The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-09-15
THE UNION.

emporary-to give the people OF these distant provinces
and those who may desire TO go there the protecting ben
e6ts of law while il leaves the rights of ALL whether
individuals States or Territories whether positive or
relative anpeludiced they now exist, subject TO and
upheld by all the rights and guarantees OF the constitution
and the laws OF the United States and open TO the future
Legislation OF Congress, when the population there shall
demand or Justify more popular form of government
and more suspicious period shall enable Congress act
under less embarrassment ana lbls denomlnaied the
" extension of slavery"
The objections which urged against this bill by the
par excellence advocates OF free SOIL puerlle and
fetched they are capuous and inconsistent They
object because gives the people OF Oregon the right to
egislae for themselves, and complain thai il does not
give that privilege TO the people OF New Mexico and
California They insist that Congress shall legislae
the subject of slavery in the Territories, and affect 10
trembe because the territorial laws subject TO the
supervision of Cong lest may pechanse, forever
abosh freedom !" They profess to favor popular liber
ty and yet insist that hasy and imperfect code laws
designed TO suit the earliest condition of the people
of Oregon and framed under the influence OF British
corporaton-whether good bad Indifferent; whether
mschevous or useful; whether the people desire to
retain them or wish to abolish them-sha with
out alteration or change of section syllable, now or
hereafter, be forced upon the people OF the Terrific
ry long they shall remain SUCH and go down from
generation TO another noens uofens And all this is
proposed in the name OF freedom baser specimen OF
suack legislation dsgured the records of civilized
men blacker decree OF despotlsm, IN principle, was
never Illuminated since the edct OF Nantes! And has IT.
indeed come to this that the of those who raised
the standard of revolutions because they were denied the
privilege Of colonial legislation by the tyranny and OPP
preston OF George the nlTu, now seek ID deny 10
young and adventurous people, three thousand miles dis
tant who have gone out from amongst us, the priceless
boon of sefgovenment subject TOO to the supervision
of Congressles perchance, If we do not rve shackes
upon her sturdy limbs forever by the omnpoence of
federal legislation they may have less regard Tor them
ses than have for them and IN the cant phrase OF
the free soil" vocabulary, g abolish freedom"
They have blackened Teams OF paper IN proving mai
the inhabitants of New Mexico and California were IN
capable OF approaching the benefits of popular govern
men and ought not TO be invested with ITS powers and
privileges and yet they murmur because IN the proposed
temporary provision they are not placed upon par with
the inhabitants OF oregon and they affect to see IN
this, they do in everything else that proposes to
exs e Of slavery they have exhausted the
of common law from The days OF ElIZabeth-have
grouped the adudged from all the courts, Terrific
rial State, and federal, and have read congressional his
tory out OF counenance, IN Strengthening their arguments
and compilations to prove that slavery was the creature
of municipal law and could not go to these Territories,
unless sanctioned by the authority of positive legisla
ton by Congress; and yet they stuty themselves, and
assert. with winch is tolerabe substitute
for sincerity, that the bill which prohibits all Legislation
upon the subject provides for the extenson of slave
ry!" The must be desperate indeed and reduced
to necessities most ptiabe and AFFECT, which requires
of its advocates such Illuminating service. They assert
their belief that the STAKEHOLDER will rush into these
Territories, and hold his slaves there. regardless OF
law; and yet they refuse to give them courts OF JUS
tce and withhold that first ant last and only guaran-
tee of him who is unlawfully restrained OF his liberty
the habeas corpus They are willing and anxious that
these Territories should be left without the protection Of
law, subject TO the aggressons OF what they term the
slave pSwer, anything else and they especially
monstrae against placing them under the security of the
laws and constitution OF the United States and thus pro-
tecng life, liberty, and property, because that would be,
say they, an extension OF slavery The expression OF
the senator from Delaware Mr. CLAYToN] that the
hicng claims would be adusted by judicial decisions,
under the silent operations OF the constitution, has been
particularly excepted to- and repeated with great sgni
canoe by the senator from Connecticut MIR NMEs] and
my honorable colleague, Mr. DIX The disposition OF
this profess struggle by the "sent operation of the
constitution, is the last thing agators desire. 1t would
E,ha
will proclaim long she furnishes them profitable
ployment. 1t would destroy the meat upon which the
Casars feed and hope to grow so great in power and
office Well may they cry out against the ''silen, opera
tens Of the constitution" which is TO scatter their cher
shed hopes to the winds, by taking the place OF
pretenson and turbulence and anarchy. and strife, and
disunion. They tremble at the mention OF law and
of justice, and fly from the "sen operations of
the constitution the devil said TO flee at the sight
OF holy water The eonstlution-ha, great chart laid
down by the fathers of the republic TO direct in
mens of darkness and peri-s dsirusted and mpeach-
ed and in their haste to denounce the bill, and infame
the excitement with free soi upon their lips, and for
getting that the constitution cannot be controlled
rode by law they declare and repeat that leaving the
question to the operations Of The constitution IS the
tension of SLAVERY thus conceding away the whole
ground upon which northern men profess TO stand, and
admitting and insisting, with the extreme opinions OF the
south, without reserve or qualIhcaon nat NE consffu
ton of itself authorizes the extension of slavery into The
Territories where it did not exist before "a doctrine
which has before been asserted much less advoca
ted, the North, and upon which the abest statesmen
|
But again the bill is declared by my honorable col,
league, and the senator from Connecticut to be deyice
OF tmidty," avoiding responsibility, and settling nothing
The charge OF t,nidHy and an evasion of responsibility,
comes with i'll grace, indeed, from those who for the
last six weeks have been shaking in their Shoes lest
they shall be compelled meet this question openly and
take side the other who have been endeavorng
by orepeated and perseverlng efforts by every "devce
that tmdity" could suggest and by any and every
bnaton that could be formed upon either side of the
chamber to procure final adjournment, regardless of
the state OF the public business that they might AVOID the
responsibility of action that the question might not be
ted and that it might be shufed the election
for the benefit OF soil agatos and OF those who pre-
fer to stand before the country favoring both sides IT,
to avoid responsibility, any exhibitions OF tmdity and
want of true does not with those who have
fearessly met this great emergency but upon thoseand
charge IT home upon hem-who, protesting other OBJ
ects and purposes, would adjourn Congress- and deny TO
their fellow beings upon the borders of civilization the
schemes OF dlsorganlzing and unprncipled faction
should be overthrown, and its ament DESTROYED The
senator from New Hampshire MIR HALEl stands out in
honorable contrast with of those who unite with
him in opposition TO the bill He takes the responsibility
OF his independent position manfully and does not at
tempt to accomplish his ends under of petences and
DISCUSSES He puts forth his opinions and avows his in
tcnions openly and mpeaches the motives of those
who oppose him. He has the frankness declare that
he had confidence in the integrity of the Supreme Court
he should be satisfied with the constitutional disposition
proposed by the bill but distressing its integrity he
unwilling to leave the question to Its adjudication AL
though he will find few very few, ] trust, to
with him in the opinion he enterains of this high rbu-
nal, he merits respect for meeting the bill with
objection which is neither childish nor evasive nor in
tended TO msstae the question, nor deceive the people
But other senators land CONSPICUOUS among them the