The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-05-31
TRIBUTE TO DEAD
CONTINUED from Fourth page)

a
to cede the Northwest territory came
before the continental congress. sitting
in New York at the same time the con-
stituuonal convention was in session in
Philadelphia. This territory belonged to
the North Atlantic States. and com
prised what is now Ohio, Indiana. Hi
nois Michigan. Wisconsin and a part of
Minnesota The proposition contained a
similar provision. That neither slavery
nor Involuntary servitude. except as the
punishment for crime whereof the party
shall have been duly convicted, shall
ever exist in said territory" and this
provision was carried with but a single
dissenting vote Thus before our con-
stitution received its final form in Sep
TENDER. I7S7. these two sections OF the
country had been impressed with two
opposing systems: the one section dedi-
Gated 10 freedom and the other section
dedicated to slavery.
\ few years later the mad and des-
perate career OF Napoleon Bonaparte. as
Il were by chance. favored the South
and its peculiar institution. and in 1893
the Louisiana territory was added ex-
tending the western boundary TO the
crest OF the Rocky mountains
of the thirteen original States, seven
were free and six were slave; and 10
preserve the balance Of power new States
were admitted from the two sections
in pairs. Louisiana being admitted alone
20 balance the extra free State Of the
North Vermont ana Kentucky, Ohio
and Tennessee. Indiana and Mississippi,
Illinois and Alabama Maine and Mis-
sour, Michigan and Arkansas, Iowa and
Florida: so that when President Polk
vas inaugurated in lS45. Of the twenty
eight States then comprising the Union,
half were free and half We're slave. IN
1929 the line between free and slave terri
toy had been made definite and certain
T. the Missouri compromise giving al
territory south of the southern line OF
Missouri 70 slavery. apd all territory
north Of that line 10 freedom
The Missouri compromise was effected
as a hnality. as a settlement Of the ques-
ton which had even then become yexed:
but the real balance OF power was soon
disturbed. for the North was outgrowing
the South in numbers. in power, and in
wealth: and in 1880 the whole question
was again opened. and in order TO admit
California as a free State. the territories
OF Utah and New Mexico were organized
open TO slavery. This in effect removed
the line dividing the free and the slave
sections of the country.
But the question would not remain
quiet or settled. and in 1854 the Kansas
Nebraska act. formally repealed the Mis-
souri, compromise. and opened this terri
tory 10 slavery. In 1851 the bred Scott
decision held that neither a negro nor
any Of his descendants could be a citizen
OF the United States. and that any con-
gressionaI restriction Of slavery in the
public domain was unconstitutional
few days before Mr.. Lincoln was inau-
gurated as President the final act in
this direction was consumated, and the
territories of Colorado, Nevada and Da-
kota were organized open TO slavery.
Thus when Abraham Lincoln took the
oath Of office on the 4th of March, 1861.
slavery existed in the Southern States by
provision of law. and was admitted to
all the public domain by congressional
enactment and judicial construction.
These active aggressions of slavery and
the slave power were bitterly opposed by
many in the North; their numbers in
creased. and Lincoln voiced the growing
sentiment when he declared in June, 1855,
before the Illinois State convention:
a house divided against itself can
not stand l believe this government
cannot endure permanently half slave
and half free. 1 do not expect the Union
t. be dissolved. do not expect the house
e. fan. but I do expect it will cease to
be divided. It will become all one thing.
he rT1rS
Of slavery will arrest the further spread
r. 81 and place il where the public mind
ahaI rest in the belief that it is in the
course o- ultimate extinction, or its adj
vocates VIII push it forward till it shall
become alike lawful in all the States.
Old as well as new, North as well as
South.
-Four months later Senator Seward
at Rochester declared that the two sys-
tens had produced an irrepressible con-
fict between opposing and enduring
forces. Thus far the advantage had
been with the South; all the territory
organized and unorganized was open 10
the issue was clearly drawn;
the institutions Of the North or the in
stitltions Of the South must become ma
tional Which should it be?
,.T71e cause Of the Civil war was siar-
e-s-. the occasion was secession Of the
States. and the purpose was political
poyycr. The golden circle drawn in the
aree,ns OF the most aggressive, with its
center Of Havana. was 10 include vast
territory: its government was - be
bliit upon the cheap unreqUited labor OF
the slave. and rs power WAS 10 be eN-
ercised relatively by the few. and 81
gantic preparations were made foT the
esta blishment OF this new government
among the nations II the world
.Under the Articles OF Confederation
the government was compact, 4 league
C States. Under the constitution dif-
ferent government was formed but this
vas not acknowledged or taught by all
when the Alien and Sedition laws were
passed strong protest was made. and
tha Kentucky legislature adopted reSo-
buttons drafted by Thomas Jefferson. and
the Virginia legislature adopted resolu-
tions drafted by James Madison. assert
ire the right OF notification and posi-
b. secession. Notification went down
before Webster and Jackson. but seccs-
sion was attempted in the closing hours
Of james Buchanan. and the outgoing
administration was powerless before the
gathering storm
At this time all parties admitted the
security Of slavery in the states where
II existed and the conflict came over its
introduction into new and unoccapiea
territory. The conflict had been wagins
in Kansas for I'VE years; the free State
men had won. and Kansas was knocking
for admission into the Union with a free
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