The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1859-10-06

considered.
On the Goth Of April, 1887, com.
mittee to whom the subject had more
than once been referred, reported an
! Ordinance for the government Of the
| I"Western territory, in which the prop
ositiOn of Mr.. King was not mentioned
/ On the 7th Of July this Ordinance was
recommitted to q committee, consisting
| Of Mr. Darlington, Of Va, Dane of
Mass, r, ii. Lee, Of Va, Keen, Of S.
| Carolina, and Smith, Of New York who
reported he'Ordinance in the shape in
which it finally passed, on the 18th Of
July, 1857, This Ordinance was adopt
ed unanimously. It provided for the
appointment Of a Governor, Secretary
and Judges, to be named by Congress
made provision for the due organization
of a General Assembly as soon as there
should be FIVE thousand free male in
habitants in the district lt provided
that certain PARTICLES Of compact be-
tween the original States and the people
and States in said territory, shouM re.
main foreUer luaHeraJlc, m7ss Jy COM
mon consent" The slavery restriction
differed from that of Mr.. Jefferson, of
1884 aud Mr.. King, Of 1855, in chat il
provided for the rendition of fugitive
slaves
The Intelligeucor says the Southern
States consented to the prohibition Of
slavery extension in order to secure new
guards for the stability Of the institu-
tion in theStates where it had legal ex-
istence. The Northern States agreed to
! yield this advantage to the slaveholding
States, on condition Of a renunciation
made by the latter of any purpose or
desire to extend this institution into the
new region about to be opened to the
colonization of all the States. The
Constitution of the United States adopt
ed this Ordinance, says Judge Tucker,
by which it is provided that all debts
contracted and engagements entered in
to before the adoption Of the Constitu-
ton, shall be as valid against the Uni
ted States under the Constitution as un-
der the Confederation. That the terms
of the Ordinance Of 1877 were under
stood to be ro-ailirmed by the adoption,
/ is apparent from the debates in the
! Convention on the adoption Of the
Constitution--from the remarks Of Mr..
Pinckney, Of South Carolina, who said
that the South had right they had not
before, of recovering fugitives from la
! Dor, and Mr.. Madison, who made 4 sim
lar remark in the Virginia Assembly
and from the action Of Congress in
| passing a law to conform its provisions
to the Constitution. Now this was an
ordinance providing for the government
of all the territories "thcn ccded OF to be
ceded to the United States. They were
to be forcCcr coRSccr0ted to frccdom.
What was the intention and expocta-
tion Of the trainers of the Constitution.
many of whom had also been members
Of the Congress Of the Confederation
who had passed the Ordinance, NAV be
seen from the following remarks of
James Wilson, of Pennsylvania, an en-
inent citizen and jurist, who took a
prominent part in the Convention
which formed the Constitution, and al
so in the Pennsylvania Convention call
ed to act upon it,
Mr. Wilson said, CElliotts Debates,
vol. iv., p. 1922:
CATER the year 1903 the Congress
will have power to prohibit such impor-
tatiOn, [of slaves, Notwithstanding the
disposition Of any State to the contrary.
1 consider this as laying the foundation
for bauishing slavery out Of this coun-
try, and, though the period is far more
distant than I could wish, yet it will
produce the same kind, gradual change
which was produced in PENNSYLVANIA.
1t is with much satisfaction I view thisI
power in the General Government.
whereby they may lay an interdctiou
on this reproachful trade; but an imme-
diate advantage is also obtained, for q !
tax or duty may be imposed on such
importation, not exceeding ten dollars
for each person; and this operates as !
partial prohibition. IL was all that
could be obtained. / am sorry it was
no more; but from this think there is !
reason to hope that yet a few years and |
it will be prohibited altogether; and IN
the meantime the Rclg States ighiob are to |
be formed l0W be utdcr the control of |
Congress in his particular, and slages
lgW neUer be introduced amongst them"
Where is the historical evidence of |
Mr., Pugh's positions, as stated above?
In less than a month after the passage
Of the Ordinance, says the Intelligou-
Ger, the State Of South Carolina surren-
dored all her right title and claim, as
we'll Of soil as jurisdiction, which this |
State "hath to the territory or tract Of |
country within the limits of charter Of |
the State Of South Carolina, lying be-
tween the western boundary of the State
and the Ohio river"
So much for the truth Of history
This Ordinance has been the basis and |
model Of all territorial government, !
says Colonel Benton, wherever a terri |
torial government has been formed on
our continent-from Florida to Oregon |
lin all this long time ana over all this
wide oxpanse from 1857 to 1851
There is no contemporary evidence that
the eCtensioH Of slaoey was one Of theI
compromises Of the Constitution.
NEMESIS.
The British Government has ordered