Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1860-04-07

is power to prohibit commerce altogether, as was
fully settled in relation to the embargo. Congress
did regulate this matter in the Territories precisely
as they pleased. If the cotempornneous exposition
If the usages and practices, under the Government,
by those who made it, and, Immediately after its
formation, continued and persisted in, uniform in
It's ope.ation, can prove anything-and it seems to
me the best possible proof, when any doubt exists
as to the construction of a paper-then | say, it
Is clear Congress had and exercised the power,
both in the territory they owned at the time the
Constitution was adopted, and in that which they
acquired afterwards, either from any of the con-
federated States, or from foreign country. They
exercised this power Of regulating, curtailing, or
prohibiting, as they in their judgment believed to
be the best for the country.
such is the lesson of our experience as to how
TINS matter was originally settled. In the prog
ress of affairs, and in thus arranging for the Ter
rtorics and settling them peaceably, they brought
up State after State in perfect peace and success
and prosperity until, believe, fourteen States had
been admitted out Of those Territories, one-half
slave and one-half free they had grown up, I'M
der this patronage and this administration of the
General Government, in the full exercise Of this
power. In the progress of this history difficulty
was found in relation TO the State Of Missouri.
We had then large tract Of land utterly unset
tied the settlements in the Louisiana purchase
had commenced near the mouth Of the Mississippi,
and gradually proceeded up ; but large part Of
the Territory was entirely wilderness, and Con-
gress found themselves in difficulty ms to the ques-
tion Of slavery and freedom in that Territory.
What did they dol 1t occurred TO the mind at
once, t cannot be slaveholding and free territory
at the same time; we cannot have it both at once'
l can hardly conceive of any result that would
more naturally occur to the mind than to divide
it, II two men own field and one wants to sow
it with oats and the other with wheat, and they
cannot have oats and wheat together with any sue
cess, do not know any other way to get along
with it peaceably but to divide the field and then
it may be cultivated with mutual advantage. This
is an old lesson; it began very eary-I have had
occasion before to call attention to il, and will
again. "And Abraham said unto Lot, let there
be no strife, pray thee, between me and thee, and
between my herdmen and thy herdmen, for we be
brethren "If thou wilt take the left hand then
will go to the right; or if thou depart to the
right hand then will 60 to the left
This territory was devidcd; Missouri was ad-
mitted; the line Of 36 deg. 30 min. was run, and
1t was declared that shall be our division. Was
there anything wrong in that; Was there any
thing so extraordinary in it that should now 20
TO war with our fathers who made peace among
themselves by it, Is not their example worthy Of
limitations 1t certainly is by all those who really
desire peace; but if politicians and other men can
make themselves capital out of a constant turmoil
and trouble, suppose they will never agree to it.
Now, MIR. President what is the proposition of
the Republican partyi Nothing more nothing
less than to restore that line do not suppose
that those who obliterated it will render any as
sstance to again drawing it upon the surface of
the earth, but that is the propositions and that is
all there Is 10 it; for if say that slavery shall
not 60 into the Territories, it amounts to that for
there are no Territories for slavery to 60 into but
what are arranged, as things now are, to any ex-
tent, unless it is north Of the line. If we 90 no
further than that, we simply say you shall take
nothing by that vote that repealed il. That is ALL
Exclusion of slavery from the Territories, and
leave it unineriered with in the States where II
exists, as insisted on by the Republican platform,
is, in my estimation, but practically restoring the
Missouri compromise, and shall so call it in my
ramnrts
There may he other aspects of the question: but
really when we disembarrass it, strip it of its col
laterals and contingencies, and present it in its
practical light, there is all there is Of it. Is il
then one Of those subjects that call so loudly on all
parts Of the country, and especially on the South
for expressions Of execraton of us' 1t seems to
me not. There is not only nothing new in it, but
there is nothing Of the least apparent injustice in
that which has been once fully agreed to, and
think never should have been disagreed to.
MIR. Benjamin. / will not interrupt the Senator
from Vermont by question, if il embarrasses him
Mt all in the course of his argument; but | would
ask him if he attends referring, in the course Of
his remarks, to which am listening with great
interest, TO the fact that the whole South endeay-
orel, 10y every possible means-by remonstrance,
entreaty, and every other possible means-to get
the gentlemen who now compose the Republican
party to agree to just what that Senator says is
what they now want?
Mr.. Collamer. You mean to extend it to the
Pacific,
Mr. Benjamin Yes; to leave that line, not only
as a sacred line. established in 1920 but to ex-
tend it TO the Pacific; and the proposition now is
to put it back, after you have extended the free
States south of that line.
Mr.. Collamer What do you mean by that }
California?
Mr.. Benjamin. You took possession of a Terri
tory south Of the line; and after you have got
that, now you say, restore the line back again.
Mr.. Colamer. II the gentleman will be a little
patient, he will find that | shall not blink that
point at all; but do not understand it as he dc es.
| have, however, no desire to avoid it. | expect
to call attention to it. | said that, in my opinion,
that line should not have been oblterated. | can
not here but remark, in the first place, as to the
making of it. The gentleman from Virginia (Mr.
Hunter) in the of this session spoke of that
ms being n northern aggression; and he made a
discovery new to me, when he supposed the North
made the line. The truth is the South made that
line do not say that no northern men voted for
it. There were very few, enough, with the south
ern votes, to make majority; but the great body,
the majority, Of its supporters were southern men.
Ihey maze II. actually heard with astOnlsntnent
the honorable Senator from Virginia put that down
as one Of the northern aggressions. That is n new
discovery to me. To my mind, that is very much
like the man of whom heard during the Canadian
difficulties. who said he was willing go there
ard help the Canadians to fight the British any
time; and when asked why, he said, ''the British
are always peckng at somebody; at one time they
came into Boston and threw all our tea into the
harbor, and we have not got over that yet"
(Laughter.) | think this is about as new read
ing Of history as that. But sir, what purpose
had that compromise line answered? What had
the South got out Of i'll First the making of that
line admitted Missouri; il left Arkansas to be adj
mitted south of it, and left all the country that
could he formed into States anywhere south of sc
deg. 80 min, to be made slaveholding Territories
and so of course, slavehodng States. In the next
place the South wanted Texas; we know what for.
Undsguised was the object. Mr.. Calhoun Off
cialy, ms Secretary, of State, announced to tho
world that it was to be obtained to perpetuate slave
ry There was no disguise about that They
wanted that, How did they get it One among
the means by which they obtained it, was this
they provided that the line of SO deg. 80 min.
should be continued across Texas. know it would
not give much even if that had been kept. 1t did
not amount to great deal; but | shall have occa-
sion to refer to that again. Whatever was north
g II 4