Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1848-08-03

Senator from Vermont is satisfied that Slavery
cannot be extended TO these Territories. | be-
leve, IT his confidence in the judicial tribunals
of bis country were well founded that Slavery
could not possibly 90 into these Territories, pro-
vldcd the Senator is right both as to law and The
facts. ask every member of the Senate-per-
haps may be less informed than any--wheher
Slavery does not exist by some Mexican law at
this hour. in California?
Mr.. HANNEGAN lin his seatl. 1t does exist:
Peon slavery exists there.
Mr.. CoRwIN.-I would thank the Senator from
Indiana if he will inform me what Peon slavery
IS; and really ask the question for the purpose
OF obtaining information. | desire to know its
conditions. Is it transmIssable by inheritance?
Does the marvellous doctrine of which the Hon.
Senator from Virginia spoke as being part and
parcel of the laws adopted in Virginia parties
seqmfW ren'rum prevail? Is that holy ordin-
ance, that the offspring of the womb Of her who
is slave must necessarily be slaves also, there
recognized
Mr.. HANNEGAN.-As [ understand, slavery
exists in California and New Mexico. as it does
throughout the Republic of Mexico, and is
termed Peon Slavery Slavery for debt, by which
the creditor has right to hold a debtor through
all time in far more absolute bondage than that
by which any Southern planter holds his slaves
here.
! have not seen the Mexican laws npon the sub
lcct, but the statement just made agrees with
Unit OF many gentlemen who profess TO know
something on the subject, and therefore | ON in
clhed to think That 1t is so, and that these peo-
pie are the subjects of that Internal law. The
Senator from delaware the other day. Informed
us that the committee have not given to the peo-
pie of California and New Mexico the right of
suffrage, because they were incapable of exerci.
sing lt-because large proportion of them were
OF the coUred races. Now supposDg that to be
The case, and supposing the proposition to be
submitted to the Supreme Court of the U. States
Was Slavery an institution of New Mexico?
what would be the answer? If the Senator from
Indiana we're there to make response he would
reply IN the affirmative he would say that the
institution OF Slavery was there that to be sure
IL had Its notifications and its peculiarities, but
that 1t was still Slavery, though there might not
nave existed law as strong as that glorious prin-
c'pIe OF tree government spoken Of by the SEN
ator rom Vrginla-pdrtus seq,ntur uentrum. If
Sir, these three Latin words can condemn to ev-
crashing slavery the pusterty of woman who
is slave, may not that municipal regulation of
which we are row speaking IN California and
New Mexico, with equal proprlety be denomina-
ted Slavery? find, then, Slavery as it is called
existing here to degree; and TO all practical
purposes as lasting aud as memorable ns in the
State OF Virginia; and therefore, the whole of
me hypothesis OF the gentleman from Vermont
ials To the ground as matter of fact, iEasmuch
as the Supreme Court will decide that Slavery
existed there, and that therefore the whole slave
population OF the United Suites may be trans
TERED to that country.
MIR. PHELps.-ihe gentleman will excuse me,
spoke of African Slavery.
Mr.. CoRwTS.-Of that am aware. | speak
no" OF the general proposition. Now this is a
very curious spectacle presented this day and for
weeks past in the American Congress, and one
cannot help pausing at this point, and reffecting
upon the events of the last few years. On look
ing back at what has happened in that period,
aIn sure that The magnanmous spirit of the SEN
ator from 5. G. himself will be obliged to con-
cede to the Northern States az least some apollo
gy for the slight degree of excitement on this
subject. His hypothesis is, that into every por-
ton OF this newly acquired lerritory-Californla
not cXcepted-evcry STAKEHOLDER IN the United
States has right to mlgfae to- morrow, and car
ry with him his slaves--hodng them there for
ever, subject only to the Abolition of Slavery
when these Territories shall be made into States
aud Come mo The Union. What, then, wouid
be those few chapters in our history? We find
ourselves now III the possession of Territories
wltl population Of one hundred and fifty thou
sand souls If | am correctly informed, in Cali
lorna and New Mexico. The best auhcntca-
led history Of the social institutions of that pop
ulatlon informs us that there exists there at this
moment a species OF Slavery as absolute and in
exorable rs exists anywhere on the face of the
earth; and that about five in six of the popula.
ton OF that country are subjected to the iron
rule OF this dbonllnaOle institution there.
Now do not expect that any man will rise up
and say that because an individual happens to be
The deb;or Of another, he shall nave his own per.
IN 81 nd La, al.
the curse shall extcnd-worsc than that of the
Hebrew, not TO the third and fourth generation,
out to the ronotest poslerity Of that unfortunate
man. Nobody will pretend to rise up in defence
o: such proposition as that. Now then, will
give over the criticism. Suppose there is n law
IN New Mexico, which ob!ges man to work all
the days Of his life for another because he hap.
pens TO owe him five dollars by some means con-
trlved by the creditor to keep him always his
DEBTOR. DO you intend that that law shall exist
there for an hour? Well, you have made law
here that your law makers who are to 90 to New
Mexico and California, shall not touch the sub
Ject of slavery; and if that which is designated
IN the popular language of that country, slavery
exists there, do you, indeed, send abroad, as you
promised 10 do, your missionary of liberty p
I GU went there with the sword, and made il red
IN the blood Of these people! What did you
tell them? "We come 10 give you freedom !"
INSTEAD OF that you enact IN your code here
bloody as that of Pharaoh that there shall be
Judges and lawgiyers over them, but tina. they
shall make no law touching that Slavery to which
five out of six of them are subjected.
think these things are worthy of considera-
ton. have looked at them with some concern.
because | was one of them who predicted from
the beginning that this would be the result of
yonr acquisition have always thought, since
the hour when you went abroad with your hyp.
ocrtlca pretence that you had gone forth in
the spirit OF love, to give liberty TO the captive
and to sci the Poems free, that when you had got
your iron hoof upon these people, your cuckoo
note would be changed-that this dove-like ac-
cent would become the roar of the lon-and
thar, instead of extending the blessings OF peace
and the oil of consolation TO the oppressed of
Mexico, you would put the iron heel of Negro
Slavery well us that of Peon Slavery upon
them. All this have expected | was about
10 say that this was spectacle worthy of any
body's curiosity about the noon of the Nine
eeath Century. We turned around and said to
the world that we designed to take nothing BY
conquest, and Tor two years. while you progress
through Mexico, and all that land is crimsoned
with blood while you make your way manifest
as that Of the lsraelItes in their march, by the
cloud of smoke in the daytime and the fire that
You made in the night-you ceased not 10 pro-
claim that you would take nothing by conquest
that you meant not to conquer and subdue
feeble people. Now, what do you hear? You