The Placer herald., 1863-05-30
Fa]sifvinU History.

/
United States by law. Those Territories were
then free. and he determined they should SO
remain. When Louisiana was acquired it was Il
slaveholding country, and Jefferson approved - il
we are not mstaken-the Missouri Compromise
of 1920, which in reality. divided the slave terri
tory of Louisiana, making all Of it north of the
line OF 80 free. In those days the opinions OF
Jefferson on slavery were not disguised.
Exchange.
The foregoing is taken from one of the
leading abolition daies of California
There is scarcely word of truth in it, and
yet it forms he basis Of long article, in
tended to convey the impression that Mr..
Jefferson wa, in favor of establishing the
political equality Of the negro with the
white races in America.
That the original draft Of the ordinance
of 1887, was drawn by Jefferson is not clear
but in that there was nothing about
excluding slavery from the Northwestern
Territory. That portion was afterward
added and from entirely different motives
than those ascribed by the abolitioniss.
1t does not prove that he "was in favor OF
excluding slavery from the territories of the
United States by law" for when this adden
da was made, it was held as the property OF
Virginia, and WAS received as such property
by,-tirst the Confcderacy, and subsequently
by the Government established under the
Constitution of the United States. Jeffer-
son never approved of the Missouri Compro-
mise. He retired from the Presidency in
1909, and in letters written by him at the
time, (lS20) to various persons he denoun
ces that measure in wholesale terms. To
John Adams he says: The Missouri ques-
ton is the most potentious one that ever
threatened the Union. In the gloomiest
moment of the Revolutionary war, | never
had any apprehensons equal to that felt
from this source.
The real question is,-are our slaves to
be presented with freedom and dagger?
For if Congress has the power to regulate
the conditions of the inhabitants Of the
States uithin the States, 1t aOiNbe but another
exercise of that power to declare that all be
free'
One would believe that he saw with pro,
phetic vision Lincoln's Emancipation Proc
amation. His opinions were not disguised
that is a truth, and about the only one
conveyed in the above extract.
Again he said of this compromise, in a
letter to Mr.. Holmes, dated April 22d, 1920,
This momentous question, like fire bell in
the night, awakened me and filled me with
terror. | considered it at once the knell OF
| the Union. 1t is ushed, indeed, for the
presen; but this is a repreye only, not q
final sentence. A geographical line, coin
Gliding with marked principle, moral aud
political, once conceived and held up to the
angry passions of men, will never be obit-
Grated; and every new irritation will mark
it deeper and deep'r.'
These extracts, with many others of like
import, will be found in Cluskey's Text
Book, p. $50, where every one can read fol
| themselves. There is however n peire o
| history il connection with Mr.. Jefferson
which it would be we'll for the aboitonists
to remember-viz: that he is the aut hor o
the Kentucky Resolutions, which they and
all the weak kneed tribe have been denoun-
cling recently as reasonable.