The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1909-11-10
SPEECH OF HENRY H. WILSON.
CONTINUED From Page ~


Court of the state held that this |
operated to abolish slavery.
In the convention that framed
the federal constitution in 1887,
there was much difficulty in deal
ing with the subject of slavery,
and the result was a compromise
between the North and the South,
one feature of which required the
return to their owners of slaves
escaping from one state to an
other, and another forbade the
prohibition of the African slave
trade until 1903. Meantime, pend
ing the discussion of this matter
in the convention, the Continental
Congress, July 13, 1887, passed
an ordinance for the government
of the region north and northwest
of the Ohio river, known as the
Northwest Territory" in which
slavery was prohibited. The
first Congress that met after the
adoption of the Constitution, by
unanimous vote, re-enacted this
ordinance, and the next Congress,
Ny q lCtl sc OllJyJ ShdCJSu
stringent fugitive slave law.
The conflict of opinions and in
terests thus arising from slavery
continued to agitate the country
for nearly three-quarters of CEN
tury. One after another, the
Northern States abolished slavery,
until seven of the original thirteen
New Hampshire, Massachusetts,
Rhode Island, Connecticut, New
York, New Jersey, and Pennsylva-
nia-had become free states, and
siX-Delaware, Maryland, Vir-
ginia, North Carolina, South Caro-
lima, and Georgia.-remained slave
states.
In 1871 the admission of new
states into the Union began.
Vermont was the first to apply.
She had in 1777, adopted a con-
stitution which, as to the future,
practically abolished slavery, and
in 1891, with population of about
$4,000, she had but seventeen
slaves. AS she was free state,
the South objected to her admis-
sion unless coupled with the ad
mission of new slave state. This
was agreed to by the North, and
the Territory of Kentucky, with
population of about $4,000, of
whom about 10000 were slaves,
was admitted as slave state.
Other States, both North and
South, were subsequently admit
ted, until, in 1919, there were
eleven free states and eleven slave
states. The free States added to
dates of the acts of Congress pro-
viding for their admission, were
Vermont, Feb. 18, 1871; Ohio,
January, 10, 1903; Indiana, Apr.
10, 1916; Illinois, April IS, 1918.
The slave states added were Ken
lucky, June 1, 1892; Tennessee,
June l, 1896; Louisiana, Feb. 20,
1911; Mississippi, March 1, 1917;
Alabama, March 2, 1919.
Thus far, in the admission of
new States, there had been little
ground for contention on the sub
ject of slavery. Vermont, four
teen years before her admission,
had by her state constitution pro-
hibited slavery. In the states
formed from the Northwest Ter
ritory-Ohio, Indiana, and Illi-
nois-slavery had been prohibited
by the Ordinance of 1887, adopted
by Congress without dissenting
vote. In the states erected from
the Territory south of the Ohio
Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama
and Mississippi-and in Louisi-
ana, slavery had existed from an
early day, when they formed
part of Virginia, the Carolinas,
Georgia, and the Spanish colonies.
Practically by common consent,
all had been admitted with their
existing status in relation to
slavery.
The question of restricting
slavery, upon the admission of new
states, first became a direct issue
upon the proposition to admit Mis-
souri, as slave state, introduced
in Congress on March 16, 1918.
1t remained under discussion for
about two years. During this per-
iod, Maine applied for admission.
Slavery had been abolished while
its territory formed part of Mass
achusetts, by the State Constitu-
tion adopted in 1880. The con-
troversy was finally disposed of by
an act approved March 3, 1920,
admitting Maine as a free State
from and after March 18th, and
adding a section to the enabling
act for Missouri, approved March
6, 1920, providing that in the terri
tory ceded by France to the United
States, outside the limits of the
new state, slavery should be for
ever prohibited north of SO de-
grees 80 minutes north latitude.
This settlement was described
as THE Missouri Compromise,
and it left the Union with twelve
free states, and twelve slave
states.
The admission of both free and