The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1860-03-13


not a capital but a Il person
What was the action of the fathers in Goa
gress They admitted tt. Lcw States of tie
? SOUTHWEST a. capital States. because il Va,
, practically impossible II DO otherwise. aud by
the Ordinance of l1s1. confirmed in 1889 the y
, provided for the organization and admission o
, of only labor States in the Northwest. They
! directed fUgitiveS from service to he restored
hot a. chattels. but as persons. They awarded
naturalization To immi grant free laborers and
they prohibited the trade in African labor
, This disposition of the whole subject was in
, harmony with the condition of society. and. in
the main, with the spirit of the age. The seven
Northern States contentedly became labcr
States by their own acts. The six Southern
States. with equal tranquility, and by their own
determination, remained capital States.
The circumstances which the fathers did not
clearly foresee were two. namely reinvigOra-
ton Of Slavery consequent on the increased
consumption Of cotton. and the extension Of
the national domain across the Mississippi, and
these occurred before 1870. The State of Lou
isiana, formed on a slavcholding French settle
inert. within the newly acquired Lousianian
Territory, had then already been admitted into
the Union. There Yet remained, howcs or. a
vast region which included Arkansas and Miss
our, together with the then Unoccuped and
even unnamed Kansas and Nebraska. AIkaI-
Sas. slaveh"ldinT community, was nearly
ready 10 apply and Missouri. another such
Territory. was actually applying tor admission
into the Federal Union. the existing Capital
States seconded these applications, and claimed
that the whole Iouisianian Territory was right
fully open to Slavery; and To the organization
OF future Slave States. The Labor States main
tanned that Congress had supreme legislative
powers within the domain and could and ought
to exclude Slavery there. The question thus
opened was one which related not at all to
Slavery in the existing Capital States 1t was
purely and simply national question wheth-
er the common interest of the whole Republic
required that Arkansas, N SSCuri Kansas and
| Nebraska. should become Captal States. with
all the evils and dangers ri slavery. or be La
bor States. with all the security, benefits and
blessings Of freedom. On the decision was sIs-
pended the question as was thought whether
ultimately the interior of this new continent
should be an asylum for the oppressed and the
exile, coming year alter year aud age after age
voluntarily from every other civilized land. "a
well "a for the children ot misfortune in our
own. or whether. through the renewal of the
African savc-tradc. those magnificent and lux
uriant regions should bc surrendered TO the
control of capital, wringug out the fruit OF the
| earth through the lmpOyerishing toll of negro
slaves.
/
question of 1850, so far a. principle and even
the field of its applicatioa was concerned
Every element OF the controversy now present
entered into it then; the richtiulness or the
wrongtulness of Slavery; its effects, present
and future; the Constitutional authority of Con-
| gress the claims of the States and of their
| citizens; the nature oc The Federal Union
whether it is a compact between The Stafos. or
an Independent Government; tHe spgig-- of
/ its powers. and the ligatyrc~ upon their cy,.r-
else. All these were discussed with zeal and
ability which have never been surpassed. His
/ tory tells uS. | know not how tIUlv. that the
! Union rcelcd under the vehemence of lat great
debate. Patriotism took counsel from prudence
and enforced a settlement which has proved to
! bc not a final one; and which. as is now seen.
practically lett open all the great political
i-sucs which were involved Missouri and Ar
kansas We're admitted as capital States. while
the labor obtained, as q reservation. the abridged
| Dut gee Compreneiisnc u"iI ~ hanSas aud Ne
braska.
Now, when the present conditions Of the va
rous parts of the Louisiana Territory are OBJ
| served. and we see that capital retains undi--
putcd possession of what Il then obtained while
labor is convulsing the country with so hard
and so prolonged a struggle TO regain the lost
equivalent which was then guaranteed to it un-
der circumstances of so great solemnity, We
may well desire not 10 H. undcceiVcd if the
Missouri C0mpromise was indeed unnecessarily
accepted by the Free States. influenced by eX-
aggcrations OF the dangers Of DisuniOn. The
Missouri debate disclosed truths OF great mo-
ment Tor ultcror use:
First That it iS easy to combine the capital
States in defense of even external interests
while il is hard to unite the labor States in 9
common policy.
Second: That the labor States have a matura
LOYALTY 10 the Union, while the capital State,
; have a natural facility for alarming that 10y
= atty by threatening Disunion.
Third: That the capital States do not practi
callv distinguish between legitimate and consti
mti0Eal resistance To the extension of SLAYER,
in the common Territories Of the Union an,
T unconstitutional aggression against Slavery es
tahlished by local laws in the capital States
D The early political parties were organize
. without reference TO Slavery. But since IS2C
: Europ an questions have lett Us practically un
d concerned. There has been a great increase q
a invention. mining, manufacture, and cultiva
i tion. Steam ON land and on water has quick
/, cned commerce. The press ard the telegrap
i have attained a prodgious activity. and the ST
l. cial intercourse between the States AMI thei
&c citizens has been immeaSurai,ly increased: anC
% consequently, their mutual relations atiectin
J. slavery have been. for many years. subjects
earnest and often excited discussion. 1t is in m
t. way only to show how such disputes have o.
-e Grated on the course of political events-not /
t. reopen them for argument here. There was
- slave insurrection in Virginia. Virginia an
y Kentucky debated. and, 10 the great sorrow
Il the Free States. rejected the system of vOlul
e tarv labor. The Colonization Society was Q
Y tablished with much favor in the capital State
a Emancipation Societies arose in tn Free State
n South Carolina instituted proceedings to nulli
re obnoxious Federal revenue laws. The capt.
to States complained of Courts and Legislator
- in the labor States for interpreting the constt
y tonal provision for the surrender of fugitiv
. from service So a. 10 treat them as person
ii and not property. and they Disseminated again
a. colored persons of the labor States when tn
w came 10 the capital States They denied,
le Congress. the right of petition. and embarras>
r. or denied freedom of debate on the subject
Id Slavery. Presses. which undertook the dcfen
er- Of the labor system in the capital States, we
Id suppressed by violence. and even in the lab
he States public assemblies convened to consd
M Slavery questions were dispersed by mobs ~
ID, pathizing with the capital States.
Pc The Wing party. being generally an oppo
IN tion party. pTacticed some forbearance iowa
be the interest Of labor. The Democratic par
c not without demonstrations OF dissent. was e
el, orally found sustaining the policy of capt.
i'm y disposition toward the removal of Slave
: from the presence Of the national capitol ;
led pelred in the District Of Columbia. Mr.. Y
me Buren. Democratic President launched pr
tn pective veto against the anticipated measu
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