Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1849-07-24
POLITICAL.
~ Tpe pEopLE OF THE SOUTHERN STAT 5.
MR.. CALHOUN'S REPLY TO COLoNIo
pENT0N fCnHcLUpED

a,ons hv The side OF the III fated owners
~ ~. Genet Cpcor.ium, Enterprise and
C..o,e He does rot state b7 what act aoan'
don.d you bu, leaves il 10 DO Inferred irom ms
.so,a,ts that i, was by voting IN favor OF the
A "a hurton Treaty, which contained no s'iruia'
ton in favor of the owners OF those vessels. IL
:. rick Of his 10 make his charges very |
vsguely. 40 as 10 make it Difficult, TO detect ms
arrors and repcl his slanderous attacks l au,
NIT ina, l voted for tho Ashbur,on treaty.
did more: | delivered speech IN ns .a,o; !,
which. 10 the opinion of lis frienos, tn.
from rejection. Its fate was douo"u. 80
onnositiop. headed by Colonel Benton was ''os
lon, and il required two.,birds 10 cohulul 'h1
,,.a,v am willing TO take whatever suare u
r,,non.ib,l,y he may think proper " aho, ~
mo for voting for it. look with no ii'.ie saus'
f..,;on 10 nv course on The occasion, from 'ne
hs,;ef that rendered then great ana Peemapen.
service to the country; for its adoption was .ho
fra, link in that series OF causes by which war
h.,wcen Great Britain and US was aVerteu.-
who 10 there now 30 blind as net TO SEQ .ha' u
tho treaty bad been rejected, war could not nave
been avoided The Two countries were, III
truth, on the very eve Of rupture Tue way
events were moving at the time' without ei'ncl
beioy aware of it. A. The very next session. .ue
Oregon question for the hrst time assunieu
DANGEROUS and menacing aspect. OIL was
introduced Immediately alter ITS opening, wn'cn
covered the whole of that territory Tue oolec'
OF which was 10 commence, systematically lno
zvork OF colonization and settlement On our
part. took my seat in the Senate TWO OF
three weeks after the commencement OIL .ae
session, and found the bill on It's passage WIN
out opposition, and apparently without os's'ou
N
the Two countries, and that the time had come
a. tote a stand 10 save il. l determined TO do
INV du,y, regardless Of consequences 70 myself
rose aud opposed it, and thereby exPoseu Wy
self 10 the opposition Of the entire West, WHICH
waa s,ronsly in its favor. My name then, as
veIl a, when the Asbour,on Treaty was pend
;nv IN The Senate, was before the people for The
highest honor in their gift-Paced there, not
by myself, but by my friends. Did then per-
NIT the low motive of aiming at the Presiden
cy. 10 which be attributes my course on inc
tre,ty, 10 sway me from the path oil dutyf
NV stand prevented the bill from becoming o
law. and that constituted the second link 10 lhe
series Of causes BY which we were enabled 70
avert war between the two countries. Col Beuton
then went for the bill, and was believe Tor the
whole of Oregon. Had the treaty been rejected
At tho preceding session, The stand TOOK ana
thu resistance / made 10 the bill would nave
been all in vain. Il would have passed, and the
country been precipitated into war; but, as II
nae. time was gained, which was all important.
The agitation. however, was kept up about Or
eeon. and similar bills were introduced The Two
succeeding sessions which failed by small ma
iorities. In the mean time negotiations were
commenced, aud the claim 10 the whole OF Ore.
Ron made The cry was call or none,' and SO
strong was the current 10 its favor that oo'h
parties Welded to il 10 the early part OF the SEES
sion. had resigned my seat in tho Senate, ou'
was reelected short time before the session
commenced, and took my scat several weeks
aterward. I saw and ielt the strength oi lie
current, but resolved to breast II, and save the
peace OF the whole country il possible. il was
arrested, and counter curren, created. COL
Benton himself yielded to The counter current,
and delivered a speech after The battle was won
IN which he belabored those who stuck to 'all OF
none" after he found that they were in minor
3,y. Il was this chain of causes, OF which the
Ashburon treaty was the first and indispensable
lick, which aveIted war, aud by it saved The Two
countries from one If the greatest calanities
which could have befalen them, and, mieh
add. the civilized wo.it. shall ever remember
with proud satisfaction that took prominen
lead and highly responsible part on The side
peace throughout lbe whole.
