Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1849-04-03
CONGRESSIONAL.
REMARKS OF HON rnos. 5. BoCoof

la4q il committee If The Hhd.', on '"s o''
10 establish q gopsramenttn "a "" o;l
Mr., BOCOCK said MIR. CHAIRMAN: asa'
myself of this opportunity 10 eApie's
views no relation 10 The various pioi"sie
which are proposed for our consiue'a'''''' ha."s
in view the establishment oil our newly aequne
As have heretofore RETAINED
Hono soeaking this session, because did not
choose to interrupt the progress OF business
without strong occasion, now my interruption
shall be as limited as Tie occasion which pro.
duces il will allow. Thc bill, reported ny Tue
committee on TIE ritories for establishing lei'i,
torial governments in California ana nem
Mexico, being incumbered with "hat - Col -
the sWilmot Proviso, can. unoe. no eN.un'
stances, obtain my supper, IN 'nei
form Strike out tina, feature, and VIII 'oie
IL, them with great pleasure. The substitute
offered nv nv colleague, mir. Preston,J have
cono;dered with sincere desire 10 come 10 y
favorabls conclusion in relation to It. ~ wa,
oavocated by him with considerable zeal ava
ob;l,y. il has been sustained by respectca
colleague on this side of the House Mr. &c
Dowelll with surprising eioquence' "'2
been hailed by portion of the press ID my own
region as the ha,6inger OF peace coui' NV
therefore, feel otherwise than sincerely oesiio",
of bringing my mind to view II with iaSor- !
hava nop however. been altogether successful
in doing so. There may not be any consli'u-
tional difficulties in the way, but there are o'nsr
difhcuItiesso Of scarcely Inferior welsh'.
This substitute proposes 10 authorize one ,,''e
IN no tormsd out OF all California ana New .heh
ico-a tract OF couptry greater IN e1teh' lhdh ar
the present slave States ot this onioh; II piopo'
ses 10 unite 10 one Stale Two large ies'ohs,
which are connected neither geosIaph'caiy h'i
commercially. ,., ,,s
Between New Mexico and the inhabited paris
OF California a showiiDg wilderness ih'ei'.
about seven hundred miles IN e4se"',
which there is seen no footprint, save lna. ',
the wandering savage or the homeless e'n's'
from the States TasTe is between tue wv "
oions no trade. no intercourse. California mas, u
shor,v will have, commerce WIN ASA, Eu,'P.,
,be Sandwich Islands, South America ana MEX
;co ;ls,ll. nm, NOT new New Mexico ettnem De
formed mo one Safe, and the delegates nom
one region or the other will aave 10 pass '"e
uackless wild above aliaceG To- 10 reach tue sea-
OF Government. Having met IN one Les's'a'
lure what will they do2 What common suo-
iect Of legislation will present itse2 What Com
mon interest will ask aiten,ion} Wha' comnu-
nily of feeling aud sympathy Will exisf ~,
one and the same judicial aad nuh'ciPd' g.
revenue system do 1of bolhl Bearing lie bur
deps OF taxation equally, will The Two regions
have common objects IL winch tte" iesehus
NAV be applied Will the inhabitants o. Inc '"o
constitute in any proper sense, one poliicai CON-
munity2 No more than Tue people o. ''i'ss"-
Ia and the people OF California
The union Is unnatural, Involvement, and ui'-
inst 10 The citizens ol the country. II wou!n
produce dissatisfaction "nd uouoie. No' ouiy
This but other objections present themselves.
The people ,i New Mexico certainly, II hnt
also the Inhabitants OF California are nhFiePai'.
10 take position as Citizens 81 sovereign - ~
in the Con.ederacy. Il would D. premature %
make them so. To be citizens OF a SAFE, they
mus, b. prepared Tor self sovernmeut-they must
undersand and be ready 10 carry on Tree, re-
preventative, republican system. Are they ~
that condition, or likely 10 become SO IN a lew
monlhs2 | find the condition Of Inc lhhaonahs
OF New Mexico described By Two distinguished
eentlemen-one me nlber OF thus House, ana
The other member OF The Stnate-ooth OF whoih
possessed The talent and The information " 10
justice 10 The SUBJECT.
