New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1849-03-02
slavery 10 the Territories-The boundary OF
New-uexico.

this bill or the progress OF business generally,
should hesitate 70 say one word. / am 50 anxious
- see that business pressed forward that would
cheenully irain from speaking Il could thereby
come at once % the voting. | want % act, not %
talk For weeks have maintained entire silence
on this floor only rising 10 vote or 70 second the
Previous Question. We have 50 much important
business yet undOne and 50 little time LETT 70 do il
in, that grUdge every moment devoted 10 debate.
do not care 70 explain any vote shall give, and
do not think my constituents want any spec CHI
making from me. But, since this evening is de-
voted 70 this debate and no vote can be taken till
tomorrow, y DO ask the attention Of the Commit.
tee for few minutes only.
! shall not enter upon any discussion Of the
character or the Influences Of Slavery. IL strikes
me that that topic IS we. nigh exhausted. From
the day entered this Hall 70 this momeut-no
matter bat the bill before us-we have had discus
sions Of Slavery aud nothing else. Slavery IA its
nature-Slayery in its ehects-Slavery 900 the Dis
trct--S.avery in the TcrntOres-has been the one
perpetual theme. ia order or out Of Order-geue
rally the latter-wc have been compelled 10 listen
20 10 aud nothing else. And gentlemen from that
section which but q few years since declared aud
solved that Slavery should nor be discussed IN
Congressional we had M right 70 discuss u and
must hold our pcece-are no" foremost in It's dis
cussiOn, and most eager 10 have Il discussed by
others. II was but three days since-thc Pest
Office Appropriation bill being before us-thst a
gentleman from Illinois Mr.. TURNER got the
floor aud commenced" Mr. Chairman. ! propose
30 give my views on the general subject Of Slave.
~ my colleague Mr. TALLMADGEl rose and
objected % that course Of augmentation as irrel
evant aud out Of order He called attention 20
our Rules which clearly sustained his objection.
But the general cry was Let him 20 on and my
colleagues appeal was Oyerrucd by large ma
0dty, Including nearly all the Southern Members
Very well, gentlemen If you i.sist on having
Slavery debated here. you shall have enough oi 1t .
voted % limit the discussion them shall proba
biz never vote 50 again. Since the South insists
on having Slavery discussed here, certainly shall
make no objection.
Yet do not propose now 10 follow the general
example. ] think the topic has been worn thread
bare, and | care not to pursue IT. shall say
nothing about Slavery in the abstract nor Of Sa-
very anywhere but in the New Territories. That
subject is now fairly before What is the point
that divides us
| can only understand it as question Of allow
ing or i0rbiddlng Slavery to be planted and legal
iZed in our New Territories. II 1t IS not that,
cannot imagine what it is. To suppose that we
have been debating, cOntendlng struggling here
for years on a mere punctllIO-a matter OF form or
etlquette-is most absurd. We on our side want
To keep Slavery out Of the Territories That Is
clear enough. If they on the other side don
want to let 1t IN, what do they want? Why are
W. divided and striving Does any man imagine
that we should have continued to confront each
other SO resolutely merely to decide whether Sla-
very should be kept out OF those Territories
stay out Of itself No Sir-thIs Is a practical
question, and as such to be discussed aud decided.
Ia this matter of admitting or excluding Slavery
there are two parties iuterested-the People OF
the United States aud the People OF the Territories
themselves Which OF these parties desires the
Extension of Slavery Do the People Of Callior
mia and New Mexico We know they do not
u speak OF course of the natives Of those lands
the original and permanent people, We have
authentic Information that they earnestly desire
the crci00OR of Slavery. Some of them were
slaves themselves prior 10 the Abolition OF slavery
by Mexico more than twenty years ago. These,
surely DO not desire Slavery reestabished they
detest they abhor 1t. Neither do their former
masters desire it-they acqulesced cheeriuly IN
the act of emaucipation--they have never asked
its repeal. The whole population OF those Terri
tories-the Indigenous populatlon-are intensely
Anti-Slavcry. We have memorial here from
Convention OF the People of New Mexico unani-
mously praying our protection against the intro.
duction Of Slavery. Have they not right to be
heard in regard to this matter
Well, then, the other party interested--the Peo-
pie of the United States-do they desire the Ex-
tension of Slavery Will you commit the ques-
ton to their decision Mr.. Chairman, | will not
speak for the Slave States though do not believe
a majority OF their People desire to see Slavery
extended, but with the public sentiment OF the
Free States | profess to be acquainted. And ! do
confidently assert that there is not one Congress
si0ual District in all the Free States which, on
fair distinct issue, would elect Representative
in favor of extending Slavery But no man IS
mad enough to give US trial on this point. All
our cand dates no matter OF what party, profess
to be IN favor OF Free Soil. Some reject the VII
mot Proviso but expressly on the ground that II is
needess-that Slavery will never cross the Rio
Grsnde Proviso or no PrOyiso. No man ventures
TO repudiate il on any other ground
And Mr.. Chairman, | venture TO assure the
South that the public feeling of the North is much
stronger ON this subject than they seem TO ina
CINE. The gentleman from North Carolina Mr..
NESABLEl who last spoke told us Rufus
King avowed that this question oil extending
Slavery lin respect to Missouri was purely
question Of Political Power. | must believe that
citation does injustice TO Rufus King. But be
that as it may and even II this were question ol
power with politicians. II is very different with
the great mass of the People They may be poll
ticians for the sake OF resisting Savery-they are
not Slavery RestlctiOnists for the sake oil fower
or Politics This Wilmot Proviso has been ,rou-
bic and confusion 20 poticans-a thorn aud I'm
antoyance which they would gladly have been
rid of They have only moved on this question as
they have been mpelled by the resistless force be
hind them. Politicians may pander to Slavery as
Merchants trade with IL. but the popular heart is
sound and thorough. With the great majority OF
Northern and Western Freemen this is ques
tioii-not of Politics but of Conviction-not OF
Power but of Conscience. They DARE not
consent to the extension of Slavery. DO not
crowd them ON this point-do not dream you
can caole them-do not hope 10 buy them
Nol mav buy Members OF Congress with VS.
ions of promotion and sudden wealth, but you
cannot purchase their constituents. You may
outrage. you may arouse them, but you cannot
corrupt them And assure the Representatives
of the South on this floor that-supposinS II is dc
sirable to them that Slavery should longer exist
among them and exert It's Constitutional power IN
this Capitals triumph on this question would be
to them a fearful calamity When / consider
what an immense, an almost total revolution III
Northern opinion has been wrought within a ie"
years past by the Annexation OF Texas aud the re,
sistance on this floor TO the Right OF Petition
warn the champions of Slavery not to seek vac
tory OF which the effect must be to shake the hrm-
est pillars OF their peculiar institution. warn
them to be wise while il is called To-day.
But, Mr.. Chairman had proposed to discuss
mainly another branch OF the SUBJECTIVE boun
Diary Of New Mexico. regard that as the most
important practical question now before Congress
| do not believe Caiiornis can ever be other than
fIa