The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1849-04-24
DUBUQUE, IOWA, APRIL "a, 1849.

SPEECH
OF Mr.. Jas. MsDOWell, of Virginia,
On the formation Of Governments for Califor-
MIA and New Mexico, delivered in the House
of Representatives, February 90, 1919.
Since the discussion Of our territorial ques.
ton commenced in this Hall, and the interest
and agitation Of it has extended to tn G country
at large we have heard more than ever before
Of a certain in yst erious but malignant und cor.
lrupting "slaue po1rer,' by which, it is alleged,
the f. &c action Of this Government ard the Ii.
berries of our pcople are trodden under foot.
''Slave power!" Oh, sir, how the truth Of his
tory, in the very matter implicated, and how
the warm and kindly sentiment of national re-
ilationshir which glows in the bosom Of every
! American, wherever his home, how are they
alike invaded and outrae ed by this offensive
phrase, and the moro offensive ends of section
al pre- udice, amnesty, and deception, to
which it is so often and so wrongfully applied!
The free action of this Government and the
liberties Of our people stricken down by the
''slavc power?" Why, sir, does not every one
know, that Of all the positive or governmental
checks by which the spread Of slavery has ever
been restricted, the most eilicuc ious and COM
prehensive of all others, by thousandfold, is
that which was put upon it under the lead,
and with the hearty concurrence Of slave.
holding statesmen and slaveholding States?
Was it not the restrictive or anti-slavery art-
Gle Of the ordinance Of 1887, which, il not pre-.
pared at the suggestion and by the hand Of Mr..
jefferson himself, was certainly prepared with
his assent, and susta incd upon the assent Of
Virginia also? Was it not this which has pro-
tcctcd the finest territory VIC ever owned from
the approach and the presence of tie slave:-
territory of larger capabilities for the growth
and sustenanc and wealth, Of civilized man.
than any other equal area, it is believed, upon
the surface of the glebe. And yet, citizens
coming from the 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 "powcr"
that gave this magnificent empire : bridal
dowry ito free labor and to free soil"
: The check imposed by the Government,
which is next in the orde: Of Importance and
of time, IS the constitutional prohibition aga inst
the importation of slaves from abroad-a pro-
hbition which was introduced into the Consti-
tuition upon the votes both of northern and of
southern States, but which would have gone
into effect as early 1900, instead Of 1903.
the time fixed by that instrument had it not
been for the strenuous and unrelaxing resist
ancc in the Convention Of three of the north
crn States-Massa chuscttS, New Hampshire
and Conn. cticut. Virginia. the great "slave
/ power OF that day. and the one most rcvled
by this epithct at this day, stood up for the in
terdict on the toreig importation at the ea7l'
9 est period Massac husetts and her colleagues
S at the latest Virginia., disregardng her own
interest, was willing, at the earliest hour, to
sweep the traffic from the sea, and to leave
those 'human cargoes' that we hear Of, te
the wrctchcd land that produced them Mas
y sachusctts and her colleagues, banking at al
ardor generous as this, dropped into the rea
Ct Virginia, and chung, perscveringly chung
TO the profits Of the trade, to the last hour tina
their associates in the Convention would allow
And thus, by different modes Of action this
: one subj ect Of strengthening it in the car
= ly days of the Government, denouncing it il
the lattcr-our northern friends have contriv
ed by process Of ingenuity characterised
ly yankce, q speak deScriptively, no dorisvciy
to make out Of il pecuniary capital then, ant
political capital now. Never WAS there a NOR
available suhicct in the hands Of worklnel
d more willing or more cunning to control it,
The widows cruise, which could not be exlaus
t ted by pouring out, is but a poor and faint EN-
t bcm Of its value to them. This, though in
: exhaustibe, never grew greater. That dit
and does No matter how opposite the use
TO which these managers have applied it, wleth
er to those OF merchandise or Of politics; NJ
matter whether they nourislled their opu'encs
in former years from the tears Of the slave. o
point to them now in the homes Of others, tt
arouse the horror, and so TO shape the leg isia
ton Of the country, no matter what the form
! in which they treat, or by which they meta
morphosc this subject Of slavery, it springs III
to their hands in one never ending, but increas
' ing harvest of advantage.
There is yet another restriction Of law which
, has been placed by this Government upon the
= gcogra phical limits Of slavery-that which wa:
placed upon it in 1920 by the well-knowl
Missouri compromise to which
$ all slavery was prohibited irthc then terrtor,
u of the United States, not en- bra ced in the ordi
!, nauce Of 1857, which lay north Of thirty 81!
and half degrees Of latitude. ! need hardly
say, that the real author of this restriction wa
himself 4 slavchoding Representative Of Z
slaveholding State-Henry Clay, Of Kentucky
Other persons than Mr.. Clay may stand upor
: the Journal Of Congress the formal mover
and patrons Of this measure, but the whole CO
temporary history Of the act is utterly falls
and worthless, if he was not the master.spiri
that conceived, maturcd, y carried it through
When this act was passed, the great body o
the southern Representatives voted against it
But since they have not only acquiesced in it
and maintained it nviolate, but have cooper
ated with others in applying it to Texas, ant
have proposed and pressed it ground o
. equitable settlement for the ontrovcrsy which
now embarrasscs and divides us.
Here, then, Mr.. ChaiI man, We have a serlc:
of legal acts, proceeding more or less directly
from the hands of southern men and southern
States, all of which have gone TO restrict the
institution Of slavery, both in its limits and its
political strength and all OF which are emit
tied to be heard as witnesses Whenever the
"savc power" that is spoken Of, is arraigned
for its monstrous and it's constant atrocities up
on freedom and humanity! With these acts OF
bencfcent legislation, let these hccusers be
content; and, instead of harassing the Govern:
ment and harassing the country with fanatcal
and unconstitutional efforts to enlist the sane.
ton and the power Of law yet further on their
, side, let them be thankful for what has been
> done and leave all else to the controlling and
natural influence Of time and events
may as well advert, Mr.. Chairman, at this
point atany other, to a practical question
which is oftentimes asked by gentlemen here
who insist upon he exclusion of slavery from
our Mexican territory, and who maintain. at
the same time. that such exclusion does not
ejudice or impair, in the least, the full and
equal right Of theSouth and of her citizens to
the use and enjoyment of that territory. We
arc asked to say, how such exclusion can i'm
} pair this equality, seeing that northern and
southern citizens, and all others, when they
, IN Mt the territory as inha bita there