also admit that the treay contained no spa
la,ion 10 favor OF the owners Ct The vessels, mo-
any 10 prevent similar Gu RACES In future. |
was an objection, and admitted !; be so 10 my
speech in favor o. il; not sn.ficen. one 10 In
dnce its rejection. Bni. alI,auo-ae ;h4.Je9Tae ttt
RACES thereafter, much, nevertheless, was done il
the negotiations 10 prevent them, and 10 pace III
South on much more elevated ground in refer
ence 10 the subject than where j, stood when III,
negotiation commenced. To understand bow
much was done towards this, hrict statement o
facts connected Tilh the case tf these reports i
necessary.
They were all coasting vessels having slave.
on board, and were all either stranded on theil
voyage from The Atlantic ports 10 those on TIT
Cult. or The British possessions Burmuda and
the Bahama islands. or forced 10 put into lhe
ports by stress Of weather 10 save themselre:
from shipwreck, or were carried in by the risins
Of The slaves and taking the vessel into port :
Their fate was the same. The slaves were libe
rated, under circumstances Of mere or less vic
lence and indisny, By the local authority. The
outrage was enormous, and The insult 10 thc
American 0ae great. The first occurred as early
~ the year 1880, and all under the adminislra
lion of General Jackson or Mr.. Van Buren, ex-
cep, the Creole. Application was made 10 the
Executive by lhe owners for redress. After a
British Government agreed 10 compensate The
owners in the case OF The Comet and Encomium,
but refused 10 make any in that OF the Enterprise
on the ground that the TWO first occurred before
her act Of abolshing slavery had gone into ope.
ration and the other alter it had. The admins.
tralion (Mr. Van Buren's) accepted the compen.
sation aud acquiesced in The refusal, 10 the case
OF The Enterprise, Without remonsrance or pro.
sest and thus waived our RIGHT and admitted the
absurd aud dangerous principle en- which The re-.
tusal WIS placed.
What The Administration shainefu.,y omitted
20 do, resolved 10 do throush The Senate, il pos
sible. and with lha, view. and in order to perre.
,uata our claim OF right. moved in the Sena e,
in l640. the three following resolutions, ard src.
ceeted in passing them by a unanimou. vcle,
with some slight amendment Colonel Ben on
voting for them, but not saudins by mc, as he
says, for he never uttered void in their sup
port:
"Rssolvcd, That ship or vessel on The high seas,
In time of peace, engaged IN lawful voyage, Is. &C.
cording 10 the laws Of naons under the exclusive ju
rsdiction Of tho state to which her hlg belongs. az
much 20 as u constituting par; ,f Its own domain.
Resolved, That II such ship or vessel should be
forced by stress of wcathe. other unavoidable cause
Into the port OF friendly Power so would under the
same laws lose none of the rights apprrtannr In her
on the high seas; but on tbs CONTRARY s:is and her
cargo, and persons board, with their property and
oil VoiVuSHS ucR personal fctdtI
established by the laws Of the State To which they tr
long, would be placed under the protection which tho
laws Of nations extend to the unfortunate under such
circumstances.
.. Resolved. That tho brig Enterprise, which was
forced unavoidaLly by stress Of weuther, into Port
Hamilton, Bermuda Island, while on a lawful voyage
on the heh from part OF the Union another,
comes within the principle embraced In the foregoing
resolutions aud that the seizure and detention OF The
negroes board by the local authorities or the sand,
act in violation of the laws Of nations, aud
highly uojust 10 our own citizens to whom they be-
ionsed."
Such was the condition 10 which the admins
tra,ion of Mr.. Van Buren, left these outrageous
cases. They never were brought to The notice
OF the public, and The principle first contended Tor
was surrendered, and that maintained by Great
Britain in The case of The Enterprise, acquiesced
IN; and OF course, all claims OF compensation on
the part Of the owners rendered hopeless. the
following Administration had nothng TO stand
on but my resolutions and the vote Of The Senate
in their tavcur. II, then, the Inflated owners"