The Portland daily press., 1862-08-13
The Constitution as il is, and the Union
as Il Was-NO. 4.

The Constitution as il is, and the Union
as ii was--No. 4.
6. After the compromisers had adopted the
measures of iniquity, which they called the
compromise measures, in 1850, they were un-
easy; conscience would not let them rest
conscience makes towards of us ALL" says
the poet. Banquo's ghost seemed to haunt
them So they passed another act or resolve,
that these compromise measures should be
like the laws of the Medes and Persians, un-
alterable; that they never should be repealed.
And In 1862, in entire disregard of the Fed
eral Constitution, they shamefully proclaimed
to the world that their acts of infamy should
never be abrogated or discussed. These hu-
initiating, degrading, slayish acts of the COM
promisers, emboldened the Shareholders to
strike for higher game, and in the end greatly
encouraged them TO commence the present
war. This was the sixth act in the drama
The Argus was found in the crowd upon the
arena, shouting, "Great is compromise great
is slavery! down with the agitators! let us
crush out free speechn
The Constitution wisely and cautiously ex-
cluded slavery from all our territories, and
rom all other places under the exclusive ma
tional jurisdiction. The language is plain, no
one need mistake it: "no person shall be de-
prived Of his liberty without due process of
law" To make assurance doubly sure, it had
been excluded, by an act of Congress in 1887,
from all the territories we then had which act
was confirmed after the adoption of the Con-
stitution. In clear violation of the Consttu-
tion the compromisers had maintained slavery
in part of the territories. In pursuance of
that policy, in 1920, they divided the terrific
ries on the line of SO deg. 80 min, North lati-
tude. Slavery was excluded by statute, North
of that line. In pursuance of their policy the
compromisers had first tolerated slavery in the
territories now constituting Tennessee, Miss
issippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Missouri, Arkan-
sas, and Florida, and then brought them in as
slave States. BY SO doing they greatly
strengthened the Shareholders, and encouraged
them to commence this war. But after the
humiliating. degrading, and slavish conces-
sions of the compromisers, in 1850, 81. and
'52, the Shareholders boldly claimed all the
territories for slavery.
In order that the shareholders might plant
slavery in Kansas, and all our other territories.
In 1854 the compromisers repealed the act of
1920, which excluded it North of SO deg. 80
min., North latitude They then induced the
five slayeholding Judges on the Supreme Bench
In the matter of Dred Scott, to travel out of
the case, and pervert the very words of the
Constitution, by declaring that our charter of
liberty carries slavery into all our territories,
and that there is no power anywhere to ex-
clude 1t! This emboldened the shareholders,
beyond all former concessions.
They entered Kansas, took possession of the
ballot boxes, and excluded large portion of
people from voting. By means of superior
physical force, and fraudulent returns they
elected a set of delegates to frame Constitu-
ton, most of whom did not reside in the terri
tory. They fraudulently elected delegates,
and made pro-slavery Constitution for the
people of Kansas. They refused to allow the
people to pass upon said Constitution, or the
question Of slavery. The compromisers en-
deavored to force Kansas into the Union as a
State, with this pro-slavery Constitution,
against the wishes of seven eights of the peo-
pie. The Argus supported this scheme of ni-
guilty. Douglas united with the Republicans
In resisting it, The Argus rebuked him as an
opponent Of Mr.. Buchanan's administration.
Now each and every one of the foregoing
schemes ofthe compromisers strengthened and
encouraged the shareholders to commence this
war. The Argus was the constant supporter
of all these measures of the compromises.
The politicians who engineered these meas
ures and carried them through, did it under
the plea or compromise, deluding the people
with theidea, that they were necessary to save
the Union. They called themselves compro-
misers, but there was very little in the mea-
sures, emitting them to the name.
In 1920, when they determined to bring in
Missouri, as slave State, they put into the
statute prohibition of slavery in the terrific
ries north of 36 deg. 80 min. North In ls4s
when the time come to settle those territories,
they removed that prohibition. If there was
any thing of compromise in this, there was
nothing in it of honesty nor honor.
In 1888, when they enacted the compromise
horizontal tariff, the only element of COM
promise conceded by the traitors, was that
the duties should be reduced gradually, and
that the tariff should not become horizontal
until the year 1872
1t was provided in the articles for the An
nexation OF Texas, that four more States might
be formed out of her, and admitted into the
Union, and that the States, formed out of Tex