Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1849-03-27

able and happy measure ottelIverance ana ir.'e'
worthy OF all acceptalion and all assistance lahe
il. and our troubles are cver-our Reinsurance VI
cordial and permanent brotherhood IS comp'e'e
The upheavng deep Of the public feeling Inc sui,
ees oil which already break al our very iee', WIZ
be smoohed q once, and will sink back again N :
calm as smo6eh and CLASSY as that cf a summer
sea. But reject ii, and follow up tina! relecuon
by a measure Of sectional wrong enforced oy 'hs
stubborn will Of sectional majority, anu
amongst the wild and fearful issues when sucn
a course will force into lite, and which no mora
eye can foresee, 1t ma? open up pit i'r Us a."
only less horrible than hat OF the lost.
Since the discussion of our 'errIoriai ques''o'
commenced in this Hall, and the interest alu
asia ion Of il has extended 10 The country a.
|, roe. We have heard more Than ever before oi q
certain mysterious. but malignant ana corr
ing "slars Poice1,' by which It IS a'egsu .n'
free action of this Government and tne lincr'ies
Of our people are trodden under foot. oiasc
power'' Oh, Sir, how the truth oil history III
the very matter implicated. and how the warm
and kindly sentiment of national re ailohshiP
which CLOVIS in the bosom of The Americah'
wherever his home, how are they alike w
yaded and outraged by this offensive phrase
and the more offensive ends OF sec.io""
prejudice, animosi,y and deception, 10 when u
is 50 often and SO wrongfuily applied nc 'feo
elton az this Government and the liberties OF
our people stricken down BY The "sia ave power!
Why. Sir. does moi every one of MS know, that
ri all the positiye or governmental cheeks ny
which the spread of slavery has ever been re-
s,ric,ed the mos, eficaclous and comprehensive
u all others, by d ttousandtold, IS tia' w"lc''
was pu, upon il under The lead, and with Inc
hearty concurrence Of slayeNndIng statesmen
and slaychodiug Statesf Was Il not The re-
slrictiyc or anli-slaycry article oi Inc ordinance
of 1857, which, if not prepared at the suSses'
ton and by the hand of ,ir Jefferson himself
was certainly prepared with his assent, and sus
tanned upon the assent of Virginia also! Was
il not this which has protected the hnest terri
tory we ever owned from the approach and lhe
presence of the slave.-a territory OF larger ca
pabilie. for The growth, and susienance, aud
wealth o. civilized man, than any other equal
area, it is believed, upon the surface oil tho
slote. And yet cit zens coming from that very
country, no less than citizens coming from other
places, rise up in the midst Of US here, and
brand with abusive epithets the very men and
the very "power' that gave this magnihcen;
empire $50 free lebor andto free SOIL"
The cheek Imposed by the government, which
is next in ne order Of importance and Of time, is
the constitutional prohibition against the impor-
laion OF slaves from abfoad--a prohibition which
was in'rocncet INTO The Constitution upon III.
votes both OF northern aid Of sou'nern States,
hu, which womb have gone into effect as early
as 1900 instead II 1903, The time feed icr that
instrument, had il moi been Tor the strenuous od
unreaXing resistance in the Convention ut three
Of The northern States, Massacbusei's, New
Hampshire and Connecticut Virginia, the
great slave power" OF that day. and The one mos
reviled 10y his epi,hel al this day, stood NJ Tor
the inierdlci Oh The foreign importation al The en-
last p.riod. Massachusetts and her colleagues
al the iatsa. Virginia, disresariing her own
inlerss;, was wiling al the carries hour, 10
sweep the traffic from the sea, and 20 leave
those human cagues" !ha. We hear OF, H.
he wrctcheG land that produced them. Mas
sachu>eus and her colleagues banking Il
an ardor 50 generous as this dropped into The rear
ul Virginia and cung, pe;severinsy chung, 70
the profits Of me trade, 70 liz last hour that their
associates il the Convention would allow. Ami
thus, " different modes u action on This one
subject uf STRENGTHENING i in The early days
Of The Government, tenaunciug il in the latter
cur northern friends have cohrTived, BY process
OF ingenuity chaIacleli>lcally yankte q speak
descriprely, mol deIisiyely,) 10 make out OF II
fecunIary capital then, and political capital
nov. Never was there a more available sub
ject in The hands OF wofkmen more willing uf
more cunning 10 control il. The widows cruise,
winch could o! he exhausted by pouring out, j.
