Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1848-12-22


undertaken to hold a convention. This may
be the reason why 1t is moi 50 formally sci
out. This may be the convention Of the Free
Soil party in New Mexico. II is possible 1t
may be the convention Of the Democratic par
". 1t is NOT utterly impossible that il is the
convention of the Wing party, for a great
part Of the Wing party, in many parts Of the
country, are opposed TO the extension Of sla-
very, and in favor Of the restriction here
sought TO be imposed. If this matter of orr
gin Of this petition is Of so much importance,
1t seems TO me a select committee should be
appointed for the purpose of investigating the
subject. We should have another committee
on conventions, SO that, if the origin of the
thing is Of so much consequence, that point
might be investigated. This is a petition
asking legislation on a most serious subject
"a subject, sir, upon which, as the Senator
from Mississippi (Mr. Foote) has well said,
." the public mind has been greatly agitated,"
and will continue TO be agitated until il is de-
fnitely settled, sir-not compromised. l do
not believe that compromise will answer in
this case. Sir, it must be settled, and settled
upon principle. 1t is 10 be met, and to be
met here. | hope, sir, that those who believe
that the people of this Territory are entitled
10 a COVE mment will be prepared to give a
vote upon this subject, and TO give It now.
Besides, sir, this petition puts us upon the
Democratic platform-the Nicholson letter.
That letter declared that this matter should
be left TO the people Of the Territories. Well,
now, sir, the people have spoken. They
have probably read the Nicholson letter.
They have thought, perhaps, that Congress,
in IFS progressive march, had got up to the
step indicated by that letter, if no change had
been going on in The public mind. They
Iouo sol,1, "a c. -raHtol 49, ,boxo ,,,o, 80
change, and they have acted upon the Mich
olson platform in petiiioning for a civil gov
eminent. / trust, sir, that although the re-
suit of the last Presidential election was dis
astrous to the man that built that platform,
the principles of it are not so entirely demol-
ished but that we may with some confidence
appeal to those who helped to build it, and
who stood on it and fought on it so manfully,
TO stand by its principles now, when there
is an opportunity to give them practical and
efficient meaning.
Now, for the first time. the people of the
Territory have come 10 ask for a civil govern
ment, and they have come in the very spirit
of the Nicholson letter. They ask us to give
them the first dose of the Nicholson medi-
cine. And shall we, sir, who have been
fighting SO nobly for this great principle, dn-
ring the great campaign which has just clos
ed-shall we now belle our own sentiments,
and turn our backs upon the petitioners, and
kick over the platform upon which we stood
and fought SO manfullyl No, sir, ! trust
not and | trusrihat all those who have be-
lieved that the Nicholson letter contained the
true doctrine, who have not had a change 90
ing on in their minds since, will come up on
this occasion and vote 10 give this people
what they would have expected TO have re-
ceived II The author of the Nicholson letter
was at the head Of the Government.
move, sir, that il be referred to the Com
mlttee on Territories, with Instructions to re-
port a bill organizing a government agreeably
to the prayer of the petitioners.
Mr.. FOOTE. The Senator from New
Hampshire (Mr. HALEY has entertained the
Senate very highly, though it seems 10 me
that he has failed to elucidate the question
under consideration. The definition which
j have already assigned 10 the word ICON
vention" is not disputed to be the true one
nor is it properly a subject for dispute. From
the face Of the memorial before US, it would
be inferable that such a convention has actu-
ally assembled in some part of New Mexico
for high political purposes, com posed of men,
hers regularly chosen by the people of that
country at elections which have proceeded in
the usual manner, and in accordance with
previous notice. Now, | repeat that we have
no evidence of such a conventional assembly
having ever met in any such mode, nor does
IT appear, upon the basis of documentary tes-
timony, that a single public meeting has ever
been held in any part of New Mexico having
in view the assemblage of such a body. We
are called upon 10 presume everything in fa-
vor of this memorial. The Senator from New
Hampshire (Mr. Hale) has exhibited much
of the recondile learning appertaining to the
subject Of conventions, and is doubtless as
well qualified to lecture US in a regular way
upon the proper mode of getting up and car
rying on conventions as any other member Of
this body. But he will permit me to remind
him that there is one fact Of recent occurrence
with which be susiains a very particular con-
%nection, which should admonish him very
forcibly touching the danger of relying too
much upon high.sounding conventional pre-
tensions. He was, if | ~recollect Alright, an
active participant in the movements that led
to the assemblage Of the celebrated Buffalo
Convention; a body which got together un-
der circumstances not a little Imposing. 1t
was described, at the time of its occurrence,
in some OF the newspapers, as the most null
situdinous body Of the kind ever assembled.
Many were led to conjecture, from the vast
number of the delegates convened, that they
could not possibly represent less Than nine
tenths Of the votes of the whole Confederacy.
And yet, after all, the Free Soil party turned
out TO be the feeblest faction that ever under
took to bear arms in a Presidential contest;
they were not able to give the candidate of
their choice a single electoral vote.
Such may be the result in the instance nm
der consideration. This document sets itself
forth as the product Of a grave deliberatiye
assembly, representing and entitled 10 repre-
sent the whole people of New Mexico; and
yet there is evident reason 10 doubt whether
The small number Of names subscribed TO the
memorial do not equal the whole number of
persons who have been consulted in regard TO
its contents. To urge, as the Senator from
New Hampshire has done, that we are oppo-
sing a respectful petition from the people Of
New Mexico, is plainly begging the ques-