The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-05

NAL to Congress of all power to inter-
fere with the slave trade between slave.
holding states. This bill was made a law
The fugitive slave law, provided Thar RIM
away slaves might be claimed by their
owners in any state; it also directed Unit
ed States officers to aid the slave owners
in recovering their slaves.
A struggle began between the North and
South for supremacy In Kansas There
were frequent collisions between the free
and slave factions, and finally the Presi
dent sent troops to queH the riots. The
slave faction was victorious. In 1857. The
Supreme Court rendered its decision in the
Dred-Scott case. bred Scott was a slave
owned by DR.. Emerson of Missouri While
acting in the capacity of a surgeon in
the United States army, DR.. Emerson. re-
sided for several years in Illinois. which
was free state. He carried his slave
with him and upon his return to Missouri
he sold Scott TO Mr.. Sanford of New
YORK Sanford was sued by Scott, and
the latter was declared free by the State
Circuit Court of Missouri, on the ground
That as he had resided in a free state
he had secured his liberty Sanford car
ried the case to the State Supreme Court
and the decision of the Circuit Court was
reversed. Scott, who claimed he was a
citizen of Missouri, instituted proceedings
in the Federal Circuit Court, but as the
case was between citizens of different
states, that Is, if Scott was considered a
citizen, the case could only be tried in the
United States Court. 1t was finally car
ried TO the United States Supreme Court
for a decision.
The court, consisting of nine Justices
declared that no African, whether free or
slave, could be a citizen of a state. or of
the United States, and that Scott upon
his return to Missouri had again become
slave. The court, thinking that it in
VOWED Missouri pr,ntc
cred it also. That compromise was declar
ed unconstitutional, on the ground thar
the Louisiana territory was common prop
erty and that Congress had no right to
discriminate against any state The de-
cision was rendered in the hope that II
would allay the political excitement. by
settling this question, but instead of de-
creasing the danger, it increased it by add
ing fuel to fire. II was now apparent
to the anh-slavery element, that all
branches of the government were opposed
to il.
Great excitement had been produced IN
the North by the bred Scott decision. John
Brown counter balanced the excitement in
the North by trying 10 free the slaves.
lie was n half-crazy fanatic, who thought
ii was his duty to overthrow slavery, and
all of his sons were like him. Brown and
a few friends conceived a plan of liberat
ing and arming the slaves. With the idea
y
the arsenal at Harper's Ferry, Va, in
October, 1889. In all, the band numbered
less than two Dozen and in trying to es
cape most of them were killed. and the
rest captured by Col. Robert E. Lee, with
n few United States troops
The people of the South believed that
this was the beginning of a plot in the
North to incite negro rebellion in the
South This belief greatly increased the
bitter feeling. because the people feared
that Republican President, if elected.
would aid such plot. The Republican party
under Lincoln, said that slavery was a To-
cal institution, and owed its existence 10
state laws also that il had no rights In
the territories, and that Congress should
prohibit its extension. One wing of the
Democratic party contended that Congre, a
should protect all property in the terrific
rles, slaves included. This was based Oh
the decision of the Supreme Court.
The Second Democratic party declared
its willingness TO abide by The Supreme
Court decision, yet they adhered TO the
"squatter sovereignty" doctrine The North
went into the campaign with the distinct
understanding that If they got In power
they would no longer tolerate slavery The
South knowing this, resolved to secede If
Lincoln was elected, as the Republicans
would then pursue a course that was def
rimental to the South. In Buchanan's
message to Congress- in December. 1850 he
JUSTIFIED the action or the Southern states
There were several attempts 10 compro-
mise, but none of them were of any avail
The South claimed that the constitution
had been broken by the North and
thought as Daniel Webster said "An
agreement cannot be broken on one side
and then be binding to the other" II the
Southern people had not believed that
there was neither peace nor safety for the
South in the union. they could never have
been induced to resort to secession. The
majority Of the Southerners had come to
tiae conclusion that peace with two govern
nients was better than a union of discord-
ant states. Gordon w. Haiues,
Savannah. Ca, May 2s, 1898.