The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1848-12-29
NEW oRLEANS s.
FRIDAY MORNING. DECEMBER 90 1913.
Oongress-The Slave Question.

Three days ago our good people were thrown
into an excitement but little inferior TO that caused
by the advent Of the cholera, account of tele-
graphic communication to our neighbors of the
Picayune, announcing the fact that the House of
Representatives had by vote Of SO to 81, in
snucted the Committee on the District of Column
bia to bring in bill TO prevent the buying and
selling Of slaves in that Dstrct-that the Southern
members had Withdrawn in body-that meet
ing of all the Southern members except those from
Delaware had been held on Friday evening last
over which Gov. Metcalfe had presided, at which
Mr.. Morse had made flaming speech, and by
which committee was appointed to report suila-
bic resolutions on the 18th Of January next At
any other time such intelligence would have caused
intense feeling it was, the feeling was by no
means triaing. Our contemporaries became patri-
otto and valiant--even our amiable friend of the
Picayune talked Of taking stand and risking
every thing upon a collision, and after having
clearly wiped and newly pointed his pen, annouced
that before the measure should become a law
something more than ink would be she'd" Be-
ing the friends Of peace and good order, and de-
votedly attached TO the Union, we thought it our
duty TO say word in behalf of its preservation,
before hot blood had reached the boiling point and
headstrong men had begun to break things. Our
efforts were, we have some reason to believe, pro-
ductive of good-they led men to inquire into the
policy of biting off their noses to spite their
faces" and induced some to arrive at the conclu-
sion that the operation, however picturesque and
patriotic it might be, would cost more than it came
TO- But we suspect that the alarm of the timid,
the valor Of the brave, and even the counsels of
the peaceful, were altogether out of place. We
have strong doubts whether any such vote was
taken in Congress-any such withdrawal wit
nessed-or any such meeting took place. The vote
if taken at all must have been on Friday last the
22d inst-n fact, that the date which set down
for the meeting of the Southern members. Now
the Charleston Courier Of the 23d of December has
a Geographic dispatch from Washington dated the
22d, Al P. NJ, which contains the following the
whole proceedings Of the House of Representatives
In the House, there were several private bills brought
az, out there being no quorum they were not acted on
made
The dispatch of the Charleston Mercury is half
an hour later, and is as follows
The House Of REPRESENTATIVE, Immediately after the
reading Of the Journal resolved itself into Committee of the
Whole and sumed the consideration of the calendar OF
rose, and the House adjourned until Tuesday next
1t would be strange if anything Of the kind set
forth in the Picayune's dispatch had occurred that
~ Hhoutu uOL NC ltuA4CudtCly GOutulutAJatcu "
Charleston, and more strange still that these dis
patches, sent after the adjournment should be alto
gether silent upon the subject So far from any
such action having been taken by either House on
Friday last, it would appear that the Senate on
that day adopted the resolution Of Mr. Douglass in
favor of retrocedng the remainder of the District
to the State of Maryland This course, if adopted
by both Houses, and we have the strongest hopes
that it will be, puts at rest the vexed question Of
slavery in the District at once and forever, and
leavesthe surplus valor Of the land shed its ink
or something else in better cause than civil war.
In relation to the news in the Pieayune we Scarce
ly know what think in the case Of any other pa
per the whole affair would be promptly pronounced
humbug; but the intelligence of the Picayune is
always so far above suspicion that we are almost
inclined to believe it, whether true or not An
acquaintance Of ours, however, accounts for. the
intelligence in a rather ingenious manner he
thinks that the report was sent 10 the Picayune in
order to draw out our friend Buitt who regarded
at the North as the confidential friend Of Gen.
Taylor. If so the trick succeeded-but it was a
vile one Notwithstanding.
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