Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1858-03-18
Mr. PRrsrDrnr: Eight years ago, ",

the time-honored system of governing the
Territories by Federal rules and regula-
tions, and published and proclaimed in its
stead a new gospel of Popular Sovereignty,
whose ways, like those Of Wisdom, were
to be ways of pleasantness. and all of whose
paths were Supposed to be the fowery paths
of peace. Nevertheless, the question xheth-
er there shall be Slavery or Ne Slavery in
the Territories is again the stirring pas
sage of the day. The restless Proviso has
burst the cerements of the grave, and, stri-
king hands here in our very presence, with
the gentle spirit of Popular Sovereignty
run mad, is seen raging freely in our halls,
scattering dismay among the Administra-
tion benches in both Houses of Congress.
Thus an old and unweieome lesson is read
to us anew. The question of Slavery in
the Federal Territories, which are the nur.
series of future States, independently of all
ite moral and hnmsne elements, involves q
dynastic struggle of two antagenistic sYs.
tens. the labor OF slaves and the labor ol
freemen for mastery In the Federal Union
One of these systems partakes of an aristo-
cratic character; the other is purely demo.
cratic. Each one of the existing States
has stsked, or it will ultimately st axe, moi
only its internal welfare, but also its infu.
ence in the Fe :eral councils, on the deci
sion of that contest. Such a struggle il
not to be arrested, qselled, or reconciled
by temporary expedients or compromises.
Mr.. President, / always engage reluc
tantly in these discussion, which awaken
passion just in ihe degree that their impor.
tance demands the impartial umpirage o
reason. This reluctsnce deepens now
when look Ground me, and count the able
contestants who have newly entered the
lists on either side, and shadOwy forms o
many great and honored statesmen who
once were eloquent in these disputes, bur
whose tongues Lave since become string
less instruments, rise up before me. II Is
however, a maximin military science, that
in preparation for war, every one should
think as if the last event depended, on his
counsel, and in every great battle each one
Should fight as if he were the only cham.
pion The principle, perhaps, is equally
sound in political affairs. II il be possible
shall perform my present duty in such &
way as to wound no jsst sensibiiities.
must, however, review the action of Presi.
dents. Senates, and Congresses. | do, in
deed, with ali my heart, reject the instruc-
tion given by the Italian master of political
science, which teaches that all men are bad
by nature, and that they will not fail to
show this depravity whenever they have a
fair opportunity. But Jealousy Gf Execu.
tive power is a high, practical virtue in
Republics; and we shall find it hard to deny
the Justice of the character of free legisla-
tive bodies, which Charles james Fox drew
when he said that the British House OF
Commons, of which he was at the moment
equally an an ornament and an idol, like
every other popular assembly, must be
viewed as mass of men capable of too
much attachment and too much animosity.
capable of being biased by weak and even
wicked motives, and liable to be governed
BY ministerial influence, BY caprice, and by
corruption.
AR President, propose to inquire, in
> the first place, why the question before us
is attended by real or apparent dangers.
- l think our tpprehensions are in part due
to the intrinsic importance of the trdnsac-
tion concerned. Whenever we add new
column to our Federal colonnade, we need
to lay its foundations so firmly, to shape its
shaft with such Just proportions, to poise 1t
with such exsctness, and to adjust its CON-
nections with the existing structure so care.
fully, that, instead OF falling prematurely
and dragg:rg other aud venerable columns
with it to the ground, it may stand erect
forever, increasing the granduer and stabil
ity of the whole MASSIVE and imperial fab
ric. Still, the admission of a new State il
not necessarily OF even customarily attend
ed by either embarrassments or alarms
We have already admitted eighteen new
States without serious connections, except
in the cases of Missouri, Texas and Cali
fornia. We are even now admitting two
others, Minnesota and Oregon; and thes,
transactions go on so smoothly, that onl,
close observers are aware tha: we are thu
consolidating our dominion on the shore
of Lake Superior, and almost at tie gate
of the Arctic Ocean.
II lie manifest that the apprehended diff
culties in the present case have some re
lation to the dispute concerning SLAYER.
which is raging within the Territory o
Kansas. Yet it must be remembered tha
nine of the new States which have beel
admitted expressly established Slavery, o
tolerated it, and nine of them rbade it,
The excitement, therefore, is due to pecu
Liar circumstances. | think there are thre
of them, namely:
First-That whereas, in the beginning
the ascendancy of the Slave States va
absolute, il is now heing reversed.
Second--1hat whereas, heretofore. tn
.-,Na.ional Government favored this chang
of balance from the Slave State
10 the Free States, it has now reverse
this policy, and opposes the change.
Taird-That National Intervention
the Territories in favor of Slave Labor an
Slave States is opposed to the natural, sc
cial and moral development of the Reput
lie.
IL seems almost unnecessary to demon
stra,e the first of these propositions.
the beginning, there were twelve Slav
SStstes, and only one that was Free. Nov
six of those twelve have become Free; an
sbere are sixteen Free States to filtee
y Slave Stat, s. II the three candidates no
here, Kansas, Minnesota and Oregon, sha
be admitted as Free States, then there wi
be nineteen Free States TO fifteen Sla'
States. Originally there were twenty-fo
Senators of Slave States. and only two of
Free State; now there are Ihirty-two Sen
TORS of Free States, and thirty of Sla'
States. In the first Constitutional 20
gress, the Slave States had 6fty-seven Re
resentatives, and the one Free State hi
only eight; ow, the Free States have oil
hundred and forty-four Representative
while the Slave States have only ninety.
These changes have happened in peri
during which the Slave States have almo
-.,ta-rnntodlu oypreispd naramaunf inf