Randolph County journal. [volume] (Winchester, Randolph County, Ind.) 1855-1862, 1858-03-18

ons,rate the first cf these propositions.
In the beginning there were twelve
Slave States, and only one that was
Free. Now six Of those twelve have
become Free; and there are sixteen
Free States to fifteen Slave States. If
thcthrec candidates now here. Kansas,
Minnesota. and Oregon. shall he all
mitted ~ Free States, then there will
he nineteen Free States 10 fifteen Slave
States. Originally there were twenty
four Senators of Slave States, and only
two of a Free State; now there are
thirtv-two Senators of Free States,
and thirty of Slave States. in the
first Constitutional Congress the Slave
States had fiity-scvcn Representatives,
and the one Free State had only eight
now the Free States have one Eu9dred
aud forty-four Representatives. while
the Slave States have only ninety
These changes have happened in pc
riod during which the Slave States
have almost unintcrruptedly exercised
paramount influence in the Govern
ment. and notwithstanding the Con-
stitution itself has opposed well-known
checks to the relative increase of rep
rcsentation of Free States. | assume,
tl,1refore, the truth of my first propo-
sitiGa.
| suggested, Sir, second circum-
cumstancc, namely: That whereas, in
the earlier age of the Republic, the
National Government favored this
change. yet it has since altogether re-
vcrscd that policy, and it now oppo-
ses the change. do not claim that
heretofore the National Government
always, or cvcp habitually, intcrvencd
in the Territories ip favor of Free
States, but only that such Intervention
prcpondcratcd. While Slavery exist
ed in all Of the States but oae, at the
beginning, vet it was far less intense
in the Northern than in some of the
Southern States. All of the former
contemplated an carly emancipation
The fathers seem not To have antici-
patcd an enlargement Of the National
Territory; consequently, th"y expected
that all the new States to be thcrcait, !
admitted would he organized upon
subdivisions of the then existing States
or upon divisions of the then existing
National domain. The domain lay
behind the thirteen States, and stretch
cd from the Lakes TO the Gulf. and
was hsundcd westward hv the Missls.
sippi itwas naturally divided by tn,
Ohio River, and the Serth. vest Terri
tory and the Southwest Tcrritor,
were organized on that division. II
was forcsccn, even then, that the new
States TO be admitted would ultimate
" ovcrbalancc the thirteen origina
ones. They were, however, mainly t,
be yet piai.ted I'D ,.,stuyrd u the desert
with the agency OF human labor.
EARLY SENTIMENT OF PUBLIC MEN o>
THE SLAVERY QUESTION.
The fathers k1ew cply t~o kipds o.
labor, the same which now exist among
oursclvcs--namclv, the labor of .Airi
can Slaves, and the labor of Free Men
The former then prcdoninatcd in thi'
country, aS it did throughout the con.
tincnt. \ confessed deficiency of slave
lqbar could he supplied only by domcs
tic increase, and by continuance OF tl,
then existing importation from Africa
The supply of Free Lalor depended Oh
domestic increase, and a voluntary i'm.
migration from Europe. Settlements
which hail thus early taken on Free
labor character, or a Slave Labor
character, were already maturing il
those parts of the cid states whicl
were to be ultimately detached and
formed into new States. When new
States of this class were organized
they were admitted promptly, citheI
as Free States or as Slave States, with
out objection. Thus, Vermont, Ere,
State, was admitted in 179l; Ken
tucky, a Slave State, 1872: and Ten
ncsscc, also a Slave State, in lT96.-
Five new States were contemplated tc
be erected in the North Terrific.
ry Practically it WIS JIoccupied
and therefore open to labor of either
kind. The one kind or the other, il
the absence of any anticipated emula
tion, would prc'lominatc just as Con
gross should intervene I? tavqr it,
Congress INTERVIEWED in favor of Ere,
Labor This, indeed, wqs az act Of tl'
Continental Congress, but 1t was con
srmed ythc first Constitutional Con
grcss.
The fathers simultaneously adopted
three other measures of less direct in
tcrvcn,on. First, they initiated il
17S9, and completed in lS0S, the ab
solutc suppression of the African Slave
Trade. Secondly, they organized
systems of foreign commerce aud navi
CATION, which stimulated voluntar,
immigration from Europe. Thirdly
they established an easy, simple am
uniform process of naturalization
The change of the balance of powe
from the Slave States to the Ere
States, which we are now witnessing
i, due chiefly to those four early meas
ures of national intervention in favo
of Free Labor. 1t would have takel
place much sooner if the borders of tn
Republic had remained unchanged
The purchase of Louisiana .snd the ac
quisiti.GRR ST FlGriaF. however. wer
transactions resulting from. high polit
ical necessities, in disregard of tn
question between Free Labor an
Slave Labor. In admitting the new
State of Louisiana, which was org2s
izci on the Slave Issbcr settlement o
New Orleans, Congress practiced tn
same neutrality which it had befor
exercised in the States of kcntuck,
and Tennessee. No serious dispute