The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1909-11-10


might desire, and slavery to be |
prohibited in the portion north of
that line. No movement, however,
for such division has ever been
undertaken; and Texas was the |
last slave state admitted into the
Union.
The annexation of Texas in
volved us in a war with Mexico,
which opened in May, 1846. In
August following, with a view to
compensating Mexico for the ter
ritory in dispute, a bill was in
troduced in Congress appropriate
ing $2,000,000 for that purpose.
After consultation among anti
slavery members, David Wilmot,
of Pennsylvania, moved to add o
proviso that as an express and
fundamental condition to the ac-
QUESTION of any territory from
Mexico, slavery should never exist
in any part thereof. This, which
was known as the "Wilmot Pro-
viso," passed the House, but fail
ed in the Senate. In 1S48 it was
again introduced in the House as
a separate resolution, but was laid
on the table.
Wisconsin was admitted as a
free State in 184S, and California
in 1850.
The admission of California was
opposed by the South, unless
coupled with the admission of a
new slave State, to be erected
from part of Texas. The contro-
versy was finally settled by what
is known as "the Compromise of
1850" The principal features of
this compromise were the admis-
sion of California as u free state;
the organization of all territory
acquired from Mexico, not includ-
ing California, into the Terri
tories of New Mexico and Utah;
the payment of $1O,O0O,OOO to
Texas for the abandonment Of her
claims to New Mexico; more
stringent fugitive slave law; and
the abolition of the slave trade in
the District of Columbia, but
without interference with the ex-
istence of slavery there.
In 1854, the Territory of Kan
sas was organized, and, through
the influence of the south, in or
der to permit the introduction of
slavery into that Territory, the
Missouri Compromise was repeal
ed. The great majority of the act
ual settlers in the Territory were
northern men, who desired to es-
tablish a free state. But when
the Territorial elections were held,
beginning in 1855, mobs of pro-
slavery men from Missouri took
possession of the polls and elected
all the pro-slavery candidates.
A contest arose between the free
State men and the slave state
men, marked by bloodshed and
outrage, in which the Free State
men were the chief sufferers,
which lasted for several years,
and ended with Kansas as free
State.
The repeal of the Missouri Com
new political party, which took
the name of Republican" 1t
disclaimed any intention of in
terfering with slavery where it
already existed, but declared it's
purpose to oppose the extension
of slavery into territory north of
the Missouri Compromise line.
The Republican party in 1856
nominated John c. Fremont for
the Presidency. James Buchanan
was nominated by the Democratic
party, and ex-President Fillmore
by the Whig and American, or
"Know-Nothing" parties. Buch-
anan was elected by a plurality
of nearly half a million over FIRE.
mont, but failed to receive a ma
jority of the popular vote. FIRE.
mont received no votes in the
South, except an aggregate of
LIZA in Kentucky, Maryland, Del
aware and Virginia; and Fill
more carried Maryland.
In 1859, the country was startl-
ed by an attempt to liberate the
slaves in northern Virginia, by
John Brown, who had been
prominent Free State" man dur
ing the Kansas troubles, and had
become fanatical in his opposition
to slavery. On the night of Sun
day, October 10th, with eighteen
men, besides himself, he seized the
government armory at Harper's
Ferry. But he was hemmed in by
Virginia and Maryland militia,
reinforced by ninety marines from
Washington; and after a sharp
contest Brown and the survivors
of his party, seven men altogeth-
er, were captured. They were
soon afterward tried, convicted,
and executed. Governor Wise, of
Virginia, was appealed to by many
of the representative men of the
north to pardon them, but without
effect. The logic of the situation
required that Brown and his as
sociates be executed, or slavery
abolished; and they were hung,
that slavery might be preserved.