Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1849-07-02

IL
5 N. York law reform statue abolishing la,
, latin, interpre.s the writ Of ne exeat 10 be
, no go!
S In the meantime there was an episod
which will require full history some day
] but which can only be hinted at now, +
: complete the picture. Hhappened that al
ter Mr.. Van Buren's election, Mr.. Cal
; houn became sort of supporter of his nd
ministration; and upon the principle tho
: one good turn deserves another, expected
his support for the succession. That in
| volved u scheme for northern votes. Their
was n slave subject which presented it-,h
liberation of the Aoerican slaves by th
British authorities in the Bahama Islands
who had revoited against their owners, com
mitted murder and piracy, and carried thei
masters vessels into British ports. Wher
these enormities occurred, Mr.. Calhoun
took up the cause of the South with Justice
and vehemence, and | stood by him. Wher
he took it into his head to become Mr.
4 Van Buren's successor, he abandoned the
South and left me and few others alone.
1 by the side of the owners of the ill-fated
Comet, Encomium, Creole, Enterprise, and
others. In his new born zeal then to please
the North he shot ahead-beating Wood
bury, Buchanan and other northern Sena.
tors in his votes and speeches on the north
ern side of the question. Some view of
this may be seen in my speech on the Ash.
burton treaty; but the subject requires q
separate examination, and shall receive it:
but not now. 1t will be curious episode,
and will place Mr.. Calhoun second time
where he was in l8l9-'2O-o the north
ern side Of the slavery question: but only
for q brief space. Mr.. Van Buren, pre-
ferred to try TO be his,own successor; and
the Texas treaty having gone over without
making its author President, and the Mex-
can war promising a large crop of popular
presidential carddates, a new political test
became necessary; and the tariff question
being settled by the act of 1916, recourse
to slavery and abolition became indispens-
atle. Hence the frebfand resolutions of
1s47-a firebrand which has bad the sin
gular fate of dying out where it was put,
and of raising a condograton thousand
miles off,
The design Of these resolutions is now
the question: and that design is apparent
in the character and words of the resolu-
tons themselves-in the previous course
of Mr. Calhoun, which have just family
skctched-and in his subsequent conduct.
which is yet to be exhibited.
The resolutions, then, point directly to
the snbversion of the Union. 1t is their
| language. And for what cause? For a
cause so absurd, and unlounded. so contra
dicted by his own conduct. and by the
| whole action Of the government from its
foundation to the present day, that, being
confronted with his own conduct, he has
never dared to ask vote upon his' reso-
! lutions.
have no new opinions to express about
The design of those resolutions. | gave my
opinion Of them at the time they were in
troduced, and in many ways, and among
the rest in a letter to the people af Oregon,
and another to the people of Howard
county. The people of Oregon had for.
merly provincial government. and inser:
ted in their articles Of governmant fun
damental act. for the prohibition of slaves
ry, copied from the Jefferson proviso of
1887 The House of Representatives had
passed bill, session of '46-'47, to estab-
lish a territorial government for Oregon,
sanctoning their articles of government
with the proviso against slavery in it.
This bill was defeated in the Senate Just
twelve days after Mr.. Calhoun, brought in
his frebrand resolutions, and in giving an
account Of that to the people of Oregon, in
a letter which was then published, said:
"Your fundamental act against that in-
stitulion, copied from the ordinance of
17s7-the work Of the south in the great
day Of the south, prohibiting slavery in a
territory far less northern than yours
will not be abrogated nor is that the inten-
tion Of the prime mover of the amendment
Upon the record, the Judiciary committee
of the Senate is the author Of that amend
ment; but not SO the fact. That commit
tee is only midwife to it. Its author is the
same mind that generated the 'fre-brand
resolu,ions,' of which | send you a copy;
and the amendment is its legitimate deri-
vation. Oregon is not the object. The
most rapid propagandist Of slavery cannot
expect to plant it on the shores of the Pa
cifc, in the latitude Of Wisconsin and Lake
of the Woods. A home agitation for ezec-
ton and disunion purposes. is all that is
intended by thrusting that brand ques-
ton into your bill; and, OF the next session,
when it is thrust in again, we will scourge
it out" .... ......
A home agitation for election and dis
union purposes, is what | told them the
object of these resolutions was. Cass and
Butler were defeated upon tests framed
out of these resolutions; but the election
part OF :he object was against all northern
men, and to bring forward Mr.. Calhoun
himself as the southern candidate. Fail
ing in this object. to get himself nomina-
ted, the next design Of the resolutions came
into play; and this brings me to the meet
ing Of southern members of Congress, got
up and conducted by Mr.. Calhoun. 1t
was a meeting with closed doors-eyery
citizen, not an actual member from slave
holding State was excluded-even Mr.
Bibb, of Kentucky, former Senator, and
who was turned out under the special de-
cision of Mr.. Calhoun himself. Members
came upon invitation. | was not invited,
and would not have gone if had been.
Cen Houston was not invited. but went
! without invitation; and moved the opening
Of the doors to the public-which was
voted down. | have been told that disun-