The Grand Haven news., 1860-09-26

principally from northern States, in the
negative, so orincigdlly from tie south
in the affirmative, thus refusing TO recog-
nize the act of 1920 in the slightest man
ner. The bill containing the prohibition
was approved by southern president,
simply because it was not inconsistent
with the net of 1920. In 1920 John p.
Hale was SO fearful that he should recog-
nlze the imaginary line, as he called il, Of
SO degrees aud 80 minutes, that he refus-
ed TO make it the boundary line of one Of
the Territories of the United States.
The presistant refusal of the north to
carry out in good faith that compromise,
more than anything else created the excite
ment, and led to the compromise meas
ures of 1850. One of those measures
was an agreement TO leave the Territories
of Utah and New Mexico, the exclusive
right TO regulate the question of slavery
for themselves. The whig and dcmocrtic
parties regarded those measures as a
settlement, in principle and substance,
of the questions involved" and pledged
themselves To carry them out III good faith
and in the election of 1852 they were
triumphantly sustained.
In 1853 bill for the organization Of
Washington Territory, passed Congress.
Being the first enactment after the COM
promise measures of 1850, we most natu-
rally refer to it as an exposition of the
doctrine embodied therein. This Terri
, tory was originally included in, and organ
lied under the Oregon bill of August
; lS4S, which contained prohibition of
! slavery. But in the bill of 1853, making
: n division of the Territory and organizing
n portion of the same under the name of
Washington, the prohibition contained in
l the bill of 1s4s, was repealed in the
, following words "that all prohibitions or
4 law prior to September lst ls4s, shall
= be imperative and void" That bill passed
: tho house of Representatives by a two
n third vote, and passed the Senate nearly
$ or quite unanimous.
! No one can have the hardihood 10 deny
. but the construction thus placed upon
, the compromise measure of 1850 is in
!. exact accordance with the letter and spirit
{ of those measures rs interpreted and
/ understood Mt the time of their adoption.
: In conformity with the principles and
: provisions of those measures which were
/ regarded MS fnalitv, this bill left the
people free and unrestricted TO regulate
@ their domestic concerns, repeating the
r prohibition in the act of Congress of
5 August, lS4s, prohibiting slavery over
!. the Territory.
r In 1854 Douglas Introduced the Ne
g braska bill, and upon the subject of slavery
\ quoted the precise language Of the COM
promise measures Of 1850, "that the
k Territories or any portion Of them, when
: admitted as States, might come into the
Union with or without Slavery, as they
: saw fit to ordain." Immediately, the
a black republicans charged him with de-
J, signing with the use of that language
n repeal of the Missouri Compromise, and
+ Charles Sumner and S. p. Chase in
, solemn conclave on the Sabbath day, drew
C up an address to which they forged the
name of VIM. II. Seward, accusing him
+ of such design, well knowing that the
c same language had been used four years
y before, with the approval of Clay and
/ Webster. Afterwards Douglas accepted
!, an amendment to his bill, declaring the
d act of 1920 Inconsistent with the compro-
J. mise of 1850, and therefore imperative
l. and void.
d Having traced briefly the history of
5. this celebrated law, let us pause for n
o moment to consider the result oe our
n investigation.
of The fact, too irresistably established
h TO be disputed is, that from 1920 to
Y 1850 the South adhered to, and abided
. by, and proposed to carry out in good
n faith the letter and the principle of the
le compromise of 1920; while on the other
G, hand, the north repudiated it within one
d wear after its adoption, and again, tram
j. pied upon its provisions and repudiated
il its obligations. Prominent among those
n violalors of law, are leaders of the repub-
lican party; men who never failed to op-
t. pose and rcpudiate it up to 1854, when
s. thev suddenly declare the act which they
N had denounced for thirty years, to be a
J. sacred compact, irrepealable, aud binding
u, OH LIlC HOuOl VI tuO Nv lhot Nssh
n pretend that they were influenced by a
o particle of honesty in making that decla-
o ration. What has been the course Of
n MIR. Douglas with reference TO this ques-
e ton. Entering Congress in 1912, he
e, found the act of 1920 the law. Not at
G, tempting TO Justify it on principle; be-
= lieving it to be the opposition to the prin-
lie ciples upouwhich our government is based,
N but if faithfully and honestly carried out,
= likely to give peace and quiet TO the
Of country, he gave the aid ofhis great abil-
g. tiles to the accomplishment Of that OBJ
l. iect, for which he was denounced, in the
y most meager and savage terms by thepres-
IN Cit leaders of the republican party. The
4 principle of that act having been repudi-
ated by its opponents in the north, he, in
le 1850, labored to give force and effect to
S what he considered to be the true prin-
y ciples of Il government, uniting with Clay