Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1849-07-24
lie frs, assumes lha. The Wilmol Ploviso a ,pa

70 MS oeihs u" was he who devised the
Oou'p ;n,,odnceJ il ialo The House OF tepte,
s,;,,.s carried il through by his sdofess' d"1
80, IN ,he reputation Of being lis auho' !.
eiofieu !" c,nsl 10 strip him of the honor oil pc
! - &c anlhor al this late dale, and 10 ossow
US another who DO one ever suspec'eu u oe'
mo ca until Col. Benton discoreffd u. -
Bu, il he could really make out taa' a.n Wy
author of The Missouri Compromise, ne uiIS' 70, 20
one step farther 10 make ne The aush'i =. ~
Wilmu, pfuviso. He must prove me 'm w. ms -
sures 10 be ieDtical this he has Nc. 49, Is,,el
even auempeI. Insead OF that, nc mas aaopeu
nc nsnal con,se OF assuming what he u inca
nable OF proving, II is a very easy way ~ ieaen
. conclusion that is desired. 10 lhis, 100, nc "a'
disclosed his wonderful aptitude 10 see VIVA. no
one eyer belute saw or suspected 6eie,o.oie
all had supposed that they were very oiue'en'
compromise was essential 10 one,
while IN. other necessarily excluded Ii-that one
nrr.su pposes colG,cl OF opinion between pal'ies,
I'm q question ut right or expediency, 10 nave oeen
adjusted on ground in which neither SURRENDERED
It's rights or opinion. The other, on Inc contrary
pre suoposes positive assertion OF liehl or ol'n
ion 10 The exclusion Uf all compromise. mus
in he case of The Missouri Compromise, The norm
and The south differed on The CONSTITUTIONAL gus
lion whether Congress had the right 10 prohIti' Inc
S,,,e INFO The Union. One COMMENDED tnsl
Congress- had The right 10 impose whaieye! con-
dt,oD il might mink proper on territory about
10 become Sale; aud the olhe', that IL hao no
RICH, to impose any, except that pfescfloea ny
The Cons; tuition; that its government snou NC
republican,. The North in that case waived lhe
claim OF power, on the proposal made oy Mr.
Clay, 10 tx the northern limits OF The territory,
into which slaves might be introduced, a. So. 81.
This proposal although made by Southern
member, was taken up and Carried oy me Vnle
OF The NORTH AMI thus became, IN iaci, their oHsr
10 compromise. The Souih acquiesced, without,
however yielding her principles. or asserting or
dissenting as 10 the power Of Congress 10 eI.
cIude slavery from The territories. |! vas
compromise, 10 which both waived, but neither
yielded It's opinion as 10 The power oil Con-
gipss.
Very different was The case in reference 10
the Oregon bill, passed al TIE session preceding
The last. There the north commended Tor The ao-
solute RICH! 10 exclude slavery from all The ter
rileries. and announced their determination &c do
so, against The efforts Of The south 10 compro-
mise The question, by extending Inc Missouri
Compromise line 10 the Pacific Ocean. The 6fief
WAS scorniully refused and the bill passed. without
any compromise. II was intended, indeed, 10 be
the practical assertion OF the naked principle,
that Congress had the power 10 claim for II, oy
the Wilmo, Proviso. Il was he first act OF The
kind ever passed, and was carried by he deser-
lion from your cause by Col Benton and Gen.
Houston. Ii is not surprising that The former
should be DESTROYS OF cuntounding his lar more
odiuus measure with the Missouri Compromi'e,
a much less odious one, in The hope al mlIiga-
Ting our deep Indignation occasuned oy ms De
lrayai OF you on question so vial 10 inc
South. But he had another motive which Will
be explained hereafter, and which makes II silll
more desirable 10 him, that The Two should be
coniounded and regarded as Identical. when
It comes 10 be explained, il will be seen maj u
was Necessary that they should be, in order 10
exlIicaIe him from very awkward dilemma IN
which he has placed himself job exclaimed
"Oh that mine adversary had wrillcn book;
and we'll might have exclaimed, on that my adj
versary might make speech. His adversary
must have been very I nch like mine. We have
never heard whether his had The folly 10 accom-.
tnodale him as mine has had 10 accommodate
one.
