East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1860-10-25

and best men in the country became
alarmed for the fate of the Republic, and
the best intellect aud patriotism we had
were called into requisition to devise
means by which we could allay and com
pose the strife which was produced. 1t
was adjusted by the adoption of the
Missouri compromise. That compromise
rested on the theory Of a geographical
line drawn across the American continent,
north Of which slavery should he prohib-
tied, and south OF which it might exist.
Mr.. Seward tells ns that it is historical
fact that the Missouri compromise saved
this Union from disruption. And yet he
adds that he was always opposed to it,
and that he men who act with him were
opposed to it. 1t is not a strange con-
feSsion from the great leader of polti-
cal party that he and his friends were
always irrevocably opposed to the adop-
ton of measure which he says alone
saved the Union from dissolution?
The Missouri compromise continued in
force, acquiesced in 10y the North and by
! the South, until 1915, when the annexa.
tion Of Texas took place. When that
measure was pending before Congress,
the question arose as TO what we should
Il, with the subject of slavery. At my
suggestion proposition was Incorporated
into the bill anneXing Texas, by which
the Missouri compromise line was extend
ed westward through Texas, as far as,
the new territory went. My object in
offering that proposition, and the object
of Congress in adopting it, was to carry
out the Missouri compromise according to
its true intent and meaning. Texas was
annexed on that condition. In the treaty
Of peace with Mexico, by which the war
was closed which grew out of the annexa
ton of Texas, we acquired California
aud New Mexico. La lS4S, when the
question arose aS to what kind Of govern
ment we should give those new Terrific
ries which we had thus acquired the
Senate passed a bill, on my motion, eX-
tending the Missouri compromise line to
the Pacific Ocean, in the same sense, and
with the same understanding, with which
it Was originally adopted. If the House
Of Representatives had concurred with
the Senate, and passed that bill, the sa-
very question would have been closed
and settled forever. ("rhat's so y If
that bill li@ become law, no further
agitation woNd ever have arisen in Con-
gress about the question of slavery in the
Territories.
BY whom was the Missouri compromise
defeated in 1S4S? Search the records of
Congress and you wll find it was de-
lcated by the votes Of northern men with
frec-soil procivitieS. {" Good" y" Hear"
e" Hear" and applause.) 1t was defeated
by the identical men who now compose
the republican party. They then said
that the Missouri compromise was an in
famous measure. In fact they denounced
it as the vilest and most infamous meas
ure ever adopted by the American Con
gresS; and they used an argument against
it which | always found difficult TO
answer. They argued that, if slavery
was right south of that line, it must be
north of it. Ii it was right to let the
people do as they pleased south of that
Nnc, it was wrong to deprive them of the
privilege north of it. (Cheers) That
was the argument Of the very body Of
men who now compose the republican
party. | could not answer those objec
tions, but | placed my support of the
measure upon the ground that the Mis-
souri, compromise had been adopted in
1920 as means of tablishing and pre-.
serving peace; that the country had
acquiesced in it for more that a quarter
of n century, and that my regard and love
for the American Union and for the peace
of the country induced me to stand by it
and carry it out in good faith. Cloud
cheers.) | have already told you the rea-
son why it was not carried out. We
tried To- do it. The national men Of the
country did all they could to carry it out,
but the free.soiIers would not permit us.
(Good) They out-voted us in Congress
and thus defeated the Missouri conpro-
misc, and, by defeating it, precipitated
this country into one of the most fearful
commissions ever known since the adop-
tion of the constitution. We are now
told by Mr.. Seward, in his Detroit speech,
that the very measures which saved the
Union in 1920 he and his friends defeated
in 1913. (Langhter and applause) He
ought also to have told us, it he intended
to state the history of our country fully
and fairly on the point, that the same
disastrous consequences cnsued after the
defeat of the Missouri line in 1913 as
were healed in 1920. (Cheers) Who,
then, was responsible in 1913, 40 and
80 for all this sectional strife, the con-
vulsion and the alienation of feeling
which followed the defeat OF the Missouri
line? 1t was the frec-soilers of that day
the same men who compose the repub
lican party of this day.
The strife which followed the defeat of
the Missouri compromise in 1913 brought
the country to the very brink of RUM
You all remember that the wiscst and
purest men in the whole Union became
alarmed for the safety Of Republic. The
immortal Clay, who was supposed to
have performed his mission on earth and
had retired to the shades Of Ashland TO
prepare for another world, in his retire
ment heard the harsh and discordant
notes of se:tiona! strife and disunion, aud,
arousing himself, came back to the Sen.