Daily Richmond times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1849-1850, 1849-07-24


opaylng duties and letting them in duty free until other
wise provided for, swept that which abolished slavery and
let IN property in slaves No distinction can be made be-
tweea and any other description of property thing con
sistenty with the constitution and the equal rights of the
several States Of the Union and their citizens.
But we are told by Col Benton that the question has be-
come mere abstraction OF no mportance that few have
either territory except citizens othe North and TO-
Tegners; and that they all opposed us What insult
What an us by telling cannot go into them because
foreigners and others who have been let in freely and we
kept out by the threat of conscatng our propery bv him
self and his associates, who have become sufficiently n-
merous 10 keep out, without the intervention of Con-
gress TO aid them He knew that property is timid and
could be kept ont by threats and that keep us out for
short time was one OF the ways exclude us ultimately
What comment on the equity and justice the govern
ment, that we, who have freely spent our blood and
treasure to conquer the country should be excluded from
all its benefits, while it is left open for the use and enjoy
nent OF all that rabbe OF foreigners which he enumerates
with such zes as the efficient of our exclusion Is
there another instance otsuch outrage 10 be found in the
history of any other Government that ever existed?
Ills avowal OF the doctrines of the Abolitonists will
have an effect he little suspected when he made it, II
furnishes ample evidence show that he used deception
in assigning his for declining to obey the instruc
tons OF his Legislature 1t will be remembered he offered
as his reasons, tst Their resolutions nsructng him were
borrowed from mne, and that mine introduced for
dsnion purposes and that there was no difference be-
tween them, except that mine aimed directly disunon
and theirs ultimately at the same thing He added in Of
1ect that his devotion to the Union would not permit him
toyote tor resolutions deeply tainted with dislnion-
nat was at the commencement oil his speech. We now
nave III COHcIuSlOH evidence himself
that all this mere fetch, sraagern to conceal his
real motive for declining to obey them His real motive
as now appears was that he could for them un
der any circumstances for how could an abotionist as
he avowed himsefto be- possibly obey resolutions Which,
are utterly at variance with their doctrnes%- L M
would have involved him in palpable contradctSl so
mucso that could not fail to PROSTATE and overwhem
him with shame, it he not to shame nvunerable This
ne saw, and that he had alternative left butte resign or
dlsobey tie determined in favor of the latter but this of
tsslf did not relieve him Of his dilemma He knew well
that would defeat his object to come out boldly and saw
that head abured his former creed and adopted that Of
the Abolitonists; And hence, he forced to adopt
some other expedlent and for that purpose adopted the
miserable preext Of sanderosy charging me and my re-
solutions, and his Legislature and their resolutions
with disnon and OF assigning that his reason for not
obeyng them when he knew that his position made it i'm
possible for him to obey them But these are not the only
resolutions adopted by the Legislature of his State to in
suct nm Inc previous Legislature adopted Others
spirit; They in the tollo ag words '' ''''''
"R e. That the peace, anency and welfare Of
letter and spirit OF the sh section o act of Congress of
the United States entitled "an act to Auhorse the peone
OF the Missouri territory to form Constitution and State
government forthe admission osuch State into the Union
on an equal footing with the original States and to proh
1920. 0 '"''
"Resoloed, That our Senators in the Congress of the
United States hereby instructed and our Representa-
ves requested to vote in accordance with the provisions
and the spirit OF the said 9Th section of the said act in all
the organization OF new territories States of the ter
rtory now belonging to the United States or which here
after may be acquired either by purchase by treaty OF by
conquest'
1t proper observe that the 9Th section to which
they refer contains the Missouri compromise which estab
llshed 80 80 as the dividing line between the savehodng
and non-slayeholdng States drawn between the western
boundary OF the State OF Missouri and the western bonn
dairy OF Louisiana These resolutions he says he obeyed
IN letter and spirit when in fact he fagranty violated
them by his vote for the Oregon territorial bill prohibit
nexed, and that too to the principle Of unlimited
power OF Congress over the territories and in open def
anee OF all compromise He calls that bill his proviso and
well ne may for he passed it, when it his power to
defeat it, very few remarks will suffice to show that
have not expressed myself stronger than truth warrants
and welfare of our National Union depends upon strict
to the letter and spirit OF the Missouri Compro
mise; and the last nscs their Senators and Representa-
tes to vote IN accordance with its provisions and spirit
IN all cue = Which may conne up before them in rea-
ton toso organization OF Territories or States out
OF territories now belonging to the United States which
hereafter may be acquired" No instructions could be
full explicit, assign stronger motives for obey
ing them, especially 10 one protesting great devotion
to the Union There is mistaking the meaning File
is instructed to vote for all bills in reference TO the terrific
RES which may conform to the letter and spirit of the Mis-
sour Compromise, and against all that do not that is to
the WESTERN a' baanar Of xa far bs
and to secure to the South that portion of the territory
ing the Southern side of the line eecuay as that
did, in fact all the territory which lay on the
for that is meant by liz spirit There good reason to
put in Spirit, for was understood then that the doe
tne began to be preached that the laws Of Mexico abol
ising slavery would continue in force unless they were
repealed il not prevented by some efeetua guard No
additional remarks make his disohedence more clear
and he stands condemned for dsobeyng the instruc
tons of his Legislature which he himself praises and
which he does not pretend TO charge with disuon
notice in the progress this communication that Col
Benton evinced unusual soctude conound the Mssou-
ri compromise and all other compromises 1.-THE kind with
the Wmo Provso attribute it, in part, to desire 10
screen himself from the odun ohayng voted for the Will
Povso by confoundng il with other measures that
We're far less offensive; but said that there was another
more powerful reason which would be explained in the Sc
quail That reason was to shelter himself, fpossble
against the charge Of violating Instructions, which he
knowedged to be above exception If he could possibly
establish that the Missouri compromise and the Wilmot
Provso were IDENTICAL he would have his constituents
believe to obey the would be to obey the other But
have shown that impossible and thus he is left with
out the possibility OF escaping the charge of disobeyng
them.
communication.
Col Benton assigns devotion the Union as his motive
for taking the he has; and by implication char
ges yours being the side of dsuon and his and the
examp OF all who have betrayed you intend to betray
you 1t common, that has become notorious that
strong profession attachment to the Union and con-
domination Of what is called the violence and urasm OF the
South, accompanied by voley OF abuse OF me, and the
absence of all censue condemnation Of your assaans
certain signs that he who uers them is ready to seize
the first opportunity to desert your cause.
To these signs may be added another appeal to that
portion OF the farewell address OF the Father Of his Coun
try, quoted by Col Benton under circumstances which
make its application apply 10 YOU and not to those who
hearty amen Itisndeed deeply to be deplored that par
ties should be DESIGNATED BY geographical position and
it, deserving Of public reprobaton But to avoid geo
graphical designation Of parties it is indispensable that
Others. and carefully abstain from violating them Unless
that is done, il will be impossible to avoid it; aggression
will, and ought to lead resistance the part Of those
whose tights are tramped upon and safety endangered
Sectional assault side and sectional resistance
the other cannot fail to lead to sectional designation of
parties The blame and responsibility righully falls on
the section that assais and not that which repes assaults
Which that nthe present case admits ofno doubt The
South has been the defensive throughout and borne for
long series Of years ndgnes and encroachments on its
rights and safety with patience unexamped, and yet
she is basey charged with dsnion and the North auded
as its advocate We must learn disregard such unound
ed and unjust charges, and manuly do our duty, save
both the Union and ourselves if be done consistently
with equality and safety; and if not save our
selves at all events In doing weshould but follow the
example of Washington in the great struggle which