Columbus Democrat. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 18??-18??, 1849-02-17


essvA thar Missouri, once In possession Of Con-
usisu,ioa-an3 Government, not simply 90 paper,
III with legislators elected, and officers appoints
ed. 10 carry them into effect the crave questions
would be presented, whether she was o. i5Sh
Territory or State aAd, if the latter, whether
Congress had the Hight. and, il tho right, the pow,
a. 10 abrOeais her Constitution, disperse her
legislature, and 10 remand her back to the ter,
ritoEial condition. These we're great. and under
;se circumstances, fearful queslious-ioo fearful
. be me, bY those who had raised the agitation.
F-5n that time the onl question was, how 10 es-
ca..s z. n she difficulty. fortunately. a means
was afforded. Compromise las il was called
was offered based ou the terms, that the North
should cease 10 oppose the admission Of Missouri
on The grounds lot which The South cOnlended,
and thai the provisions OF the Ordinance Of 1851,
Tor the government q. the Northwestern Tcrf.lo-
~, shoula be applied 10 all the territory acquired
b. he United tates from France. under the
treaty Of L0uisiaIa lying North OF 30 80, except
toe portioa lying in the Stale Of Missouri. The
Northern members embraced il and, although
net originating with them, adopted it a. their
own. 1t was forced through Congress BY The al.
most united votes q the North, against "a mnor-
y consisting almost entirely OF members lIom
the Southern States.
Such was the termination of this, the h.s,
conflict. under the Constitution between the two
sefii rs, ia reference to slavery in connection
with The fcrcilories. Many hailed Il as peraa.
neul and tinai adjustment that would prevent the
reciUresCe 81 similar conflicts bat others, less
sagSulae, iooA ihs opposite and more gloomy
view, regarding il as the precursor ol train Of
events which might reBd the Union asunder, and
PROSTATE our POLITICAL system. One oi these vas
The experienced and spacious Jeaer,oa. Thus
ilf, time would seem 10 favor his iofebodngs.--
alay returning sense u justice, and protect
ting Providence, avert their final iniAlmcnl.
For many gears the subject Of slavery in ref
efence 70 lie territories ceased to agllatc the
country. Indications, however, connected with
us question Of annckng Texas, showed clearly
,tat Il was ready 10 break oul again, with Ie,
aeubi9d violence, on some future occasi0H.--
he difference in The case d Texas was adjust.
ed by extending the Missouri compromise line
Gj 30 from is 'efniuns, on the wcst1in houn
aarY Ct the Louisiana purchase, to Che western
boundary OF fexas. The agitation again ceas.
al ior short period.
The war with Mexico soon followed, and that
terminated in the acquisition ofNew Mexico aud
lPper California, embracing an area equal to
about one-half ofthe eure valley OF the Alissis. /
slppL Ito this we add the portion Of Oregon |
acknowledged to be ours by the recent treaty
with England, our whole territory 90 the Pacific /
mud west At the Rocky mountains viii be found
10 be IN extent but uIe less than thai vast val, .
ley. ihe nearpgospeci Of so great an addition
rekindlea the excitement between The North aud
South IN reference to slayery IN iis connection
with the territories, which has become, since
those oa The Pacific were acquired, more uni.
'eisa aud intense than eycr.
Inc effects have been TO widen The difference
bclWeen the two sections and 10 give more de
:erInlned aud hostile character to their conflict.
The North nolonger respects the Missouri com
nfomise line, although adopted hv their almost
unanimous vote. Instead Of compromise, they
avow that their determination is To exclude sa,
very tom all the territories otthe Uaited States,
acquired, or 10 be acquired and, Of course. To
prevent the citizens of the Southern States from
enigrating with their property IN slaves into a
ny oil them Their object, they alledge, is To pre-.
vent the extension Of slavery. and ours ts extend
It, thus making the issue between them aud US
TO be The naked question, shall slavery be ex.
tended or not We do not deem it necessary,
looking to the object OF this address, to examine
the question 50 fully discussed at the last srs
sion, whether Congress has the right 10 exclude
h. citizens ofthe South from immigrating with
their property into territories belonging to the
coh"deralea States Of the Uaion. What we
propose IN this connection is, 10 MAKE a few re.
marks on what the Moth alleges, erroncously,
TO he the Issue between as and them.
80 far from maintaining the doctrine, which
the issue implies. we hold that the Federal Gov .
ernlRent has no right % extend or r, strict slave.
~, no more than TO establish or abolish il nor
has Il any right whatever to distinguish between
tho domestic institutions Of one State or section,
aad another Ia order 10 favor the one and dis
courage The other. As the federal representa-.
iiyos Teach and all The States, il is bound to
deal out, within the sphere oil its powers, equal
and exact justice and favor to all. 10 act other
wise, 10 undertake to Discriminate between the .
domestic institutions one and another would /
be to act in total sabyefsou If The end for which .
It was establi.hcd-to he thn common protector
ard guardian afall. Entertaining these op'n,
ions, we s,t not, az the Noah alleges we DO.
.3r 'be eyte9s0n If s'a,ery That would make
ad.seriniina'ioo IN our .'vor, - unjust aud nm
Constitutional as the discrimination they ask a,
gainst Us in their favor It IS not for them, nor
Tor ihe Federal Government TO determine whrh I
or our domestic Institution Is good or bad or
whether i should be cpresscd or preserved. II .
belongs . u.s. and US only, iodecide such qaes-
lions. What then we do Insist on, is, not 70 ex.
tend slavery, but that we shall not be prohibited
from immi1 atog, with our properly, into the .
Territories Of the United States, because we are
elavcholdcrs or, in other words, that we shall
not on HAT account be DISTINGUISHED OF a priy-
legc possessed by all oihrrs citizens aud foreign
ofs, Without discrimination rs 10 character, pro
fessioa, orcolor, All, whether savage. barbari
al. or civilized, may freely enter and remain,
W. only being excluded.
,r rest our claim, not only on the high /
grounds above stated, but also on the solid ioua
daiion ofright, justice, and equality. The ter
ritores immediately in conttuyrtsy-New Mex. /