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


witness renewal Of the sectional contro-
versy which had attended the organization
Of nearly every territory, and the admission
of nearly every State since the admission OF
Missouri, and were willing again to tender
the Z" Missouri compromise as basis Of
future action in reference to the subject Of
slavery and adopt the same if it should
prove agreeable to the country. Accord
iugly Mr.. Douglas offered the following
amendment to the bill. -e '1r
ssThat the line Of 500 80 of North latitude,
known as the Missouri Compromise line, as de.
fined by the eighth section of an act entitled
Territory to form a Constitution and State gov.
eminent, and for the admission Of such State
into the Union on an equal footing with the Or
iginal States, and to prohibit slavery in certain
Territories approved March 6, 1920, be, and
Pacific ocean; and that the said eighth section,
together with the compromise therein effected,
is hereby revived and declared to be in full
force and binding for the future organization
of the Territories Of the United States. in the
same sense and with the same understanding
with which it was originally adopted" 80
The amendment prevailed in the Senate,
and it is curious to note that the names of
Franklin Pierce and s. A. Douglas stand
recorded in the affirmative; while those of
Messrs. Hale and Hamlin, Corwin and 9th.
ers, now the peculiar friends Of the sacred
compact" may be found in the negative
Upon the bill going to the House of Re-
representatives., the amendment was stricken
out by the efforts of those who now claim to
have been the devoted adherents of the Miss
souri, Compromise, and Congress refused to
endorse the principle in regard to the Ter
ritories upon which the Missouri Compro-
mise was based. We come now, in order
of time, to the year $780, when the United
States having acquired possessions from
Mexico, it became necessary to provide for
them some method of government. Califor-
MIA, without going through tho forms of
Territorial existence, had adopted consti-
tuition, and asked admission into the Union,
but for Utah and New Mexico, territorial
governments had to be formed. An imme
date excitement again arose upon the sub
ject of slavery. The anti.slavery men con-
tended that in any bill establishing govern.
ments for the newly acquired territories, a
provision should he inserted forever prohi.
biting slavery therein while on the other
hand it was commended that not only had
Congress not such power over the subject
as was claimed, but also that, as these pos
sessions had been won and purchased by the
common blood and treasure of the country,
the benefits derived from their acquisition
should be shared by all alike. We have
seen that Congress on former occasion
had repudiated the Missouri Compromise
line, and consequently they had not to de.
termine upon either of two lines of policy
for the present and future regulation of the
| subject of slavery in territories. They must
either adopt the principle of prohibition or
the principle of leaving this, as all other
questions of domestic concern, to the arbi.
trament of the people, who were more i'm.
mediately interested therein. At this time
MIR. Clay came into Congress for the pur-
pose of lending the aid of his mighty genius,
to bring about some measure of peace. In
this connection he says: q" When l came to
consider this subject there were two or three
general purposes which seemed to me most
desirable, if possible, to accomplish. The
one was to settle all the controverted ques.
tions in regard to slavery; and it seemed to
me to be doing very little if we settled one
question and left other disturbing questions
unadjusted. 1t seemed to me to be doing
very little If we stopped one leak only in
the Ship of State, and left other leaks capa-
BILE of producing change, if not destruction,
to the vessel. / therefore turned my atten>
ton to every subject connected with the in
stitution of slavery, and out of which con-
troverted questions have sprung, to see if it
were possible or practicable to accommo.
date or adjust the whole of them" -
The result of the action of Mr.. Clay in
the matter, aided by patriotic statesmen
from all portions of the country, was the in
PRODUCTION of the famous Compromise mea-
sures of 1850, included among which were
bills for the government of Utah and New
Mexico, each of (which contained provision
leaving to the people of either territory the
settlement of all their domestic concerns, not
excepting slavery, in their own way, subject
oDly to the Constitution OF the United States.
IT. is hardly to be supposed that Mr.. Clay
and his compeers, who supported this mea-
sure of justice to the people Of the terrific
ries adopted it merely as temporary expe-
pedient. Indeed, the whole current of de.
bate upon the question, shows the contrary
to have been the case. ~ 's. ... "a 's<f'-
During the debate, Mr.. Douglas is re-.
ported to have said 81 The position that I
have ever taken has been that this 1.-THE sla.
very question: and all other questions rela.
ting to the domestic affairs and domestic
policy of the territories, ought to beleft to
the decision of the people themselves, and
that we ought to be content with whatever
way they would decide the question, because
they have 9 much deeper. interest in these
matters than we have, and know much bet
/ ter what institutions suit them than we who