St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1860-03-15

. etid III IuSC vi
al resistance, then to form a new slave
holding confederacy around the Gulf
OF Mexico. By this time the capital
States seemed to have become fixed
IN q determination that the Federal
government, and even the labor States,
should recognize their slaves, though
oute'de &c a." Slave States and with.
in the Territories of the United States,
as property of which the master could
not be in any way, or by any authori-
ty divested /; and the labor States,
having become now more essentially
Democratic than ever before, by the
great development of free labor, more
firmly than ever insisted on the con-
stitutlonal doctrine that slaves volun.
tarily carried by their masters into
the common Territories, or into labor
states, are persons, men. Under the
auspicious influences of Wing sue
cess, California and New-Mexico ap-
peared before Congress as labor states.
The capital states refused to consent
to their admission into the Union and
again threats of Disunion carried ter
ror and CONSERVATION throughout the
land. Another compromise was made
Specific cnactmcnts admitted Califor-
MIA as a labor state, and remanded
New Mexico and Utah to remain Ter
ritories, with the right to choose Free
dom or Slavery when ripcned into
States, while they gave new remedies
for the reception of fugitives from
service, and abolished tue open slave
market in the District of Columbia.
These new cnactments, collated with
the existing statutes, namely, the Or
dinancc of 1857, the Missouri Prohibi-
tory law of 1920, and the articles of
Texas annexation, disposed by law Of
the subject Of Slavery in all the Ter
ritories of the United States. And so
the Compromise of 1850 was pro-
nounccd full, final, absolute, and
comprehensive settlement of all exist
ing and all possible disputes concern
ing Slavery under the Federal authori-
ty. The two great parties, fearful for
the Union, struck hands III making
and presenting this as an adjustment,
never aftcrward to be opened, dis
turbcd or even questioned, and the
people accepted it by majoritics un-
known before. The new President,
chosen over an illustrious rival, un-
equivocally on the ground of greater
ability, even if not more reliable pur,
pose to maintain the new treaty invio,
late, made haste to justify this cxpcc
tation when Congress assembled. lii
, said
"Whcn the grave shall have closed over nj
who are now endeavOring to meet the obligd
tons of duty, the year 1880 will be recurre,
to as a period filled with anxiety and appre
hcnsiOn. \ successful war has just tcrnIna
ted peace brought with it great augmenta
ton Of territory. Disturbing questions arose
bearing upon the domestic institutions Of I
portion of the COntedcrlcy, and involving tho
constitutional rights of the States. But, not
withstanding differences of opinion and scnti.
ment in relation to details and specific proviS
ions, the acquescence of distinguished citi
zcns, whose devotion to the Union can never
| be doubted, has given renewed vigor tO oui
| institutions, and restored a sense of security
and repose to the public mind throughout the
| ConfederaCy. That this repose is to suffer no
shock during my official terra, II | have the
| power to avert it, those who placed me here
| may DC assured.
Hardly, however, had these inspir-
ing sounds died away, throughout a
rcassured and delighted land, before
the national repose was shocked again
shocked, indeed, as it had never be-
fore been, and smittcn this time 10y a
blow from the very hand that had just
released the chords of the national
harp from their uttcrance of that eX-
aIted symphony Of peace. Kansas
and Nebraska, the long-devoted rcser
vation Of labor and Freedom, saved
in the agony of national fear in 1920
and saved again in the panic of 1850
were now to be opened by Congress,
that the never ending course of seed
time and harvest mi ght begin. The
slave capitalists of Missouri, from
their own well-assured homes ON the
eastern banks of their noble river,
looked down and coveted the fertile
prairics of Kansas while a sudden
terror ran through all the capital
states, when they saw a seeming Ger.
tainty that at last new labor State
would be built on their western Dor.
der, inevitably fraught, as they said,
with a near or remote abolition of
Slavery. What could be done? Con-
gress could hardly be expected to in
tervene directly for their safety so
soon after the Compromise of 1850.
The labor hive of the Free States was
distant, the way new, unknown, and
not withoutperils. Missouri was neal
and watchtul, and held the keys oI
the gates of Kansas. She might
seize the new and smiling Territory by
surprise, if only Congress would re
move the barrier established in 1920
The conjuncture was favorable. Clay
and Webster, the distinguished citl-
zens whose unquestionable devotion
|, to the Union was manifested by their
acauiescence in the compromise OF
1850, had gone down already into
their honored graves. The labor
states had dismissed many Of their
, representatives here for too great tidel-
ity to freedom, and too great distrust
of the efficacy of that new bond of
peace, and had replaced them with
partisans who were only timid, but
not unwilling. The Democratic Presi-
dent and Congress hesitatcd, but not
long. They revised the last great
compromise, and found, with delighted
surprise, that it was SO far from con-
lirming the law of freedom of 1920
that, on the other hand, it exactly pro-
vided for the abrogation of that ven
Grated statute, nay, that the compro.
mise itself actually killed the spirit OF
the Missouri law, and devolved on
Congress the duty Of removing the
lifeless letter from the national code.
: The deed was done. The new enact
ment not only repealed the Missouri
prohibition of slavery, but it pro.
nounced the people of Kansas and Ne,
braska perfectly free to establish free
dom or slavery, and pledged Congress