Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1849-07-02
col RENT0N'S GREAT SPEECI. 6.
10 the People Of Missouri:
DELIVERED AT JEFFERSON CITY,
May 26th, 1849.
Tco cL U D ED.J

sleF sstzs = tCO N CL=U ID Il u :.
/ have shown that Mr.. Calhoun suppor-
ted the abolition of slavery in the territory
ofLouisiana; have now to show that he
did the same thing irf a State-in the State
of Texas. The case was this: In the ses-
sion of l944-'45, two resolutions were
adopted for the admission of the State of
Texas-one, single and absolute, with the
Missouri compromise in It. the other au-
ihorizing negotiations with Texas for her
admission on an equal footing with the
original Slatess The Senator from South
Carolina was then Secretary Of State, and
virtual President Of the United States; and
in that capacity he seized upon the .abso-
lu:e resolution, selected it, and applied it
TO the State OF Texas, and thus ran the
Missouri compromise line through that
State. thereby abolish:ng slavery in State
lin part Of a State-making one part
of the same State free soil, and nne part
slave soil, and SO ii stands a; this day!
Before that act of Mr.. Calhoun, the whole
State of Texas was slave so:l!-made se'by
the laws and constitution Of Texas. The
question with our Congress was, how to
admit her consistently with her rights as a
sovereign State? The House resolution
imposed re restric,ion-nn abolition, in fact,
of slavery, in oil her territory above 26d.
Son.. and that was a great deal; for the
State extended in one part 10 40 degrees;
the Senate's amendment imposed nothing.
but proposed TO trea. with Texas, and to
admit her upon agreed terms. Mr.. Cal
heun seized upon the House resolution, and
adopted it,, and thereby adopted The Mis-
souri, compromise, and imposed it, not up
un territory. but upon STATE: He abol-
ished slavery in State! And III this he
carried abolitionism further than any
Barnburner ever proposed;' for they limit
their abolilionism to territories. This Mr..
Calhoun did, and did as late as March the
3D., le45 There is no dispute upon it.
Gen. Houston cha, ged him with it in his
circular address. to his constituents at the
late session CT Congress. Every body was
struck with the force uf the accusation. and
looked out anxiousfy for Mr.. Calhoun's
reply. They looked in vain. He did not
reply, and could not. Confession would
do no good, and denial would make it
worse. The fact was notorious, and of
public record. He could not throw the
blame upon Tyler, for he had often boast
ed in the Senate that he, himself, had Sc
lected that resolution.
repeat: / do mol cite this conduct of
Mr.. Calhoun in abolishing slavery in
part of Texas as authority. to justify
abolishing slavery in States, but to show
that he went further than any "Northern
fanatic" has ever proposed TO go; and fur
ther, that up to that date, March 3, I645,
he had not invented his new doctrine Of no
power in Congress to legisla;e upon slave
fy i'm territories, and still further, to show
that, UP to- the same period, he had not felt
the pricking OF that point of honur-=the
insult to the slave State, in being excluded
with their poperty from the soil which
their common blood and treasure won.
Texas was all won, as well North as South
of Sc degrees 80 minutes by the same
blood and treasufe-.he taxes of the peo-
pie and the blood of Goliad, the Alamo
and San Jacinto. Andyet there were ci:i-
zens Of the same State excluded, by the act
of Mr.. Calhoun, from removing with their
property from one part of it to another!
And now | have arrived at point
which claims particular attention. It will
be remembered by all that after the rejec-
tion Of the Texas treaty in ~. various
propositions were submitted in Congress
for her admission, and that every PROPOSE
ton contained some plan for dividing her
into free and slave territory. Every body
will remember this. Now, do not recol-
lect single instance in which the consti-
tutionality Of such propositions were dis
puted, or "a single instance in which it was
deemed an insult to the slaveholding States
to see slavery excluded from any part of it.
These propositions were particularly nu-
Inerous in the season Of ls44-5, which
ended with two propositions enacted into
two alternative resolutions-one 20 run the
Comprondise line through the State, the
other to negotiate with her upon the SUBJ
siect. Mr.. Calhoun selected the former
full proof that neither himself nor the
majority of the two Houses of Congress,
nor the President of the United States.
who approved the resolutions, saw any
thing in them either unconstitutional or in
sulting to the slave States, or tending to
disunion. | myself made one of these pro-
positions. 1t was to divide by parallel
Of longitude. 1t proposed to Texas that
she should surrender to the United States
allthe territory West of the Tooth parallel
of longitude, which was to be free soil,
that on the East side to be slave soil.
proposed to limit slavery by line North
and South, and that upon negotiation with
Texas; if any person wishes TO know my
principles about the extension Of slavery
West into New Mexico, they may see it