Speech of Hon. Benjamin Stanton, of Ohio, in the House of representatives, April 23, 1856, on the power of congress to exclude slavery from the territories.

8
within it; and Congress could do the same in relation to ry exists, rugged toil carries social degradatio
its Territorial Governmenis, because over thein wepossess the
iCld infamy with it. The sons of the farmers of
wvhole power of sneesicipol legislation
On the 28th of January, 1820, o Mr. Van Dyke, Ohio will not go into Kansas, and cultivate their
of Delaware, made a speech in the Senate on the own fields with their own hands, if the adjoining
of Delaware, made a speech in the Senate on the
issouri restrictn in wh he fields on the other side of the hedge are cultivated
Missouri restriction, in which he said:
Missour restrc by slaves under the lash of the task-master. The" If Congress were now makin-g rules and regnlasions
mechanics of New England will not go into Kar
respecting the "Territories, this clause would suopport tlhe hcs of Ne gand will not go into Ka
claim of power." sas and work in company, or in competitiot
On the 26th of January, 1820, Mr. S. Smith, with their neighbor's goods and chattels.
of Maryland, made a speeeh on the Missouri New England carpenter, who ought to hav
restriction in the House of Representatives, in $1,000 for building a house which would ce:
which he said: him six months hard labor, cannot come in co''I-le considered lhe power of Congress over the Terri petition with a man who can buy a carpenter,
tory as supreme and inlimited before its admissiol; that body and soul, for $1,200 or $1,500, have his
Con res; could imposte on its Territories nlly restrictiols house built, and then sell him again for the same
it thoaght proper; andt the people, when they settled there
in, did so ulnder a full knowledge of the reslrlctiol."t motney.
It will also be remembered that the Missouri If Kansas is to be surrendered to Slavery, where
restriction was passed by nearly the entire vote are the farmers of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana,
from the South, against the great body of the and Illinois, to find homes for their children, in
Northern members. fifty years from this time? Are they to be
The act to organize the Territory of Wisconsin crowded up to Minnesota, and the hyperborean
was passed April 20, 1836, and Iowa, June 12, regions adjacent to Lake Superior and the 49th
1838. The ()rdinance of 1787 was expressly ex- parallel of latitude? Why should they? Is
tended over Wisconsin, and the Missouri restric- there any reason why they should surrender it?
tion over Iowa. Noie that I know of, unless it is to preserve the
The joint resolution for the annexation of Union. And before they surrender it on that
Texas, excluding Slavery in States that might be ground, they should be very sure that it will save
created from territory north of 36~30', was pass- t, and that it will stay saved. We paid Texas
ed March 1, 1845. ten or fifteen millions of dollars for lands to
The Territory of Oregon was organized by an vihich she had no;more right than to so many
act passed March 14, 1848, and Minnesota, square miles of moonshine, passed the Fugitive
March 3, 1849, and the Ordinance of 178'7 is ex- Slave Law, organized Territorial Government.
pressly extended over them. for New Mexico and Utah, without excluding Sla.
In the debates on the Compromise Measures of very-all to save the Union. But, in less tha)
1850, Mr. Clay and Mr. Webster both asserted, four years, the surrender of Kansas is demanded
in the strongest possible terms, that they could in the face of a solemn compact for the exclusiounder no circumstances be induced to vote for of Slavery from it forever. And this must b
the extension of Slavery into territory that is submitted to, or the Union will be dissolve;
now free, and asserted the power of Congress Observation and common sense ought to has
over Slavery in the Territories. taught us, long ago, that submission.to unju
So stands the history and practice of the Gov- demands naturally and necessarily invites furth,
ernment, from its organization to the present aggression and further outrage.
time. There is no uncertainty, or doubt, or in- Let us make a stand, then, while we have tl
consistency, about it. The practice has been power of resistance; for if slave States are to k
uniform and universal. No official act of any created in the new Territories west'of the Mi
department of the Government can be found, de- souri, (and they must all stand or fall togethenying to Congress the power to prohibit Slavery it will not be many years before we shall be
in the Territories. If the power exists, the peo- prived of the power of making any effec
pie of the free States owe it to themselves and resistance. I trust that the people of the
to their posterity to see that it is exercised. It States will never, under any circumstances, E
is not a question which affects the negro alone. render Kansas to Slavery. I would exhort th
It might be well enough to consider how far we in the language of the dying Highland chiet
would be justifiable, in the sight of Heaven and his successor: "Kenneth, son of Eracht, k
in the judgment of the civilized world, in making thou unsoiled the Freedom which I leave the(
these Territories the abodes of oppression and a birthright. Barter it not; neither for the
misery, and all the evils which Slavery brings in garment, nor the stone rool nor for the cove
its train. board nor the couch of down; on the rock
But this is only a secondary consideration. If in the valley, in abundance or in famine, in
Slavery goes into Kansas, free labor and freemen leafy summer or in the days of iron winter,
cannot and ought not to go there. Where Slave- of the mist, be free as thy forefathers."
BUELL & BLANCHARD, Printers, Washington, D. C.