The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1859-10-07

VI you rToo 0OTtos~ ~XT61u4V " ". -
Nobodyi We all ssppossd that that
|comyect - to sfS1d fostscr---that
that prohlbition - isrssceable.- -
MI Donelss MAJ ssy what he
|pleeses; Ewapjn - SeBete and ]
know thss nslghee r Glt nor Mr.
Wooster nor any 81 the great men
concerned in the making OF that set
tlement Of 1850, ever dreamed that
the Missouri prohibition was 10 be
touched. Mr. Cooper, Of Pennsyl-
vsnia, was a member Of the com
mittee Of thirteen, and he said to me
and sfterward declared In the Senate
chat iG % scouvsssasSon in committees,
A'r Clay cxpressly said that the
territory North Of thirty-si1 thirty.
was pteservsd forever for freedom
and that he would always stand by
IL; snd Mr. Webster 40 you all kno "
In his speech Of the 7tb March, con
eurred in that view and there was
not a man, In, my Judgment on tina,
committee Of thirteen, or IN the Sen
ate at the time. / asked them when
this bill was under discussion; I ap
pcalcd to General Cass and to Mr.
Mason, to know il there was . man
in or ont OF the Senate who im-
agined that the Missouri prohibition
was to be repealed. and not man
with the single exception Of Mr.
Douglas. ventnred to Rv that there
was any such idea. But in 1853
the repeal was demanded, aud ~
Pierce used the power oil his ad-
ministration to carry it through, and
the power OF Mr. Douglas and the
entire Sonth, did carry 1t througi,
against the protest ot the almost un
animous North. and against the votes
Of some fthe best men Of the South
That is history.
Now | am going to call your at
tention for a moment to the pretex,
upon which this prohibition was
repealed. Mr. Douglas tells US, and
he talks a great deal Of his popular
sovereignty. and am to show yor
exactly what his popular sovereignty
is and | am going TO take his owl
Nebraska bill, and from that bill
will show exactly what his "populal
sovereignty" is.
POPULAR SOVEREIGNTY DONE UP.
He tells US in his bill that it ia tC
leave the people Of the Territory per
fectly free to form and regulate thei
own institutions in their own way
snbject only to the Constitution o
the United States. These are gooC
words. They seem to be fair words
and il thse words were carried on
in their legitimate conception
should not fear the consequence
when ever the question came to b.
lett to the people OF a territory
though stand, as every Republican
stands, upon the doctrine Of th'
Fathers. that it is not expedient t.
put this evil into territory, no
allow the people settling territor,
to be put into connection with it
but, il the people Were left perfect,
Tree, | do not think there would b.
much doubt that they would keep i
out. They would have trouble, bn
they would succeed. But what d.
he mean by il? Let US see II
'orm and regulate their own institu
tions. What does that mean? On
would think that meant to pass sucl
laws as they pleased. What did tn
South mean by in They meant t.
form and regulate their institution
when they came to mako II stat
e Institution.
This WAS not the first form il
which the bill was proposed. Th'
first bill contained distinct section
known as the 2lst, in which it wa
stated distinctly that the people o
the territory, dnring their territoria
condition. might dispose OF thi'
question of slavery as they disposed
ot any other question, and Nj
Douglas found that the South woult
not vote for a bill with that in it, St
he struck it out and put this in as
have quoted of, and the South in
terpretpd it as | have stated.
"Subj-ct to the constitutional
That iooks very harmless indeed
but Mr. Douglas knew, and | knew
and every we'll informed mar knew
that the South claimed everywhere
that they had the right TO take thei
slaves into the territories and hol'
them as property, and when this bill
was under discussion, !. with others
asked them if it would be considered
as an admission of their claim, anC
they held that it would. This bcin.
the case, it was apparently quit
nece ssary 10 have a distinct recog
nition Of the powers Of the people t.
exclude slavery, and ! proposed al
amendment to add after the word
"subject to the Constitution" tn
| further words "nnder which tn
people Of territory may II they Sc
! ht, exclude slavery through thei
Representatives" That is not yer,
ultra, not very strong a simpl
proposition that under the Constitu
ton, the people had the power.
they should see fit, through thei
legal representatives, 20 exclud
slavery. | made that proposition i
good faith, because | said the prohit
i,ition was to be broken down. and
waited that the people should b
j gu ,rranteed In some real power. =
Who voted for It? Every Republic
An in the Senate. Who against il
All the Democrats, with one or tw
exceptions, and Mr. Douglas anon
them. This gentleman, who tall