8

Compromise, which made a just partition of the common
territory between those States which maintained, and those
which had abolished the institution of domestic slavery; and
further established the great principle, that each new State added
to the Union, must be admitted equal and sovereign as all the
rest, without condition, or restriction, or limitation upon the right
to self-government. The act of 1820 drew a line through the
territories, to the south of which slavery was established, and to
the north of which it was prohibited by Congress, during the ter-
ritorial condition; but it equally provided for the right of the
people of every territory, north or south of the line, to establish
or forbid slavery in their State Constitution. And this it did by
asserting the absolute right of the people to form their own Con-
stitution, and exclusively control their own domestic policy; and
by denying any power in Congress to impose any condition of
admission.                                                                              

To William Pinckney, of Maryland, is due, in great part,
the glory of the vindication and settlement of this princi-
ple; and to his fame we may look with feelings quite different
from those with which we contemplate the action of those Ma-
rylanders who took part in bringing on the country all the strife,
and bitter animosity, and ill will which has been the direct result
of that ill-timed, useless, and inexcusable measure known as the
Kansas and Nebraska bill. The policy of Maryland was utterly
opposed to that measure, and her policy has been the policy of
all the great men of the Union, from the time of its establishment
till 1854. It was adopted when Texas was admitted. It was
repeated at the organization of Oregon. It was reaffirmed in the
compromise of 1850. It was complained of by no State, nor by
any respectable body of the people. It restored and secured the
peace of the nation for thirty years, and until it was ruthlessly
pulled to pieces by a petty conspiracy of political aspirants. It
was abrogated with the intention of once more alarming the fears
of the South, and exciting the prejudices of the North; and was
so spaciously contrived that it could be used, as it was used, for a
bribe to the sectional feelings of both the North and the South.
The people of Maryland saw, with alarm, the most powerful sec-
tional and fanatical combination against the interests of the slave-
holding States ever known in our history, arise, and grow strong,
and attempt to control the Government of the Union. That rise
and that strength, and that attempt, which nearly succeeded, was
entirely due to the passage of that bill. It secured the success
of another sectional faction, which, under pretence of peculiar
friendship to the South, and southern institutions, has now, when
they had an opportunity of showing their devotion, not only
completely failed in their promises, but actually betrayed the very
interest they professed to befriend.                     

It is a matter of congratulation, gentlemen, that in the excit-