Democratic banner., 1849-06-18


invoke State rights, and Missouri statutes.
Let him remove to Illinois he will find there
the Jefferson proviso, in the form of the Or
dinance of 1887. Let him emove to Ken
lucky +: the law of Kentucky takes hold of
his slaves and converts the chattls interest
of the Missouri slave into real estate for, in
Kentucky slaves are now made real estate,
and placed on the footing Of land, as they
are in Louisiana. Let him move into Ar
kansas his chattel slave will remain chattel,
but by virtue Of Arkansas law, and subject
to its regulation. Finally, let him remove
west, and settle in the territory of Nsbras-
la, when it shall be created. and the CAL
houn proviso will be on him again; and lis
property will evaporate. Thus a citizen Of Mis-
souri, cannot get out of his own State, on any Of
its four sides, with his slave property without
having its character altered, or holding it by
another law and twice he will lose ton two
sides Of the State, on contiguous territory-he
will lose it under an act Of Congress which be-
came a law under the advice and opinion Of Mr..
Calhoun, in his high character of cabinet minister,
and assisting at a council armed with the veto
power. This is the case with the Missouri cit
,izen, and has been ever since Missouri was a
State ; and no one ever thought the State sover-
eighty ~insulted, or felt himself bound 10 dissolve
the Union on account # il.
! No! the citizens ofthe States, cannot carry the
laws Of their States with them 10 Oregon and
California; and if they could, what a Babel Of
slave law would be there! Fourteen States !
each carrying a code different in many respects
from each other and all to be exercised by the
same judges, interritories where there is no slave
law. What absurdityl No such thing can be
done. The only effect Of carrying slaves there
would be to set them free. Il would be in vain
to invoke The constitution, and say it ackn"wl-
edges property in slaves. 1t does SO :but that is
confined TO the States.
And now we arrive at substance-ai a pracii-
cal point. Congress has the constitutional pow
er TO abolish slavery in territOiies; but she has
no slave territory in which to exercise the pow.
er. We have no territory but the remainder Of
Louisiana north and west Of Missouri,-thst in
California, New Mexico, and Oregon,-and that
north OF Wisconsin, now Minnesota. In Louis
lana, north and west Of us, it was abolished by
Congress in 1920. In the territory north oil
Wisconsin, now Minnesota, it was abolished by
the Jefferson proyiso OF 1857. In OrcgOnit was
abolished by Congress- in ls48, by what OIL may
call TIE Benton proviso, If you please, and in Cal
~ifornia it was abolished by the Mexican govern
ment in lS29-cOnirmed in 1897, and again in
iIS44. Here are the DEGREES, the originals Of
which l have read in the authentic bound vol
umes Of the Mexican laws, and which were pro-
Iduced in the Senate orthe United States by MIR
Dix, Of New York.
I'VE omit the copy in Spanish. The follow
ing is the translatiOn:1
ABOLITION OF SLAVERY.
The President of the United Mexican
States to the inhabitants Of the Republic:
Desiring to signslize, in the year 1929,
the anniversary Of Independence by an ac'
of national justice and benifcence, which
may tend to the benefit and support of SC
important a good; which may strengthen
more and mAre the public tranquility; which
may cooperate in the oggrandizement Of
the Republic and which may restore to ar
unfortunate portion Of its inhabitants, the
sacred righto watch nature gave them, ant
the nation projected by wise and just avs
in conformity to the provisions Of the 3Otf
PARTICLE Of the constitutive act; exercising
the extraordinary powers which are cOnce'
dsd to me, ] DO decree -'
j 4. Slavery is abolished in the Republic
2. Those who, until to-day, have beef
considered slaves, are consequently free.
3. When the condition Of the treasur!
will permit, the owners ofthe slaves will b
indenni6sd in the manner which shall b
provided by law. '52 -.
Mexico, 18th September, 1929, A. ID.
- JOSE MARIA DE BOCANEGRA.
e@ aH' Law OF. 1887.
II :J. az a~aconciou al0una la az