The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-03-23
SOME HISTORY nEcALLED.

! the following editorial which we re- produce entire, partly because of its plain presentation of the situation and partly because of some references which it contains: M Is Speaker Joseph G. Cannon anxious 1 to perpetrate an act Tn hls oiu ase | that will hand his name doWn 70 ms | tory associated with worse iegisla- tive outrage than that attempted py the 1 Kansas Nebraska bill of ls5A! l The omnibus statehood bill Is really worse in principle than the terms or the Kansas-Nebraska measure, because. while that enactment had the infamous intention of delivering free territories | inhabitants the right to choose between freedom and slavery, and as matter | of fact they chose freedom. The House against their will, irrevocably and for l ever, a free American people to the | domination of an alien element. 1 And this proposition is by no means l the whole of the outrage. To accom- plish the unnatural union between l Arizona and New Mexico, Speaker Can | non makes a club of the universal de- l sire that .Oklahorna shall be admitted. 1 He rendefs 1t impossible to let in this 1 important community, which already | stands side by side with the States or | the American Union in population and intelligence. without the consummation | of sn inexcusable outrage upon the people of Arizona
 The worst of the case Is that no 1 public defense can be made for the l proposition. No serious attempt, so far as we have seen. has been made to excuse excuse . if. |, simply represents psens,an so so much mere dragooning for the sake of dragooning, without a particle of support in any popular demand any l where.
 It is time to speak plainly on this matter. The Republican party name has been taken in yain Tn the attempt l to force this outage through as an administration measure. The purpose should be abandoned forthwith. It Is | too late in the day for the Republican | party to take up the methods of that | border ruffianism which 1t was organ | ized to defeat.
 | To majority of readers reference to an event of more than half cen tury ago conveys little meaning, yet 1 there are some who will remember it as forming one of the most stirring l episodes of the past century. The Kansas Nebraska BilI' was to a great extent the beginning of the struggle which culminated In the great war between the States and sounded the death knell of slavery on the conti | nent.
 
 Southern men of all parties. and of a great many Northern ones. especial ly among the Democrats. that slave owner had the same right to carry his slaves into a Territory, that he had to carry property of any other kind, and that 1t was the duty Of the Federal government to protect that property as long as the territorial condition ex- isted. The abolitionists denied this, and the result was the enactment in 1854 of the Kansas Nebraska Bill un-. der which the people of the twp Ter ritorfes were to vote on the question of slavery. *.
 Then began the struggle which meant so much for those engaged in it. A great many Southern men had gone in to the two Territories and carried their slaves with them. On the other side the abolitionists had rushed thousands of emigrauts into the country to coun- teract the pro-siavery movement. On one side the SoptherneFs had both sen timent and property at stake, and on the other the sentiment of abolitionlsm was on trial. It is needless to enter into detiais of the struggle. For years the two Territories witnessed such scenes of violence, election frauds, in- limitation at the polls. false returns and military control as had never been known In our government. Wheth CT the real sentiment of the people was ever expressed may De considered doubtful. but in the end abolitionism won and slavery was forever shut oug
 When paper like The Mail de- clares that the omnibus Statehood bill, in so far as 1t refers to Arizona and New Mexico. 'Is really worse in prin | ciple than the terms of the Kansas-Ne braska measure' 1t just about express es the limit of it's condemnation, for to such a newspaper 1t IS difficult for anything to be more objectionable than the famous bill of 1854. And yet The Mail Is correct, for the attempt to force Arizona and New Mexico into a union with each other has nothing to excuse 1t. As The Mail says, mo public de- fence can be made for the proposition It might be added that no other kind | of defence Is possible.
 But 1t Is amusing-and almost pathe- tlc---to note how The Mail tries to put all the blame on the Speaker and none Cn the President. It knows. as all others know. that the bill as It passed the House was Roosevelt measure. that the Speaker Is under the domina- tion of Roosevelt and that he whipped the bill through by order of his boss. It The Mail keep It's history straight. --~-o-s-----
 The fact that it is being frequently pointed out that Gov. Pattison of Ohio has a fine opportunity to show his in- dependence shows, says the Cincinnati Enquirer that the whole country is 1 looking upon the Ohio situation with eager expectation--at least with more than curiosity We are in the ! midst of an iudependent reform rnovn-