Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1861-03-08
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NO. 81


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4. 4. NO. 81
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pie Of the United States. say, then, that
every particle Of sovereignty which kbt one
Of those thirteen original States has to-day,
was derived through the Union, and from no
other source whatever. The allegiance which
they once owed to the mother country waA
transferred to the United States; and they
owe their allegiance to-day 70 the United
States. F ra.o ~ az s.s
Now, I submit, il We shall consent to th;s
dismembcrmcnt, and acknowledge their indie.
pendence Of this United States Government,
how know We but that England may claim
to have some interest ii these abacoud-
ing Statess Why, sir, one Of the,conditiora
Of the treaty, which acknowledged our indc.
pendence was that the navigation Of the Mis-.
sissippfshouldb be forever free. How know
we, If the independence Of the States which
have gone out shall be acknowledged, but
that France or Spain may have something 70
say in reference to that matter, because thsy
too, have an interest in the navigation Of tlis
Mississippi rivery They may claim that
their sovereignty rcattaches, because their
ccssion was made to the United States Of
America. Think you that England is going
to consent to any serious interruption Of her
trade and commerce with the people living
upon The head waters Of that great strcam
Will she consent that colony Of frecbooters,
to call them by more opprobrious. spithct,
shall exercise control over the mouth Of that
quish its jurisdiction commend these
considerations to the attention Of al whom it
may concern. tsg ssats- f,4.
| Now, what Is lie ptetext for this crusade
against the Union, which, I must be permit.
ted to say, is one Of the most reasonable and
wicked undertakings ever projected against
this or any other Government, and which
honestly believe deserves, and will receive,
the just judgment Of Heaven upon the heads
Of its guilty authors9 What Is the pretextr
That a party has succeeded in electing .
President Of the United States--a party that
believes in the ancient policy Of restricting
slavery in territories. There Is no claim Of
right to interfere with or attack slavery in
the States. Such design is,,expfessly dis;
claimed and condemned by all parties. But
in reference to the common domain, We are
IN favor Of the ancient policy. Our opponents
ask US to consent to incorporate into the Con.
stitution new guarantees which shall reverse
the past action Of the Government, and II
We do not, they threaten to break up the Got.
ernment.
Let me call the attention Of the gentlemen
to the condition Of the Territories when We
formed this Constitution. From the North
western Territory, out Of which has been
carved SO many States, slavery was excluded
by the act Of the Government. That rcstric-
tive policy was adopted before the Constitu.,
ton. Who consented to It? The people OF
Virginia. Tho statesmen Of Virginia Of that
day sanctioned that policy. If at that day
they saw no good reason for not consenting
to the ratification Of the Constit ition merely
because slavery was not protected or guarar.
tied In the Territories Of the United States,
why should such guarantee and protection be
made condition for the continuance OF the
Union nowl The ordinance Of 1857 exclu-
d:d slavery from the Northwest. Tho new
Constitution did not remove the restriction.
and nobody then thought that it should. A
Constitution g,,arantying the right TO extend
slavery into Territories would then have been
rejected by men Of all parties. I sec no good
reason for changing that policy. fs
Virginia ccded the Northwest Territory 10
the United States, and She had a special fcA-
son for agreeing to the exclusion Of slavery
thercfron. We had just emerged from that
revolutionary struggle in which she had madN
great sacrifice. She had become impovcrish.
ed by the sacrifices made to achieve our lib.
critics Many old Virginia families. with
numerous progeny growing up around them,
impoverished by the burdens Of the Revolu-
ton, looked to the Northwest AZ a feld for
enterprise upon which their offspring, fc3tcd
in refinement, might retrieve their broken
fortunes At home, "labor was despised be.
cause performed by slavcs," as Mr. Nilsson
expressed it; and with the ycarning tender.
ness Of mother Virginia determireu IL. To-
deem that territory from the blight Of slays
labor, regarding it as the heritage Of hef own
children. Gg fs gsf,{g ~ gag9d
1t is such policy and such an example
which the Republican party oftoday propose
to emulate and follow. tssfb 8sA
Mr.. Hammond said truthfully III IN ad.
dress to his constituents, made At Beech
Island, in 1858, that---s.., f,.-,.f.,.,,,.
..All the measures ofwhich the Soiith COM
plains she herself inaugurated. III that mat.
ter Of slavery, Washington and Jefrrson set
the evil cxamplc-the North have Borrowed
it from thcm." ,Is5... .ts
+ Now, passing from that period ,of out his.
tory and coming down to 1920, there Is an.
other signal instance in which The power Of
Congress to exclude this institution from H.
Territories Was asserted, and the people ofthe
South themselves acquiesccd in the exercise of
that power, because that was The aet Of the
South.
Passing from that time and over other acts
intervening, We como down 70 lS46, when
VIC acquired Texas. One of.the very condi-
tions upon which she was annexed to this
Union and became ono Of the States, u found
in these identical words: $50 BaE ~
Sand In such State or States pi,all be formed or
Of said territory north Of sale Missouri SoIronse line
slavery. myoiuntasy ssrvituds lsxcsps fet esmej
shall be prohibited"
That was Southern measure, chdbrsedby
Calhoun in 1s45, and the grent measure Of
tho Democratic party. texas ratie into tbs
Union upon an express rccoRtiitioi Of pow
or in the Congress Of the United States to ex.
cludc this institution. not only from the Ter
ritories, but from her own limits; ans! not .
voice was raised against it., It was South.
ern measure /; aud the resolution was framed
by Southern man.
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