Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1849-11-29

THE NlRGINIAN'S CONSISTENCY
lHE Nirglnlan, speaking Of The action of The Caifr
MA Convention npun the slavery que ion holds The G
lowing curious language:
The prohibition Of slavery, by unanimous vnte
takes by surprise though il is most innor,n,
PROVISION settling, by those Interested and whose
authority cannot be impugnrd graf question which
has been made clement Of discnrd in the Union onJ
the discussion of which cannot fail to he productive of
unm'ligated evil
Now. wish simply ask the Eruinan 4, f,r
plain questions. Did noi that papar during The la.,
Presidential canvass denounee Gen. Ciss in unmeasred
terms, for saying in his Nicholson letter that The settle
meni Of the slavery question should BE- left The peorl
OF the territories under the general provisions Of ba
Constitution" Did mol thai paper srenuouslg contend
that such doctrine should render Gen. Cass more obnox
ons 10 the South than lie pen advocacy of The Wilmot
Provlso itself? And did it nat contend that the people
81 tic territories had no right power determine such
question: We ask that paper these gu, stons and
hope II Will give us prompt answers
Oar neighbor accuses US of inconsistency by
way OF anticpatory defence against ike charge
which conscience tells it might be brought agains.
Itself. That charge, but for late absence and in
disposition, would have been brought ere this
We shall briefly answer its questions, and hope
our compa slace nay be initiated by the Repub-
lean "hea We T oPound interegatories.
We csrlautr did deride the grounds Of South
ein Democratic reliance in General CasS furnish
ed by his memorable and adrot Nicholson letter.
We endeavored on divers occasions to show that
his positions in that letter afforded no reason what.
everto believe that, in the event of his election
and the passage Of bin for the territorial organ
ization of California, or for her admission as a
State, with the Wimot Proviso annexed he
would refuse his signature. Gen. Cass took great
pains to show, from the face of the country, soil
and climate, slavery never could flourish in Cal
lfornia, and fortified his opinions by extracts from
letters of MeSSrs Walker and isuchanan.II came
finally 10 the conclusion that the introduction, or
prohibition, OF slavery should be devolved, excu-
svely, upon the local legislature Of the coded ter
ritory when a territorial government was organ
lZed lie labored also, and successfully, TO show
that, from the character of our newly made fell
low citizens, they would be almost unanimously
against the establishment of slavery among them
Formerly in favor of the Wimo Proviso, he first
doubts its eypediency then lie admits the change
that going on in the pnblic mind, and, con-
seduently, in his own, and, therefore, expresses
an opinion that the ProvSo was unconstitutional.
This admission was for the South. lie reconciled
the North by indicating more certain way of
prohibiting slavery in the acquired tenitory--a
way, not only more certain, but more degrading
TO the South. What Southern man would not
feel more reconcied to his exclusion from Cali
torna, by even an unconstitutional act of Con-
gresS, than by the act Of territorial legislature
such as Gen. Cass then contemplated representing
some three or four score thousands of a miserable
mongrel race, acquired with the region bought
with our common treasure, or conquered by our
common arms? But do not intend TO reca-
puate the various arguments we used against
the views OF Gen. CaSS. We believed then and
believe now, that the Nicholson letter contained
no guaranty whatever THAT Southern rights would
be preserved; that it was monstrous humbug;
the production Of a political trimmer Of facile
/ conscience and principles; sort of experiment
upon the extent to which party credulity could be
carried.
Now ask wherein are we inconsistent, after
having maintained these views when we recog-
nlze IN the Convention of the people of Cafor,
MIA, lately assembled the authority to pass upon
the question of slavery
/ Nhen Gen. Cass letter was written, the dis
covery of gold in California had not been made
there was no infusion of our people among the
natiVe populatlon-nor was there prospect of
the country soon filling up The inducements to
emigration were small, and there was every lea
son 10 believe that, for years. the country would
continue to be inhabited, pretty exclusively, by
the various ignorant and degraded races which
numbered the soil when ii came into our posses
sion. Yet territorial government would be me-
cessary, and this government involved the idea
OF local legislature, and to this gathering Gen.
lass wished TO commit the decision of a question,
affecting the rights, interests, pride and honor of
! S'"'N'
repeatedly, to assure us that there could not be
doubt Of the decision being against the South.
we scarcely need indicate the astounding
change IN the actual condition and future pros
poets OF California, induced by the discovery of
gold, since the date fthe Nicholson leter-a
change greater than ever before wrought, in
the same space of time, in the annals of the hui
man race Population has been precipated up
on california 10 an extent, considering the dis
tanc' OF thc territory and the difficulty of access,
truly astounding. Every State in the Union has
contributed lis contingent ofenterprze and intel
hgcnce. Emf grants to California are not the re-
fuse Of society in the old States. The expense
OF reaching there, in itself, is a Gordon sanitaire
against the intrusion of the degraded. 1t requires
certain degree of hardhood of mind, and a spir-
1t OF enterprise, incompatible with worthlessness
OF character, TO induce one TO undergo the Jour-
ney, whether by land or sea, or by BOTH We
venture to assert the amount of intelligence now
IN California to be far greater than that found
among the same number of citizens in any one
OF the old States. There are reckless men there
doubess-bu the instincts of Anglo Saxondom
have preserved order, under most peculiar circum-
stances, and life and properly ore as safe in Cali
lorna as IN Virginia. Left, by the culpabe neg
lgence OF Congress, without any but military
government, the American population of the Ter
rltory took the initiative in organizing civil gov