The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1860-02-03


illusory to the South, offer that which will
deceive them, if they suppose that slavery
will be secured south of that line. 1t IS
better for them-I said to myself-it IS
better for the South that there should be
non-action as to slavery, both north and
south of the line-far better that there
should be non-action both sides of the line,
than that there should be action by the in
teraiction on the one side without action for
the admission upon the other side of the
line." There can be no doubt then, that
the principle of nonintervention in the al
fairs of the Territories, thus established, was
intended to be operative not only at that,
but for all coming time. And the Demo-
cratic party in their National Convention
in 1852, accepted the principle of non Inter
vention as fnality upon the subject of
slavery in the Territories. The Wing Con-
vention of the same year, also acquiesced in
the compromise, as a" final settlement, in
principle and su bstance of the dangerous
and exciting questions embraced by them ;"
and it was confidently hoped that peace and
quiet would again reign in the country. But
not so agitation still went on, and there are
not wanting now Republican orators and
Wings in Convention, in agreeing to bury
all agitation upon the slavery question, and
accept the Compromise as u tinality upon
the subject rung the death knell of the party
throughout the North. The Democratic
party, however, not so easily overthrown,
stood fully committed to the doctrine of non
intervention in the affairs of the Territories,
and accordingly, few years later, when it
became necessary to form Territorial Gov.
ernments for Kansas and Nebraska, Mr..
Douglas, from the Committee on Territories,
introduced into the Senate, a bill for that
purpose, accompanied by report, in which
the Committee say:
In the judgment of your Committee,
those measures THE Compromise of 1862
were intended to have far more cOmpre-
hensive and enduring effect than the mere
adjustment of the difficulties arising out of
the recent agitation of Mexican Territory,
they were designed to establish certain great
principles, which would not only furnish
adequate remedies for existing evils, but in
all time to come avoid the perils of similar
agitation, by Withdrawing the question of
slavery from the halls of Congress and the
political arena, and committing it to the
arbitrament of those who we're Immediately
interested 10 and alone responsible for its
consequences With view of conforming
their action to the settle1 policy of the
government, sanctioned by the approving
voice of the American people, your Com
mittee have deemed it their duty to incorpo-
rate and perpetual in their Territorial bill,
the princi pies and spirit of those measures"
And to make assurance doubly sure, that
the Democratic party intended to maintain,
inviolate, the pledge given to the people,
that the principle OF non~intervention should
thereafter govern them in reference to the
domestic affairs of the Territories, the fol-
lowing clause was likewise attached to the
bill 6" That the Constitution and all laws
of the United States which are not locally
inapplicable, shall have the same force and
effect within the said Territory as elsewhere
in the United States, except the eighth sec>
ton of the act preparatory to the admission
of Missouri into the Union, approved March
6, 1920, which being inconsistent with the
principle of non-intervention by Congress
with slavery in the States and Territories,
as recognized by the legislation of 1856, com
monty called the Compromise Measures, is
hereby declared imperative and void-h
being the true intent and meaning of the act
not to legislate slavery into any Territory
or State, nor to exclude at theretrom, but to
Leave the people thereof perfectly. free to form
and regulate their domestic institutions IN
their o,on acay, subject only to the Constitution
of the United States"
1t will be seen that the object of the
Committee and the bill was to conform the
action of Congress in reference to the Ter
rtories, to one settled and fixed principle,
and that so far as their domestic affairs were
concerned, the same to which both of the
great political parties stood pledged in 1850
the principle OF non-intervention. 1t was
a mere reiteration of the doctrine established
in 1850, by Mr.. Clay, and to which the
country generally had given the sanction of
their approval. Its tendency had been to
bury deep all agitation upon the subject of
slavery, far too deep tor the purposes of
those who saw the road to power, only by
keeping that question continually before the
people.
The voice of the American people upon
all other questions of governmental policy,
had been decided in favor of the creed of
the Democratic party, and that party was in
possession of the government. Some means
had to be instituted by the opposition for
the purpose of displacing them, and none
seemed to promise so sure success as to charge
upon the party in power, violation of
faith plighted to the larger portion of the
confederacy, and thus play upon the credu.
lous minds of the masses. And here and at
this time in face of the TACT, that the Mis-
souri, Compromise line was repudiated by
the North within one year of its adoption,
that upon the admission of Arkansas, north
ern Representatives declared it preposterous
to suppose that any compromise had been
effected relative to the Introduction of slave
~. That in 184S, Mr.. Douglas motion to
extend the Missouri Compromise line to the
Pacific, had been offered and defeated by
northern men. That in 1850, Mr.. Clay and
the country had adopted the principle Of
non-intervention, relative to slavery in the
Territories, and which was totally inconsis-
tent with the Missouri Compromise line.
In the face of all these facts, grave men
arose in Congress and claimed the Missouri
Compromise line to have been :" holy and
sacred compact" between the two sections
of thu Trn;oc +hot in vot;po for ;fc ohrnua.