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Show 266 TilE MISSOUlU QUES'r iON show the importance of tho State governments, and how really and indeed in<li ~ p e n ably they a rc Lbe pillars of ibe federal government, antl bow anxious we should be to sLrengtheu und not to impn.ir them, to mnke them all tho strong and equal suppor ter · of the fede ral ystcm. With respect to Louisiana, Cong ress have already, by their acts, solemnly ratifi ed the trca Ly whi ch cxtcnt1s to all the States, created out of that purchase, tho benefi ts of an admission into the Union on equal t erms with tho old States; they gave to Louisiana first, and afterwards to Missouri and .Arkansas, territorial governments, in all of which they agreed to tho admission of slaves. Louisiulla wns incorporated into the Union, allowing their admi,·siou; :Missouri was advauccd to the second grade of terri to rial government, without the prol1i l>ition of slavery : thus, for mc1J.·c than sixteen years, Missouri con.· idcrccl herself prcci .~ely in the situation of her sister I.Jouisiana, and many thou ands of slaves have been carried uy settlers there. To deny it then, now, will operate as a snare, unworthy the faith of this government. What js to be done ? Arc the slaves now there to bo mnn umiLtcd, or thci r masters ouliged to carry them away, break up all th eir settl ements, and, in this unjust and unexpected manner, to be hurled into ruin? If we arc to pay no respect to tho Constitution, or to treaties, are we to pay no respect to our own ]aws, by which the faith of the uation has, for sixteen year , been solemnly pledged, that no prohibition would take place, as to slavery, in those StaLes? I have • aid so much, to show how import. rwt it i · to the lirmu ess and duration of the American Union, to preserve the States and tlwir government in the fnll possession of all the rights secured. by the Constitution. * * * * * * ll aviug thus, I trust, proved clearly that you have no right to adopt this inhiuition of slavery, but are forbid to do so by the Constitution, as woll as by tho treaty, I ought perhaps to stop here; but there are some other points Til~ MISSOUlU Q lf l!: ~'l'I ON. 267 which I ought not to puss unnoticed. One of these is the ordinance of July, 17 7, passed uy the old Congress, n.t tho period of the siLti ng of Lhc Co11vcnLion in Philaclelphia, for forming lhe Constitution, by which that bot1y (the olu Congress) un de rtook to f'orm a code f'or the future settlement, government, and admission into Lhc Union, of all the 'r erri tory nor thwest of the river Ohio, ceded by Virginia to the Uni ted SLates in 17 5 ; which cession has so often been read to the liousc in this cli Hc u s~io n. On lhis subject, I beg leave to remark that, by tho confederation of tho United Sto.tet>, th e old Congress had no power whatever but that of admi tting uew State~, providet.l nine tales assented. By this, it is mo:t uuqucstiouable, that no number of States under uine had any right to admit new States. or CO lli"e, it was tho in tention of the confederation that, on so important a Juoas11re as the csln.blishm nL of governments for, and Lhe adtuission of, new StaLes, Congress should never poRscss tho power to act., nn less nino Slates were represented in that body at the time of their doing so. This ordinance, therefore, in prescribing the forms of government, as they respected legi lative, executive, and jut1 iciary powers, in establishing bills of rights, and times and t erms of their admission into tho Union, and inhibi ting servi tude th erein, is chargcaulc with ingratitude and usurpation. I t is chargeable with ingmtitude, when we rcficct that the cession of the great tract of country-this risin g empire of fr eemen-was gratui tously, and with noble disinterestedness ancl palrioti.sm, made by Virgi uia, that the pa sing of an onlinn ncc which contai11etl a provi, ion which could liOL but g·o to prc\'cnt the at1mis~i un of Virgini tLns there, as tllCy couhl uoL move there with their shLves, was a mot:it ungracious and ungmtcful return to that State for her liberality, and could not but meet. with the disapprobation of this nn,tion. I have already mentioucd tho reasons to show, that un- |