New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1847-08-17
The wIImet Prsviso.


ton or otherwise. shall the institution OF Dcmesac
Slavery be recognized by the laws ana c0''''''''0
Authorities OF the United States
What was the origin Of this Proviso
The principle il embodies was hrsl proposed
the Congress Of the Confederation IN l'ef, oya
Committee of whom majority were from oase-
holding States, and Thomas Jefferson was Cnai'-
man. That Committee was instructed TO prepare
and report q plan for the government Of the Yves
tern Territory now composing the States Of ONO,
Indiana, &c Mr.. Jefferson reported that It should
be formed into States under the following regula-
ton among others
"Thss sstsr the year 1900 Of the Christian ere there
shall be neither slavery involuntary sefvtnoe 70
any Of the said ss'es o.berwse than IN Ss
crimes whereof the party shall have oeen ou'y Gull
yicted " have been personally guiy.
This proyiso was not sustained at the time 1t 10
said for want OF twotbirds vote but in l7s7' the
celebrated Ordinance ia relation to the North
Western Territory was Paued by the Old Con
gress, including the following proviso, moved by
Nathan Dane Of Massachusetts:
Anr g. There sha be neither slavery nor Involuntary
servltude IN sad Tertoy otherwise than In the pun
ishmsnt OF crimes whereof The party small nave Deen
daly convicted. PROVIDED al1ay' that any person o.
Gaming into tbs same from whom labor or service 70
ssfuy claimed In OF tbs original states sueh iugf
live NAV be- lawfully reclaimed and conveyed TO the
person claiming bis or her labor or service a.
Here IL the wilnot Proviso, passed by Con
gress representing States Of which decided ma
iority were slaveholdng, first proposed by repre-
sentative Of Shareholders and referring To territory
which had Just been coded to the Union mainly by
slavebolding States In point Of law, all that i'm
mense portion Of the North West Territory to
which Virginia had the strongest claim had pre-
viou.ly been Saveholding and this was an act
exoclling Slavery from territory which It had pre-
vion.lv ACQUIRED This ordinance was reenacted in
1879 BY the first Congress uader the Federal Const
tuition, Mr. Madison being among its prominent sup
porters. Itwss approved and signed by Washing
ton. also slaveholder 1t has ever since been the
law of the land without objection or opposition -
Oslo Il its eldest child; IsDIAsA, ILLIsoIs. MIcB-
oAs, Iowa and wncossIs all exhibit marked
and gratifying superiority in growth, wealth. indus
try and comfort over older States mainly because Of
this Proviso.
whss has revived the question
The Government has since 1871 acquired sue
cessvely Loaisiapa, Florida and Texas-immense
regions equal in extent 10 civilized Europe, and
all cursed with Slaveholding when formally ac-
ouired BY u.s. Slavery has on that ground been
perpetuated in those regions under our rule, save
that in 1919 after desperate struggle II was
agreed that Slavery should not exist North OF lat.
36e so. Yet Texas has since been got into the
Union staining TO extend north to lat ape yet with
ont syllsblei in her Constitution limiting Slavery
within her limits to that portion Of her claimed
territory lying South Of 36o aO although the Joint
Resolutions authorizing her admission expressly
required such limitation But, having absorbed
Texas. we come next to a region which il not
slsyeboidins, which we threaten to engross also (;
and now the question srises-shall this also be
Slaveholding7 or Shall it mott There are barely
two answers possible
How was the question presented
Thus, The President called on Congress to place
in his hands Two Iafterward Three Millions Of
Dollars. to be used in facilitating the restoration Of
Peace OF course, 1t was notorious that this con
templated an acquisition Of territory. since 1t re-
quires no money to make Peace with Mexico IN
less we insist on slice Of her territory. We have
simply to disclaim any desire to divest bq of any
part Of her proper territory, and we will have
Peace within thirty days. We have only to with
draw our troops from her territories and there vii
virtually be Peace. whether Treaty shall hav,
yet been made or not Nobody imagines that w
shall give Mexico or her chiefs shilling in none.
unless in consideration Of her cedng us territory
Thus the voting Of the money involved the votnt
to acquire Mexican territory. And shall that terri
tory be consecrated 10 Freedom to Slavery
This is the naked question. Ii il no abstraction
no legislation for some remote contingency. 1t
emphaticaly question 1--WE deem it the question
of To-Day.
.h.t 4. =. IA al
To this, The provisc having been hastily draw
up i've believe in the very words Of the Ordinanc
Of "a, with no other variation than that needed I
adapt them TO the Territory in question: wss prC
posed by Mr.. Wilmot Of Pa and deliberately sane
toned by tho House Repeated efforts pro,racte
struggles but resulted in reafhrmation Of th
great principle. And although the Senate, iwhers
in the Slave States have Majority struck on
the Proviso and constrained the House to agree
the original proposition without IT, yet all unde
stood this ~ q mere postponement Of the mai
question TO supposed temporary necessity, an
that at least 90 soon foot Of territory south
lat. SOC 30 shall be acquired by our Governmen
the momentoas issue must come up for final adjus
ment
Who talk Of the Wilmot Proviso as an abstra
ton and seek to dispsrage it with the People
the Free stasesf
They are, almost 20 man, the very persons WI
forced on the Annexation Of Texas, against Il
judgment Of large majority Of the People, al
who are now scheming for the Annexation Of Ca
fornia Mexico. Cuba, and 80 ON. The naked tra
- that they vehemently oppose it because it is n
an abstraction, but resi practical, substanti
verify They know tina, the ultra slsve-drivir
spirit which assumes TO speak for the whole sou,
and 70 characterise its own selfsh aims as the xe
policy Of the South, will not consent to farther Al
nexations nnless Slavery shall be extended an
strengthened thereby They win therefore atop
no trick. no resort no device, that it ssems ca
calassd TO hill the North 10 sleep and prevent Il
adoption by Congress OF the wilnot Proviso
Lovers Of Freedom and Of Jsssice look srou,
you and see who they are who decry or shirk i
issue Of No More Slave Territory No matter
what party they may profess to be, do ycn .
generally Cad them gamblers IN Politics and n,