Page:The History of Slavery and the Slave Trade.djvu/699

 and admitted as a free state. The country now making the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, in 1820 was almost or entirely uninhabited, and lay north of said line, and whatever settlers entered the same before 1854 did 10 under that law, forever forbidding slavery therein.

In 1854 congress passed an act establishing two new territories—Nebraska and Kansas—in this region of country, where slavery had been prohibited for more than thirty years; and instead of leaving said law against slavery in operation, or prohibiting or expressly allowing or establishing slavery, congress left the subject in said territories to be discussed, agitated and legislated on, from time to time, and the elections in said territories to be conducted with reference to that subject, from year to year, so long as they should remain territories; for whatever laws might be passed by the territorial legislatures on this subject, must be subject to change or repeal by those of the succeeding years. In most former territorial governments, it was provided by law that their laws were subject to the revision of congress, so that they would be made with caution. In these territories that was omitted.

The provision in relation to shivery in Nebraska and Kansas is as follows: "The eighth section of the act preparatory to the admission of Missouri into the Union (which being inconsistent with the principle of non-intervention by congress with slavery in the states and territories, as required by the legislation of 1850, commonly called the compromise measures) is hereby declared inoperative and void; it being the true intent and meaning of this act not to legislate slavery into said territory or state, nor to exclude it therefrom, but to leave the people thereof perfectly free to form and regulate their domestic institutions in their own way, subject only to the constitution of the United States; provided, that nothing herein contained shall be construed to revive or put in force any law or regulation which may have existed prior to the act ot 6th March, 1820, either protecting, establishing, prohibiting, or abolishing slavery."

Thus it was promulgated to the people of this whole country that here was a clear field for competition—an open course for the race of rivalship; the goal of which was the ultimate establishment of a sovereign state; and the prize, the reward of everlasting liberty and its institutions on the one hand, or the perpetuity of slavery and its concomitants on the other. It is the obvious duty of this government, while this law continues, to see this manifesto faithfully, and honorably, and honestly performed, even though its particular supporters may see cause of a result unfavorable to their hopes.

It is further to be observed, that in the performance of this novel experiment, it was provided that all white men who became inhabitants in Kansas were entitled to vote without regard to their time of residence, usually provided in other territories. Nor was this right of voting confined to American citizens, but included all such aliens as had declared, or would declare, on oath, their intention to become citizens. Thus was the proclamation to the world to become inhabitants of Kansas, and enlist in this great enterprise, by the force of numbers, by vote, to decide for it the great question. Was it to be expected