we have referred, and the complaints
so freely INDUCED in against the judiciary, to the
festive mean of course, the organization of govern
raeaf IN Kansas The democratic party, arrayng it.
self in opposition to the compromise of 1920 ia OPP
position to the Wilmot proviso against the authori-
ty of Congress to egisate or intervene in the affairs
of people about to organize a State government,
and maintaining everywhere the great doctrine Of
popular sovereignty, entered the canvass of 1856
and triumphantly elected their candidates In the
result Of that election, and in the Overwhelming fact
that at this early day the antisavery rore has sub
sided into apetty controversy about election frauds,
and that every where the legions of abotonists
slxulking behind the miserable entertainments erect
ed for them by few renegade democrats and a less
number of fy-blown know-nothings, whose effort
seems to have been to see how low they might de-
scend in the well of political perdtion we see the
fall of anti slavery distinctive political idea in
this country. aR
Look at the Crttenden-M Montgomery amendment
the House bill 1t was voted for by every republ-
can, by more than twenty democrats and by the
remnant Of Americans. II proposes to receive Kan
sas into the Union under the Lccompton constitu-
tioH-a diaVoiy consIitutioi IL proposes 10 submit
that constitution to the people and in the event of
its rejection to authorize that people to frame new
constitution, just as they may Pleaseo nullify the
fugitve-save law, if it suits them by taking away
remedes--to admit negroes to sufrage--to devote
the public lands to their exclusive education if they
shall so order-and to impose upon the President the
duty of proclaining the new State member of our
family Union!
Gentlemen, anti-slavery men, North and South, we
tell you, your doom is sealed. Your capital has been
exhausted in this last fatal Kansas venture Your
expedients are all dead and buried. Kansas in OF
Kansas out Of the Union-Lecompton or no Lecomp-
ton-the Montgomery amendment is the ghost of your
party--the spectre that will haunt you and drive
you into the daylight once more of honest politics