The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1860-08-24
rnmeni organized By il under de con,iiiu-

WOU. .... H-
Under the decision OF the Court and the
opinion OF the President, the people OF each
Territory will be left free to admit orcxcludc
slavery irhen they form State government.
The language OF the inaugural upon this
subject SHOULD BE A GUIDE AND A
LIGHT TO Us ALL. ..e -
1T has been (says Mr.. Buchanan)my indi-
vidual opinion that under the Nebraska Kan
sas act, the appropriate period ITO act upon
the slavery question: will be when the num-
Der OF actual residents in the Territory Kan
sasl shall justify the formation o. a eon,f,fn-
fion eifh vie,o 10 its admission as Stafe
into the Union.'" .i.I .Iti i.1ia1.5 .l sr
After thus placing himself 20 distinctly
and directly on the ground now occupied by
Breckiuridgc and Zane, Smart found no dif'
fculty whatever in endorsing the remarkable
letter of President Buchanan to Professor
Silliman and forty.two Others Of Connecti-
cut, who had respectfully pctitioned for Far
Piay in Kansas. In that letter written in
August, 1857, Mr.. Buchanan stated the fol.
lowing astounding doctrine:
"Slavcry existed at that period (lS5D,
and still exists in Kansas, under The Constr
tuition of the United &aies. This point has
ut last been finally settled by the highest ri.
bunal known to our laws. Ho,o 1t could
hare been seriously doubted is a mystery"
This Judicial slape-eode doctrine, thus for
mally announced, startled the public and
caused many Democrats tn halt and not q
few to turn square round. Smart, however,
swallowed II without an effort. He pub
lisied the Presidents letter in the Free Press
of Sept. 18th, and accompanied 1t with the
following explicit approval Of its abomina-
BILE sentiments: .
"Thc reply Of the President Is admirably
written, and is triumphant vindication OF
tho policy Of tho President against the as
saults of those white neck.cloth gentlemen:
No doubt they were sincere enough, but zeal
without knowledge is very poor. weapon OF
assault. We conceive the reply perfect
answer to their complaints, and those which
have found their way into the abolition
presses. IL is a careful, considerable riep cf
ihe sul1eci, and piA find hearty response
from the American people. The hdnsas
shriekers may as rel sdre their 6reoih to cool
their porridge."
Wishing still further to emphasize his ap-
proyal of tho Slaye-code doctrine, as 1t Is un-
derstood by the Southern constructionists Of
the Kansas.N Nebraska bill, Smart, in the Free
Press of Nov. %, in giving q historical re-
sumo of the slavery question under tho Pierce
and Douglas regime, used the following Ian
guage:
"The merit question phieh arose wds the
construction of the Kansas Nebraska Bill
Southern men contendcd that, after all, the
Ier;slatures of the TERRITORIES had no power
to exclude slavery, and that the bill in that
sense was q fallacy: The Southern eon'tr,.o-
tion prevailed.
II was conceded by oil that ,rhen State
,cas ready 10 form a constitution, 1t had a
right to settle the slavery question fairly and
by an expression Of the people" Is,
That is jus: what Brcckinridgc and Lane
say to-day. They claim that the "Southern
construction Of the Kansls-Nebraska Bill
prevailed" and Smart was moro than two
years in advance Of them in making the dec
laration. In the same article he again incl.
dcntally assumes the southern construc-
ton" as the true and undoubtcd one. He
said
"Whcn the compromise measures passed.
tho Republicans told us 1t was cheat and
an act to propagate slavery. When the Mis-
souri, Compromise was repealed, they told us
it was another net to propagate slavery
When The Southern construction Of ne hdn-
sas bin pas aeguiesocd in we were told II was
for the purpose of propagating slavery"
Thus we find Ephnaim an advocate Of a
Judicial Slave-codo for the Territories less
than thrco years ago. No wonder that he
soon became the most forward and most
shameless Of the Lccompton conspirators.