The North-Carolina standard., 1849-08-01

before her act Of abolishing slavery had gone INTO
operation, and the other after It had ne Aa
ration Mr. Van Bnren's accepted the compensation
and acouiesced in the refusal, In the case OF the En-
tesprize, without Temonstrance or protest. ana mus
waived our right and admitted the absurd ana oan-
gerous principles on which the reinsa was !. ~
What the Administration shamefnly omitted 70 90;
II resolved do through the Senate, II Possiole aho
with that view, and in order to perpetuate our ciaI
Of right moved in the Senate, IN 1S40, the lnree
following resolutions. and succeeded In passing tnem
by a unaninou vote, with some slight apendment,
Col Benton voting for them, but not standing Dy
me, he says, for he never uttered Wora IN nelr
supports: - a. h;,h
seas in time of peace, engaged in lawful voyage,
is according the laws Of natons under the exciu-
siye jurisdiction of the State ito which her nag be-
longs, much so as if constituting part e' It's own
domain. -
stResotsed, That if such ship or vessel should De
forced by stress of weather, or other unaVoidabie
cause, into the port of friendly power she would
under the same laws, lose none OF the rights apper
tanning to her on the high but, the eontrary
she and her cargo and persons board, with their
property, and atherghts belonging to their person
al relations established by the laws OF the State
to which they belong, wonldtbe placed under the
projections which the laws of extend to the un
fortunate under such circumstances. E..E
:. Resoiued, That the brig Enterprise, which was
forced upavodably by stress OF weather into Fort
Hamilton, Bermuda Island, while on lawful voyage
on the high seas from part of the Union to an
other, comes within the principle embraced In the
foregoing resolutions and that the seizure ana oe
tention Of the negroes board by the local authority
of the Island, act in violation OF the laws OIL
nations, and highly unjust to our own citizens to
whom they belong"
Such was the condition in which the administration
of Mr. Van Ruren left these outrageous cases; lhey
never were brought to the notice of the pubIic and
the principle first contended for was surrendered ana
that maintained by Great Britain inathe case OF the
Enterpr-e acquiesced in and, of course, all claims
of compensation on the part OF the owners rendered
adj inISf
to stand on but my resolutions apd the vote Oh tne
Senate in their favor. If then the i'll ated owners
were sacrificed, it was not by me. Their case was
rendered hopeless by the preceding administration,
with which Mr.. Benton was intimately associated,
and in which he acqpesced; for he never raised his
voice in their favor in the long period of ten years.
during all which time his voice might have been
potential. turn now to explain what was done In
reference to this subject by the negotiations which
ended in the Ashburton treaty, and how much the
South, which he accuses me as having abandoned,
has gained by it. For that purpose insert an extract
from my speech on the treaty:
'sSuch the state of the facts, when tne hego-
tations commenced in reference to these cases. aho
it remains to be shown in what state II mas ieIt
them. In the first place. the broad principles OF the
law of nations, on which placed our night, In my
resolutions have been clearly stated and concusivey
vindcated in the very able letter of the Secretary OF
State which has strengthed our cause not lIne' ds
well from its intrinsic merit, as the quarter from
which it comes. In the next place, we have an eX-
tend in the answer Of Lord Ashburton, who expressly
says that, On the great general principles anectng
this case," (the Creoe) "they do not dIher;" and
that is followed by " engagement that instructions
shall be given to the Governors of her Majesty's
Colonies, the Southern borders OF the Uniteo
States, to execute their own laws with careful atten-
tion the wishes of their government to maintain
good neghborhood and that there shall be no ocious
Interference with American vessels driven by accident
violence into their ports. The laws and duties OF
hospitality shall be executed" This pledge was ac-
cepted by our Executive, accompanied HE express
declaration of the President through the Secretary OF
State, that he places his reliance those principles
of public law which had been stated in the note of
the Secretary of State.
Here we have positive acknowledgment of the
principle, which the administration of Mr. Van Buren,
had abandoned and pledge that necessary measures
would be taken to prevent similar occurrences In
future, and the laws and duties of hospitality be
executed. Now when add, that all this, thus far,
has been faithfully executed may assert with truth
that you gain much, far more than had hoped, con-
sidering the state in which the subject had been left
by the preceding administration. So much for the
charge, that had abandoned you on the occasion.
and the assertion of COL Benton that he had stood
by Sc the i'll fated owners
have now repelled all the charges, intended to
shake your confidence in myfdelity to you, in refer
ence to the most vital of all subjects to the South
have shown that they all rest either on statements
that utterly false conclusions that are entirely
erroneous inconclusive. have also shown, that
Col. Benton has involved himself at every step in
false statements contradictions inconsistency and ab
surdities. will not say that he made his charges
knowing them to be false for that would brand him
as base calumniator and slahderer; but will say
he ought to have known they were. 1t may be, how
ever, that he was too much blinded by passion and
prejudice, or lacked the discrimination to perceive
they were.
have passed over all that was directed against me
personally, and intended to impeach my fidelity
to you and your cause; because it did not fall |
within the reasons which induced to notice him
at all. have also passed over all the torrent of
abuse he has poured against not only for the
reason, but because deem beneath my notice.
He doubtless thinks differently, and regards it as the
finest portion of his speech for he has used expres
sions, which pretty clearly Indicate that he antici
pates it will raise him to the level of the great An
thenian orator. for indignant denunciation. He mis-
takes his fate He will be Fortunate should he escape
sinking to the level of Thersites. He not to
apprehend, that the difference is wide between the
Indignant eloquence of patriotism and truth and
rilons defamation also pass over his attack the
Southern Address because it has BEEN too generally
read and is too well understood by you, for him
do any mischief by assaing it. The wonder is that
he should venture make attack in open daylight
The remote twilight region of the past lying between
truth and fiction, best suits his taste and genius.
Passing all this by, am brought to where he
throws off his Disguise and enters the camp of the
enemy and openly proclaiming himself abolition
ist, endorses all their doctrines, and steps forth
their champion. In that character, he assumes a
dicatoria air. and pronounces that is absurd deny
the power of Congress 1egislate it pleases, on
the subject of slavery in the territories that it has
exercised the power from the foundation without being
slavery is local in it's character; that it must be Gre
law and he arriad inch