The North-Carolina standard., 1849-07-18

non--many going for the express purpose of getting
rid slavery, and very few SO far in love with it as
to go that distance for the pleasure Of having law
suit with his own negro, and with the certainty of
coming out secondbest in the contest There is then
no slavery at this tne either in New Mexico or Cal
forna, In law in fact and will never be either in
law or fact What then, is all this uproar about
Absraction the abstract right of doing what
be done the insult to the sovereignty of the States
where there is no insult! All abstraction, and no
reality, substance, or practice in it, - - -
The Romans had a. class of disputes which they
called de lana caprina, that is say, about goats
wool; and as the goat has wool, the dispute was
about nothing. So it is of this dispute among us
about excluding slavery from New Mexico and Cali
forna. There is there to exclude; and the dis
EPute now raging is about nothing. s5 asfF.t5f1 sf
ls The missouri resolutions were copied from those
OF Calhoun; and l do not believe there exceeded
half dozen members in the two houses, all told,
who were in the secret either of the origin or design
OF thu Proceeding. They copied from Calhoun !;
and to see their design you must know his. His
Were aimed at the Union-at the harmony and sta
bity of the Union, and the members of the slave
holding States who would not follow bis ead-my-
self especially. Fhis makes it my duty to speak of
him, and to show his design in bringing forward the
resolutions from which he was SO sudde0y backed
nsf be
legislature. This carries me rather far back but
will make rapid work. and Short work.
In his new born zeal then, to please the North he
|
woodbury., Buchanan, and other Northern Senators
In his votes and speeches the northern side of the
question. Some view of this may be seen in my
speech on the Ashburton treaty. But the subject
requires separate examination and shall receive it,
but not now. Itswill be curious episode, and will
place MIR. Calhoun a,secend time where he was in
lSl9-2O, on the northern side of the slave question
but only for brief space. Mr.. Van Buren preferred
to try to behis own successor; and the Texas treaty
having gone over without making its author Presi-
dent, and the Mexican promising large crop of
popular presidential candidates, new political test
became necessary, and the tariff question being set
tied bYthe act of 1864 recourse to slavery and alb
olitons of 1847-a irebrand which has had the sim
gular fate of dying out where put, and of rais
ing confagration thousand miles off. &c..
The design of these resolutions is the ques-
tion and that design apparent in the character and
words of the resolutions themselves; in the previous
course of Mr.. Calhoun, which have just family
sketched; and inshs subsequent conduct, which is
yet to be exhibited a. -.
The resolutions, then, point directly TO the subver-
sion of the Unien-it is their anguage-and for what
cause? For a cause SO absurd and unfounded, so
contradicted by his conduct, and by the whole
action of the government, from its foundation to the
present day, that, being confronted with his own
conduct, he has never dared to ask vote upon his
resolutions. -.f..s .... .-.-.. E.tE---'. :. ss..-.
have no new opinions to express about the design
of those resolutions. / gave my opinion of them at
the time they were introduced, and in many ways,
and, among the res in letter the people of Ore
gon, and another to the people of Howard county.
The people of Oregon had formed provisional gov
ernment, and inserted In their articles of government
fundamental act for the prohibition of slavery copied
from the Jefferson proviso of 1887. The House of
Representatives had passed bill (session of '46'47)
to establish territorial government with the proviso
against slavery in it.. This bill was defeated in the
Senate, just twelve days after Mr Calhoun brought
in his rebrand resolutions and, in giving account
of that defeat to the people of Oregon, in letter
which was then published, 1 said:
sc Your fundamental act against that institution,
copied from the ordinance of I7S7-the work of the
South in the great day of the South, prohibiting
slavery in territory far less northern that yours-w
be abrogated! Nor is that the intention of the
prime mover of the amendment. Upon the record,
the Judiciary Committee of the Senate is the author
of that amendment; but not so the fact. That COM
mittee is only midwife to it. Its author is the same
mind that generated the '' rebrand resolutions of
which send you a copy; and the amendment is its
legitimate derivation. Oregon is not the object The
rabid propagandst of slavery cannot expect to
plant the shores of the Pacific in the latitude
of Wisconsin, and the Lake of the Woods. Il home
dgfta0n for election and disuon purposes, is all that
is intended by thrustng that rebrand question into
your bill, and at the next session, when is thrust
in again, we will sco1rge it out.'' =
A home agitation foF election and disunion purpo-
seS is what told them the object of these resolutions
was. Cassand Butler defeated upon tests franz
ed out of these resolutions; but the election part of
the object against all northern men, and to bring
forward Mr.. Calhoun himself as the southern candi-
date. Failing in this object get himself nominated,
the next design of the resolutions came into play;
and this brings me to the meeting of southern MEM
bers of Congress, got up and conducted by Mr. Cal
houn. 1t meeting with closed doors. Every
citizen, not an actual member, from slavehofding
State, was excluded-eyen Mr.. Bibb, of Kentucky.
former sepator, and who was turned out under the
special decision Of Mr.. Calhoun himself. Members
came upon invitation. / was notinvited, and would
moi. have goneif had been. Gen. Houston was not
invited, but went without invitation, and moved the
opening of the doors to the public, which voted
down. have been told that disunion was expressly
discussed; and that would seem to iow regular
from the fundamental proposition of the
original address, sdrawniup by Mr.. Cal houn, and as
its Importance the declaration of wrongs
which separate the American colonies from Great |
CRISIS as going beyond the former and involving
not merey rights, but life and property-every thing
the safety of the South,- and all The. paragraph
which centaned this declaration this Il
sc We, whose names are hereunto- annexed, address
you in discharge of what we believe to be solemn
duty, the most important subject ever presented
for your consideration, not creeping tie declaration
,Dich separated yOu and the other limited colonies from
Tie parent country That inuoiued yonr independence
allude to the conflict between the two great sections
of the Union, growing out of difference of feeling
and opinion in reference to the relation existing be-
tween the two races the European and African, which
afabt the southern section, and the acts of aggres
zion and encroachment to which it has led as3ee
From this strong, language, exalting the. crisis
above that of the revolution, 1t would naturally be
supposed that the remedy was to be the same; and
10 it was understood by many, and the words struck
esult from aconcuding part of the address, in which
lnanimity was invoked, cepseq quences dlsregarded,
he Union treated as hypotheticaliT worse than
ess :; called Sword to assault, and not shield to-