The Portage County Democrat. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1860-03-14

~ nOt hI'oo anO GAG 10 oegin Llere It's ecdieSS b
beneficent task. The fathers authorized Go
9 gress to make all needfal rnles and reguIatio
:" concerning the management and dispositi
OF the public lands, and TO admit new Stats
30 the Constitution, while it does not affe
D or disturb the system of capital in slaves, e
', lstlng IN any State under its own laws. does.
!. the same time, recognize every human bein
d when within any exclusive sphere of FEEDER
Jurisdiction, not as capital. but as person.
What was the action of the fathers in Coz
d gressf They admitted the new States of th
e South west as capital States, because it wa
fpracticaily impossible to do otherwise, and b
;, the ordinance of 1887, confirmed in 1888 the
2 provided for the organization and admission
OF only labor States in the Northwest The
] directed fngitives from service to be restored
not as ehattels. but as persons They award
ed naturalization to immigrant free laborers
, and they prohibited the trade in African Ia
Dor. This disposition of the whole subj &C
Il was 10 harmony with the condition of society
and in the main with the spirit of the age
4 The seven Northern, States eontentetilV be
came labor States by their own acts The sis
Soothern States. with equal tranquility and
by their own determination, remained capital
States. 4 ....'.. 20
The circumstances which the fathers did not
clearly foresee were two, namely: the reinvig-
foration of slavery consequent on the increased
consumption of cotton, and the extension of
the national domain across the Mississippi,
and these occurred before 1920. The State
OF Louisiana formed on q slaveholding French
settlement. within the newly acquired Louis.
anian Territory, had deem already admitted in
to the Union There yet remained, however.
vast region which included Arkansas and
Missouri. together with the then unoccupied
and even unnamed Kansas and Nebraska
Arkansas.a slaveholdiDg community, was near
y ready TO apply. and Missouri, another such
Territory. was actually applying for admission
INTO the Federal Union. The existing capital
states seconded these applications, and claim
60 That the whole Louisianian Territory was
rlg6ifdlly open to slavery, and to the organi
"a ion of future slave States. The labor States
maintained that Congress had supreme legis
latIve power within the domain, aud could and
ought to exclude slavery there The question:
tnus oper ed was one which related not at all
10 slavery IN the existing capital States. It !
was purely ana simply national question,
whether the common interests Of the wbola
Republic required that Arkansas, Missouri.
Kansas, and Nebraska, should become canitaiI
States with all the evils and dangers of sIay
vi
benefits, and blessings. of freedom. .rOa the
decision was suspended the question. as was
thought, whether ultimately the interior of
this new continent should be an ASYLUM for
the oppressed and the exile, CO ming year after
year and age after age, voluntarily from every
other civilized land, as well as for the children
OF mlsiortue in our own or whether, through
the renewal of the African slave trade, those
magnlncent and iuxuriant regions should be
surrendered to the control of capital, wringing
Dut the fruits oil the earth through the impov Il
srIshng toll OF negro slaves. That question
OF lo20 was identicaly the question Of 1860 |,
10 1ar as principle. and even. the field of its /,
application, was concerned Every element of
me contro gersy now present entered it then:
he rlghtfulness or the wrongfulness of slavery:
Is effects present and future; The constitu :
ional authority of Congress; the claims of :
ne States, and of their citizens; the nature of !
ne Federal Union, whether it is a compact }
'etween the States. or an independent Gov. r
rnment; the springs of its DO 1ers, and the
lgaiures upon their exercise All these were 4
discussed with zeal and ability which have ney. / .
r been surpassed. History tells us, / know q
OF how truly, that the Union reeled under f
ne vehemence of that great debate. Patriot | +,
'm took counsel from prudence, and enforced C
settlement which has proved to be not final a
ne; and which, as is now seen, practically left
pen all the great political issues which were r.
lyolyed. Missouri and Arkansas were admit a
I'd as capital States, while labor obtained, as a
reservation, the abridged hut yet compre 10
ensiVe held of Kansas and Nebraska. Ec
Now, when the present conditions of the 7
ailous parts OF the Louisianian Territory are lo
oserved. and we see that capital retains un lo
,sputed possession OF what it then obtained c,
! h'ie labor is convulsng the country Rith so
ara and SO prolonged q struggle to regain S
ne lost equivalent which was then guaranteed Il
It It under circumstances of so great solemni- O.
!, we may well desire not to be undeeeiyet] /,
the Missoarfeompromise was indeed unnec Il
'sarily accepted by the free States inf fenced 81
exaggeraiiens of the dangers of disnnion. f.
he Missouri debate disclosed truths of great nj
oment for ulterior use: Iw
First. That 1t is easy to combine the can IN
al States in 6cienceeof even external inter r,
u.s. while it is hard to unite the labor States q
a-cpmmons policy. ., yrr, -,-, v----yF \,
Second. That the labor States have a nat. ii
raj loyalty to the Union. while the capital IN
tafes have natural facility for alarming that 4;
yalty by threatening disuniou. !.
Third That the capital States do moi or
'actlcally distinguish between legitimate and o,
institutional resistance to the extension ofl ~
avery IN the common Territories of the uni 70
Q, and unconstitutional aggression against fr,
avery established by local laws in the capital of
tates a A-S-4 Azs7I-'a :. "a u.
The early political parties were organ. no
ed without reference to slavery. But q,
nee 1870, European questions have left us ";
'acticaly uucorcerned.l There has been y;
'eat increase of invention, mining, manufac- co
re. and cultivation. Steam on land and on on
ater has qnickened commerce TIE press ab
I'd the telegraph have attained prodigious tn
tlvlty, and the social intercourse between an
e States and their citizens has been immeas O.
aoly increased; and consequently, their nat let
al relations affecting slavery have been, for do
any years. subjects Of earnest and often cyl tn,
led discussion. 1t is in my way only to show mr.
w much disputes have operated on the polk
icai course OF events-not TO reopen them er,
argument here. There was slave insur- dn
ction IN Virginia. Virginia and Kentucky bo
oated' and to the great sorrow of the free tiv
ates' rejected the systemof voluntary labor. be
le Colonization Society was established with inc
lch favor 10 the capital States. Emaneina- 1o Do
N societies arose in the free States. South trv
lroliDa instituted proceedings to nullifv oh 40
xious Federal revenue laws. The capital 30,
ates complained of Courts and Legislatures "a, .
tue labor States for interpreting the con- res
!: provision for the surrender of fu- of
yves rom service SO as to treat them az Or;
and not property, and they discrimi- In
"eu against, eolored persons of the labor
a.es, ,n Wnen they came to the capital States. ala
,sy uenleo 10 Congress, the right of petition, Sta
g embarrassed or denied freedom of debate ne,
tne snolect OF slavery. Presses. which an an
oerlook- me defence of the labor system in do,
: ., eapltal states, were suppressed by vio- bo,
az .cmhi;ao Gsa even 10 the labor States public tai