The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1860-11-23
Ano,a Errer Corrected.

~ HserIktub III tuc 00o ooA Acl oi0 VI
yesterday, that Louisiana vas alavs territory
when coded by France to tho United States,
and hence that the enactment OF the Missouri
Compr omiss Was an encroachment Of the
North upon the South, inasmuch % it sxclu-
ded SOU bern institutions" from . vast
country ia which they legally existed st the
gr.tuitous and fAlse.
Fortonnsely, an eminent legal gentleman
Of this State, (Gov. Kocrner,) we'll qualified
by his habit OF research, his legal acumsn
and general scholarship, to investigate =
question Of this kind, has just published the
result Of his examin alton Of the very peiDt at
issue. He establishes, beyond all dispute,
these facts:
/. That the National Convention OF France
passed the following Law IN l793 '.The Ma
tional Convention DEGREES that the slaysry OF
negross 10 abolished in oil the COLONIES; il
is therefore decreed that all men, uithouf
disttncfion Of color. inhabitants Of the Colo
MES, are French citi1sns and shall enjoy
(joHri crdnf) all the rights guaranteed by the
Uonstii ution." Loi d. Pluvosss, an ..
II. That this law destroyed 1t onee the
legal tenure by which slaves in the colonies
we're held; and that though they were not
formally set free and suffered 10 enjoy their
liberty, their detention Was an act Of force
for which tho law gave no warrant.
Ill. That while THE Law was in force, Lou
isiana vas ceied by Spain TO France, and at
once came within the operation OF this sAlu
tary or actment; and that every slave in the
territory was legally set free ~ soon % the
| act Of cession vas accomplished. They were
yet noninally slases, but free BY the law
At that time there were no slaves in oil
France-not one.
w. Before slavery was introduced into
the French colonies, in 1904, BY Napoleon,
Louisians still free, had been coded to thu
United States, and oame into the possession
Of our government legally - guilsless OIL
slavery ~ Massachusetts. Men were hello
there in bondage, only because Of their ig
noranee OF their natural ard legal rights o.
as the Governo. says: "Louisiana At sh'
cession was . free territory. All negroes
we're French citizens, and, under our treaty
with France, we're entitled to be smaintaine,
and protected in the free enjoyment Of thei
liberty, property, and Of the religion the.
professed.'D
81 am speaking here merely Of tho lega
status Of tho negroes. ! presume that, .
France never took actual possession, th
slaves remained de ldcio slaves. Bat Their
10 no statute Of limitation TO the recovery o
liberty. If treaty stiputations are sacred, u
slaves who were in existence when Louisi
ana became part OF the French possesaioDs
oil born while il remained . French colony
and all their descendants, are entitled {
freedom, ~ no law Of Congress, nor even
State Constitution, could take away thei
rights."
Here, then, the whole fabric goes to th
ground, snd with il the bassless assumption
upon which tho Times and Herald built
Tho truth turns out to be this:
4 Louisiana MS free whsn acquired.
/ The Misso0ri Com promise gave halt OF
up to tho eDcr oAOhG ents Of slavery.
The North vas outraged by the concession
and she. not the South, IL tho party TO DON
plaio.-( Chicago Trib.