The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1848-05-04
PRESIDENTIAL CANVASS.

The following sensible and appropriate
remarks, upon The subject of tic coming
Presidential Canvass, We extract from ON
article in the 81. Joseph Valley Register.
"i'hc question OF slavery will naturally
lie expected TO enter largely into this can
vnss-noi. however, ms an issue OF imme.
date emancipation in places where il il
now existing, bit in the still morc inpor.
tan, issue Of lis extension IN those provinces
recently wres,cd from Mexico, and where
At present this blishiing cyi! does not exist.
Wi!mot Proviso. Valuable as its pas sago
nigh. be us an expression Of opinion wo
look upon IL ns far inferior in value mud
efficacy 10 another aud stronger position
which is taken by the An,.Savcry men of
&c The Sua,h and ablv enforced and
pressed by tho Louisville Examiner which
speaks their northumberland TINT is
the declaration bs Cungress of the great
truth that slavery is not natural relation
but il tho creature Of Legislation and that
therefore territory coming into our Union,
which was before free, can never become
slave Territory except by positive law oil
the proper law making power. This is tho
opinion Judge Mclean, ono of the nblcst
juris.s Of our nation, nnd Of Daniel Web
s,er, and wo have no doubt il is the opinion
Of Henry Clay. It's Truth, plain, reason.
able, unanswcrablc Truth, mud Mr.. CIa.'s
Lexington speech shows distinctly TINT il
is his personal belief. Oncc place that
declaration on record in Congress (,nd i.
is both easier to paas than tho Pfoviso md
Ear more effective aud conclusive utter il
is passcd,) and the question whether slave
~ shall Disgrace New Mexico and California
is surely settled. Never after would Con-
grcss dare to pass law declaring, in lfIir.
native language, TIM, slavery shall he crea.
ted in these territories. Tho only fcnr
ever has been that slave institutions would
he Struggled into these new territories in
the absence Of any regulations or laws on
the subject; but in the face Of this Of dcrla.
ration Of Unconstitutional law and rights, ,hoso
who dared 10 tnko their slaves into New
Mexico and California would do so az their
peril, wiihno excuse TO offer tina, they know
not TINT The rcsul, would be the righ, uf Free.
dem to their servants. This position too 10
one on which every Southern friend of tho
Missouri Compromise can stand, aud stand
without being charged with inconsistency.
Missouri before she WINS purchased
ms part of the Louisiana Tcrrilor, J BY tho
United States was slave Territory. Tho
Unian guaranteed, in the articles Of pur.
chase, that all the rights ofi,s citizens should
30 preserve. She applied Cor admission in.
to the Union and rested her claim 10 be nd.
United as slave State upon these facts.
There were therefore strong reasons for
the compromise which procured her ndmis.
sion and the peaceful settlement of the agi.
t".ing and threatening question involved
in the controversy, which cnn DO urged
in the case Of New Mexico, mud California,
where slavery is nlrcadv forbidden, aud
which. when annexed 10 Union, il empha,.
ically Free Territory. The case with these
latter is MISC diiicrcn, from that &c Texas,
for she was a S!avc-holding Republic when
she was annexed"