have now efieclually repealed his preposle
rous charge, that au the author Of the Wimo
Plovis,s ior it is utterly impossible that he ever
ran show thai am the author Of the Missouri
Compromise, or that that compromise
and The Wimo, Proviso are the same
Bu, as be has made il the position ircm which
10 assa,l me with The charge Of disunion, am
through me you, including his own constituents,
shall hollow MIN, Step by step, through The long
oIoGss ,ayYRhh f pgasns bs eesRssIaa!e eH9ea az
| tempting 10 show thai have changed my opin
ion as 10 The power OF Congress over The terrific
RIGS. But my purpose is mere 10 expose nj
| inconsistency, contradictions and a5su,diies
| nan 10 reiue what he advances as argu
mctt If he could prove 10 a demoDslraiiul
hnf h..ua ,io,n ~
| Iayc 10 weight whatever towards show
| ing that ny resolutions AIMED al disuaion. No
! do ceem II matter Of any importance, in ,hi
connection, whether my opinion has OF has m
undergone change, IN The long period Of q
| years, since the adoption @! The Missouri Com
| promise. Al that time The power OF Consrcs
over the territories had received but little consdc
| rat ON, while Tor the last few years il has been
suoiec, OF vital interest to you, and as SUCH, ha
been thoroughly investigated ~ myself and OH
els, whose tuly il has been 10 defend your right
ia the councils OF nc Union. IN reference 70 il.
| To substania,e the charge OF change OF opiD
ion, ne introduced copy OF what pnrports 10 b
a draft Of a letter found among The papers oil MI
| Monroe. Il is said 10 be 10 his hand writing.
is whou, date, mol signed or addressed 10 an,
person by name, but contained expressions
| when leave no doubt that il was inented Tor Gle
uSIdt SdShsuu. l MS fdtSi ~dS lcGHu HlcG diva
| with anoiGsr, endorsed "Inlciragatories-M S
! sour, March 81, IS20"-"Tu The Heads Of De
| panmenis and Attorney General" Il contained
Two questions, OF which the one pertinent 10 The
present subjecl is in the following words: "Ha.
| Congress right, under the powers vested in The
| constitution, 10 make regulation prohibiting sa
! very in ieTritury2" 1 he only material sen
ence in the draft VI The letter. in refefence 10 the
| point nncer consideration, is in the following
| words: a TOOK the opinion in writing OF he ad
| minisralion as TO the c. nsiuIionality OF res
| training territories, which wac explicit in layu.
Of H." These are he exact words Of Inc sentence
| as finally cor.ec!ei ty lis author. II is expici
as 10 ibe statement, that the administrators as
body, was 10 favor OF The cons.i,uioua.ty, bu
furnishes no proof wherever OF lis members be
ing unanimous, and OF course 10 evidence lhat
or any other particular member Of The Cabine
was III its iay0r.
THIS deficiency Col. Benton undertakes TO sup.
pIy.frs! from The in,elinins, ard next STA e.
Dent purpuIing 10 BE tom The diary Of MI. Ad.
ans. FIRST as 10 the iaeIlining, instead OF The
expression, which was plicit" as it now stsnds;
II read in The original draf, land the vote OF eve
~ member was explicit" These words were all
stru:k out, exceP! ""xplicii;" and in their place
ne following we.e inieIlined in he frs, instance,
which were uaahiHous and" AltsrwarGs the
SorIs, Unanimous and" were struck out which
tell the paper as il nov stands. Now hold j, 10
ne clear, that The inlellning and striking OUT, SO
Tar from strengthening The inference thai the Ca.
onel were unanimous, as Col. Benton contends,
II sireogiGcns and susIaiDs The very Opposite
So far, then, it is certain the draft OF the leller
s'ancing by ilsei, instead Of furnishing proof
hat Inc Cabinet were unanimous, furnishes proof
directly 10 the contrary. Even Col. Benton him.
sell seems 10 have been conscious that il fur.
nIshed no Satisfactory proof as to The unanimity
Ut The Cabinet and endeavors 10 supply This defect
irom statements purpcrling 10 be taken from The
diary OF Mr. Adams. Ficm these il wouu ap-
pear that meeting OF The Cabioel was he'd on
the Sd oil March, Tor The frs. time TO consider The
compromise bill; and that, according 10 tie STATE.
menl II NJ. Adams the Cabinet were unaEimous
upon The question OF cunsliiuicnaliiy. Il also
appears thai The President sent him The two cues.
tons on The 5h OF March. Informing him al he
same time he desired answers. IN writing, from
The members OF The Cabinet and that The an.
saers would be ic ,irle il received The neIi cay.
Such is The substance Of the statement. 2urpo!inx
10 be taken from bis Diary.