The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1849-03-21

words On the subject may not bs nap.
,propriatess IS .;s
S. The Wilmot Proyiso, so called from
its author, lis q prohibition against the,
extension or existence Of domestic slaye..
~ in any Of the Territories Of the
United States. Itmay be here pre-
,mised, that the union is now divided
;into:two great geog graphical parties, the
Northern OF "a BOLTON party and the.
Southern party; and that thesdistinc-
!tions Of Wing and Democrat are still
kept up, to 20 considerable degree as
thoseiof parties, on many perhaps most
questions, but are laid aside when
questions in regard to the existence of
slavery in the territories and the rights
of the Southern States in this respect
como before gongges The North
ern party are determined TO attach the
Proviso to all the territories lately or
hereafter'to be acquired by the Uni,
ted States, and they have already eff
footed this in regard to Oregon. they
seeklto rcnder the slaveholding states
unequal in the union and its territori-
cs to the free states, By excluding
Shareholders and their slave property, (
by the effect Of the Proyiso, from all
unoccupied lands, The territories be-
ing the common property Of the union
and consequently of the slaveholding
states asjwellSa of the free states, such
exclusion would be unjust end degrad-
ing5in the extreme to the South.
One of the immediate effects Of the
passage by Congress Of any territorial
bill with the Proyiso, besides tile exclu-
sion of slavery from the territories,
would be the assumption of the right.
by Congress to abolish slavery in the
District of Columbia, considering it Us
land owned by the United States, and
that the right Of abolition in one por-
tion of the public domain necessarily
includes the right Of abolition in another,
and that Congress by this means nc.
quires tho power of legislation and .jur-
isdiction on tue subject. Undoubted-
ly, the party having the power and the
fanaticism to pass the fProyiso would
not hesitate at the abolition of slavery
in the District; and this will be done.
Thus will be accomplished the next
step in the course of oppression on the;
Southern States and Of the destruction
of thcir rights. tis
The next;rcsult of this assumption by
Congress, Of the power of legislation
on tho subject in tho public domain,
will be the abolition of slavery. in all
lands held by the United States in the
several States, such as the forts, arse
nails, dockyards, &c.
Tho result of this measure will be
most disastrous, not only to the peace
of the union, but to the domestic tran
guilty Of the slaveholding states. For,
the resulting doctrine will then como
into practice, that q slave, the moment
he sets foot on free soil, becomes free, -
a doctrine which will be upheld by Con.
gross, the U. S. Courts and the free
States, which is now upheld and prac-
tised by the free states in direct viola
ton of the Federal Constitution, and
which will bring the slayeholding states
in direct conflict with the general gov
ernmcnt, producing civil war and pro
badly disunion of the States. When
the U. S. lands in the States become
free, tho dominant powers will no doubt
place therein persons to carry out their
doctrines; and, if this is not done, the
officers and the U. S. Courts will be-
compelled to carry out the U. S. laws.
Judges will be appointed, who will ia.
vor them. The slaves will be persuad-
ed to go within the boundaries Of these
lands; and, whether they do SO yolunta-
rily or involuntarily. on doing it, will
be declared free. The gates will be
open, always ready to receive them.
Can such state of things exist in the
South and not produce continued civil
discord and conflict with the general
government. Will the shareholders
stand by and daily see their property
wrested from them? They observe
not to possess it, if they do. Yet such
will be some of the inevitable results Of
the passage of the Wilmot Proviso; for
thero is no reason to believe that the
Northern party will stop in its course
of aggression on the rights Of the South,
but will follow up the proviso by the
measures We have mentioned. Such
ruin, dcsolation and 5loodshed would
follow these measures, as svlrpass the
conception Of man, in their awful reali-
ty.
The value Of the slave property in
the South, at common valuation, is
two thonsond mill;nna of dollars a o,,,,,