In speech delivered in The Senate Of the UnI-
,ed States. on the ,wenty.hiTd cav Of March last,
Mr.. Webster, speaking II New Mexico, sad:
uThe people are far less elevated 10 mind anc
condition than the people OF the sandwich
Islands-iar less worthy OF enc associdtoh--idi
less fiji are they 10 send ihei Senators mere man
the inhabitants of the Sandwich lsiands--iar less
worthy than the better classes oil Indians IN cur
ueighborhood They have no nolon 81 our III.
stilulions, or OF any Tree institutions. they nave
no notion Of popular guvernment-w not NC
slightest not The slightest on earth And The
question is asked, what will he their consitu-
1ion2 Ii is iarcical 10 talk OF such a people
making constitution. They do no not know the
meaning vi the term"
Ruxlon an intelligent Englisn traveller whose
authority Nh Webster introduces, saws Of then:
ain their social sIae but one degree removed
from the veliest sava.es, they mish' 'aks lessons
even from these in morality and the conventional
decency OF lie"
his subject by the Zion. Truman Smith oil Con-
necticut In carefully and elaborately prepar-
ed speech delivered in this House on The second
day of March, lS4S, he says oil The Inhabitants ii
New Mexico:
81 do not hesitate TO say, that a more degraded,
ignorant, or vicious people does no, e1is, on Tue
face OF the ealih."
He shows, too, lha from the iiure OF The c"un-
,ry and lis locality the character OF the people
will BE- slow 10 change. They are OF three classes:
those OF Spanish descent, those Of lndian, AUG
mixture oil 'he Two.
And vet these people will constitute lwo.,hiTdS
of the cilizens oil my colleagues proposed State
The inhabitants Of California, made mp oil every
nation on earth, many .! Them recently subjects
OF monarchiai governments, viii constitute Inc
other third. To such men hc proposes !oihWih
TO conhde the delicate trust OF sell government
To such men nc pr poses 10 commt inc aesih'
OF country IN which the states OF 'nie On,uH
have SO great an interest. i is pfemature-il !
contrary 10 all precedenl-it IS unsafe. But. sif,
prea, as are these objections, there is another T.
nv mind equally as great. We OF the South nave
commended, and upon The strongest reasoning, lha'
the territories acquitted b. he JON! blood AID
Joint Treasure OF he whole Union become the
common properly u tr people cl me seVeidi
States, aud ina, i.e Eoasies> ., the Onitea states
was merely he agen! &C trustee, With limned ao-
thorily, having no rish s. ~ execute u, Hus' d.
10 impair IN, .qua ny .! ,se aea
We have held, that whenever there 'houiG De
people occupying any portion OF tins territory,
nreoared for self government BY numbers, intel
iigence, &c., such people may, with the con.
ssnt Of Congress, form themselves into state
and thus ACQUIRE the soye eign authority "ilhin
their own limits, and consequently the riShl 10
contro, the municipal regulations oil The couh-
try. To that sovereignty we cheeriuily accoru
the right TO say whether there shall be slaves or
not But all this must he done ~ good faith there
must be people prepared 10 receive cn'ranciilse'
ment, 10 manage The affairs of the State. and 10
Judge ntellisenty Of i municipal regulations.
Congress may surrender lis trust 10 such peo-
ple, but 10 no other II could not rightiuiiy con-
sent that tribe Of savages lnhab,tias th's lcr-
ritory should form a State. and acquire Inc
rights referred 10. No man could 50 contend.
II ia clear, thea, that Congress would violate y,
duty, aud commit breach of trust il II should
consent that people not duly prepared Tor sell
government, as | have shown is the case VIII
New Mexlcans, should form IN. mselSes INTO
state, and thus acquire the right o. deciding Tor
or against our institutions. viii now show
that this breach of trust on the part oil Con
gress. would operate 10 exclude our institu
lloos FROM all that country, aud INA, the ON oil
my colleague IS surrender Of that question : a
surrender upon terms, il IS true, but still sur
render.
Under his bill, who would {, nslitue the new
State which would declie he question: The IN
habitants OF California and New Mexico together.
They are in number about one hundred aud Tor
~ thousand; and a. The time limited tor The ior-
nation Of The State, would not be more IhaR Que