The North-Carolina standard., 1848-08-30
THE OREGON BILL.

dent Polk with having yielded up the rights of the
South, in approving the bill providing Government
for Oregon. We say that paper brings the charge,
for it presents no proof. 1t does not even do the
President the justice publish his Message on the
subject but, determined to misrepresent the facts, and
to make little party capital, if possible, out of his
approval of the Oregon Bill, it rushes forward with
one-sided statement and with violent and passion
ate appeals to the Southern people. Now what are
! the facts?
At the session of Congress before the last, an eff
! fort was made to provide Government for Oregon,
but it failed. At the present session. it known
that Oregon was suffering for want of protection
that her people were exposed to the nroads of the
savages, and that all her interests called aloud
Congress for immediate action in her behalf; and
bill establishing Government and providing asss-
tance for her, brought forward at the proper time,
and pressed with great force upon the attention of
Congress. In the mean time the slavery question
up, and patriotic of both parties united to
settle it. A Compromise was proposed by Mr.. Clay
ton, of Delaware, but it opposed by Mr.. Badger
| and three other Whig Senators from slaveholding
States; and when it got to the House, it voted
down and destroyed by eight Southern Wings, and
| among them two from North Carolina. Had this
Compromise prevailed the whole question would have
gone to the Supreme Court for final action, and the
Northern people would not have insisted inserting
the Wmot Proviso in the Oregon bill. Finding that
there was hope that this Compromise could be eff
fected the present session. the friends Of the Union
proposed that the Missouri line should be through
to the Pacific; and for this proposition, which
| submitted in the Senate by Mr.. Douglass, all the
Southern Wings, all the Southern Democrats, and sew
eral Northern Democrats voted. It passed the Sen
ate and went to the House, and that body by decis
i've vote, refused to with the Senate-that is,
refused insert the Missouri line in the Oregon bill
The question then was, will the Senate recede-srke
out the Missouri Compromise, and permit the bill to
| become a law? 1t was known that to the South, it
was matter of no practical Importance whatever,
whether the Wimot Proviso was applied to Oregon
not, inasmuch that Territory lies far north of
the Missouri line, and STAKEHOLDER thought
of emgrating to it with his slaves In addition to
this, the people Of Oregon had unanimously requested
that sLauery should not be tred upon them and GER
tany something due to their wishes in this
pect. Under these circumstances, and with an over
ruling necessity for Government for Oregon staring
them in the face, majority of the Senate voted to
recede-the bill passed, and sent to the Presi-
dent for his approval. What was he to do9 Sup
pose he had applied the Veto-what would have been
the and tone of this very paper, the Raleigh
Register! The One-'nan pO,ver again in motion
Oregon deprived Of protection by the scOrd and
tUiH Of James K. POB-the arshes Of C0ngress defeat
ed-ukra riercs upon slavery adraneed and the North
people thereby stirred up to higher pitch Of excite
nacnt and fauntieism! But Mr.. Polk approved the
bill, and gave his reasons for so doing. Those
sons ,viN neUer appear TN the Raleigh Register.
Every member of Congress who votes to extend
the Missouri line to the Pacific, rotes to prohibit sa
ry north Of thct line and to permit its erisenee south
Of 1t and the Register we'll knows that Mr.. Badger,
and indeed every Southern member, Mr.. Calhoun not
excepted, voted at the present session. Why
then attack and denounce MIR. Polk for doing just
what they have done He declares, in his Message,
that he approved the Oregon bill because the proh-
bition of slavery which it contains, is in accordance
with the spirit of the Missouri Compromise; and he
thus furnishes the best evidence to all his country
that he is desrous to preserve that Compromise
in all its force and vigor Extend it to the Pacific,
and the Union is SAFE Break it down-disregard it
let the North trample it under foot, and insist
what Mr.. Polk will never grant, and what Lewis |
Cass will never permit to-wit: the Wilmot Proviso
for New Mexico and California, well as for Ore
gon-we say let the North do this, and no human
eye will be able to penetrate the gloom which will
at once settle down the Union of these States
But surely, surely the Register ought to be the last
PRINT to complain on this subject, or 70 arralgn MI
Polk for this act. That paper condemns the Presi-
dent because it says he yields up Southern rights in
sanctoning the Oregon bi which contained the Will
mot Proviso and at the time it applauds Mr..
Badger, who voluntarily admits, in his place in the
Senate that this Proviso is Constitutional Mr. Polk
and his friends in Congress sincerely desirous
that Mr.. Clayton's Compromise Bill might pass, in
order that the insertion of the Wimot Proviso in the
Oreron Bill might have been rendered useless and
unnecessary, and peace and concord restored the
Union while the Register first approves this Com
promise, and expresses the hope that it will prevail
next endorses the course of Senator Mangum, who S
voted for it, and of Senator Badger, who voted against
-and at last Declares after it is defeated that has
" no regrets to express at its defeat This is
'istency for you, with vengeance!
The Charleston Mercury thus notices the Message 1
of the President this subject:
"THE PREsIDENT's PROTEST. We publish the t
the House of Representatives. the bill for the es-
of Territorial Government in Oregon.
is, believe, the second message of the sort since
the origin of the Tyler hav-
ing set the only precedent for this approval of bill
with protestando Under the circumstances, 1r1s
scarcely to be expected that the President should refuse
his signature to the biH and certainly, after the
my discussion, threatening still for the
FUTURE that marked its progress he could very well
by the occasion to indicate his opinions, and try
exert the influence of his high position. The Presi
1ent lays great stress the Missouri Compromise,
renewed again in the of Texas, and says in very