The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1861-04-17

| ty.sevcnth parallel, giving to the South half
degree more than the Crittenden proposition.
| There stands your slave code in New Mexico
| protecting slavery up TO the thirtyseventh de-
gree as effectualy as laws can be made to pro.
tect it. There it stands, the law of the land.
Therefore, the South has all below the thirty.
seventh parallel, while Congress has not pro-
hibited slavery even north Of it.
Then, sir, repeat, if these southern
States, Kentucky included, are satisfied
with an equitable PARTITION the line of
So deg. 80 min., protecting slavery south
Of it, they have got it, and more too. If
they are satisfied with right to 90 into all
the Territories, and take slaves on an equal
footing with other property, they have that.
Instead, therefore, of not having either Of
the terms prescribed by the Senator from
Kentucky, Mr.. Breckenridge, the southern
complaint is there? In view of these facts,
| shall expect the Senator from Kentucky to
go back to his native State, and in the bril-
liant language Of oratory, which cannot
repeat, from every hilltop and in every val
ley, and upon every smiling plain, rejoice
that old Kentucky has at last got Justice
and equality" in the Territories of the
Union. So fur as legislation is concerned,
the Southern States have got all they ask
ed. The Republicans have granted it.
will not say that it has been extortcG, for
think they mad the conc ssion for the sake
of pcaco and union. II they did, they
should be sustained by their constituents
for so doing.
What more, then, is demanded I Simply
that a constitutional amendment shall be adopt.
ed, afirming-what ? Precisely what every
Par IN h,tl, ~ H.,
voted for within month. Just do 10y constitu-
tional amendment What you have voted in the
Senate and House of Representatives that is
all. Yoa are not even required to do that, but
merely to vote for a proposition submitting the
question to the people OF the States whether
they will make constitutional amendment af.
| frming the equitable partition of the Terrific.
ries, which the people may have already made
there. Why not fit was right for you to
sustain i: in the Senate, why is it not right for
you to permit the people to confirm it Ifyou
made no unworthy concessions in returning it
| upon the statute book, certainly you ought to
| allow them to ratily your act.
| You may ask, why does the South want US
to do it by constitutional amendment, when we
| have just done it voluntarily by law The
| President of the United States, in his inaugural,
has told you the reason. He has informed YOU
that all of these troubles grow out of the alb.
| sence of constitutional provision defining the
| power Of Congress over the subject Of slavery.
| Hence he recommends a national convention
| for the purpose of supplying such provision in
| tbs Constitution. Therefore. inasmuch as the
President of the United States is in favor of
constitutional amendment and recommends
national convention for that purpose. trust
| the Senator from Wisconsin will pardon me Tor
| saving that ! am in favor of constitutional
| amendment, too. He thinks the Constitution
| good enough as it is, and wants no amendment.
] Mr.. Lincoln does not agree with him. He
] thinks that the trouble has arisen from the alb
sence OF such a constitutional provision, and
suggests national convention to enable the
people to apply the defect, having the people
to say what is, instead of debating to them
| what it shall be. Now, inasmHch as we are to
have national convention to supply this &C.
knowedged defect in the Constitution, have
got COMPROMISE to propose to the Senators on
| that side OF the Chamber and it is this that
that constitutional amendment, as far as slavery
| in the Territories is concerned, shall legalze
| and confirm forever the exact equitable parti-
ton that now exists by law in the Territories,
and which you have sanctioned this year by
| your votes. Is not that fair Go for such 4
| constitutional provision, affirming what you
| have done, either by your positive action Or by
non.intention confirm the principle of the
the Nebraska bill, the compromise measures Of
| 1850, and there is an end of the controversy
! You all voted it into the Senate. Now allow
| the people to vote it into the Constitution
| Why not You aught to allow the people to
ratity and confirm what you have done. 1t will
be complimentary to you it will be a proud
Endorsement OF your patriotism, if, after you
| had the holiness to lead off and establish this
great principle in all the territory we now pos.
sess, the people row come forward with plau,
dts, with unanimous voice, and confirm what
you have done.
l trust, therefore, that we may assure Virgil
via, North Carolina. Tennessee, Kentucky, Ar
kansas, Missouri, and Maryland, that they have
obtained equality in the Territories not only
equality by law. bu. an equitable partition in
in fact that they have not only got the legal
right, but got the actual substance, the enjoy
men in fact of one.half degree more territory
than they claimed. This has been done by the
acquiescence il part and in part by the affirma-
tive votes of the Republican party. l give
them credit for it, and ask these slaveholding
States to do the Republicans the justice to be-
leve that they will stand by the principle of
the Colorado bill, at least until Congress meets
and they show the contrary do not believe
that they are ever going to depart from that
principle hereafter. They have seen that
departure from it could not be made with safe.
: ty to this Union and hence, rather than break
it up, they have made this concession. know
it was bitter pill for some others did it cheer
fully but it is done and now let us close this
drama, and, by unanimous vote, incorporate
that principle into the Constitution, and make
it perpetual and then you will have insured
the domestic tranquility, the equality, and the
safety of all the States, and have restored
peace, unity, and fraternity to the whole coun.
try.
4 Mr. WADE. do not want to occupy time
bu at the end of the peculiar and remarkable
speech of the Senator from Illinois, wished to
ask him one question. In as much as he has
commented SO much at large on the territorial
bills of the last session, desire to know why
it was that he moved reconsideration of those
bills, in order to substitute new bill for them,
! if they were exactly upon his principe 7
Mr.. DoueLAs. Mr. President, moved the
reconsideration for two reasons; first, because,
while the principles Of the bills, SO far as the
doctrine oil n-intervention and popular SOW
ereignty was concerned, were in the identical
language of tile Kansas Nebraska bill, there
had YET been change in the judiciary clause
> that did not like, and, second, because was
prepared to take step in advance, and allow
! the people to elect their own officers. 1t is true
] was prepared to take an advance step just as
, the Republican party caught up and trod on my
| heels but that does not show that they had moi
caught mp with me. But, SO far MS the doctrin
OF popular sovereignty and non-intervention il
concerned. the Colorado bill, the Nevada bill
and the Dakota bill. are idcntically the same
! with the kansas-N rbraska bill, and in its pre-
else language. hope the Senator is answered
IMPROVEMENT IN WESTERN BUsINEss On,
of the strongest indications that the Nortl,
west is getting fairly over the hard time
which have 60 long prevailed, is the fact tina
|. the Messrs, Fairbanks have sold here durn
0 nine or ten months past, nearly three times a