In; poor and faint emblem Of its value 10 them
This though inexhausiible, never grew greater.
That did and does. No mater how opposite The
uses 10 which these managers have applied il,
whether |" hose If merchandise or OF politics; no
matter whether they nouiishe1 their cpulence IN
former years from The tears oil the slave or
point 10 mem now in the homes Of Others, 10
arouse The horror, and so 10 shape The legislation
q he country, no Matter what The ioTm IN
which They lreat, or by which they mrlamor-
their hands in one never.cnding, but increasing
harvest Of advantage.
There is We; anolhe- restriction Of law which
has 5een placed by this government upon The
geographical limits ol slayery-lhai which was
placed upon il in 1920 by tne wel-Gnown "hlis-
souIi Compromise 10 winch all sla-
very was prohibited 10 the lhen territory OF The
United STATES, mol embraced in the ordinance (
1851. which lay north 81 thiny-six ind hall Gc
srees Of aIIute. need hardly say l'al The re-
al author Of this restriction was himscl! slave
holiiuy representative IL sIaveholding Stat
Henry Clay, Henry Clay OF Kentucky. Ohcc
persons than Mr.. Clay nav sand uroE Ihe jour
mails IF Congress as The formal movers and pat
ruEs oil Ibis measure, nut The whoe cn;cmQorary
history OF the act is utterly false and worthless,
II he was not The masler-spirii mat conceived,
matnr,G, an carried il through. When his
act was passed, the great body oi the snnh efn
Representatives voted against j.. But since
then they have not only acqui"scei in i, an
maintained il .nviolale, bul have co-opcratcd "i'h
iEprs IN aprlvinu IN, 'EsyaS a nd IA
scd aud pr,s>ei il as ground II rquItahlc =
ilement inr Inc controversy which nov eInhat-
iasses ant divides Us.
II, r., rnen. Mr.. Chairman " have q serir.
Of lrsa acs proceeding more or less difec!ly lroE
lie hands 81 southern men and Southern states
a. ci which have gone 10 res'rici ths nsti'u y
=! slavery, both in rs imits aGf il. police,
strength, and al Of which afe entitled ~ IL hea !
a witnesses whenever the slave power" mat is
spoken =. is afrai.neCr Tor is monSTOUs anG Us
constant gtr0ciieS upon freedom and HUMANITY
" TN :ac,r 10 +, .! beneficial legislation III he"
accusefs be cun'en; arL instead al hafrasslng thu
governments and hLIa>sih" me country with T..
aa'ical ard Unconstitutional Ell rs 10 enlist ~
sanction aud he power ui law yet further On their
side LEI them o. thankful for what ha> been iour
am leave all else u he controlling and natnfa
lbtlurncr .. lime and events
may as well advert, and tlf Chairman, II
this point 4, any uIher, 10 a rfacticai qurst =
which IS oichtimes asked by eenlirmcn icia
sho insist upon the exclusion .. slavery n III
our Mexican territory, and wtu mainIain Il Tie
same ume, that such exclusion docs iui prelu-
dice or impair IN the lrn>t, = full aud equal
right Of the Sou'h and II her citizens 10 the nse
and enjoyment al inat territory we are ask,
TO say how such exclusion can imTair ihiS
equally, seeing that Northern ara Southern cit.
zens and all u'hcrs, when they 90 into The terri
tory as inhabitants, % there under The operation
OF he same law, and i've here in Tie Possession
in al! respect, Of precisely the same rights 4
How, then, can they b. unequal This question
is easily answered. The Hexcan territory Dr.
ing conquest OF The Uui'ed States, effected by
The united resources Of all both men and money,
is consequently the joint ami common property
q ali. fhis is granted. As the Join, and com
mon properly ;hsn OF all, il *, ot course, tree and
open 10 the use and occupation of all, and that
without any precedent, or qualifying eonii ions,
which, ac;i"g on a part only, would have he et-
feet OF distinguishing individuals or sections Of
he country nom enc another. But exclude