Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1849-06-27

language. And TOR what causef For a cau.r
30 absurd and nnienndec, SO contradicted by his
own conduct. and by tho whole action OF thu
government from its foundation to the present
day. that. being confronted with m. ou con
dact. he has never dared to ask n vote upon his
resolutions.
have no new opinions to express about IN .
design Of those resolutions. | gave my opinion
of them at the time they were introduced, and
IN many ways. am among the rest in letter 10
the people of Oregon. mud another to the pc oplc
OF Howard county. The people Of Oregon had
formed Il provisional government. and inserted
in their articles Of government, u fundame n tat
act for the prohibition of slavery. copied from
the Jefferson proviso of 1877. Tho House Of
Representatives. had passed a bill. session Of 40
III, TO establish territorial governme for Or
rgon, sanctlonng their articles Of COVE rnne ut
with the proviso agains: slavery in il. This bill
was defeated in the Senate lust twelve days after
Mr.. Calhoun brought in his fire brand resoIu-
tons; and IN giving an account of that defeat TO
the people of Oregon, in letter which was the II
published, | said:
"Your fundamental act against that institu-
ton, copied from the ordinance of I1S1--tha
work OF the South in tie great day OF the South
prohibiting slavery in territory far less north
ern than yonrs-wiii not be abrogated! nor 10
that the intention of the prime mover Of tl,.,
anne ndment Upon the record, tho Judiciary
/ committee of the Senate is the author Of that
anne ndment; by, not the fact. That commit
tee is only midwife Ia il. Its author is tho
mind that generated the 'firebrand rcsoiu,ions.'
of which send yon acopy; and the anne ndment
/ IL its legitimate derivation. Oregon is not the
object! The most rahid propagandis, of slavery
cannot expect 10 plant il the shores Of tho
Pacific in the latitude of Wisconsin and the Lake
OF the Woods. A home agitation, for election,
and dsunIon purposes. is all that is int nded bv
thrusting that firebrand question into your bill;
and, at the next session. when il is thrust in
again, we will scourge il out"
home agitation for election, and disunOn
purposes, is what told them the object of these
res " Cnss fIrrw "a dafe a
upon tests framed out Of these resolutions; but
the election part of the object against all
northern men, and TO bring forward Mr. Cal
houn himself as the southern candidate. Fail
ing in this object to get himself nominated tho
next design Of the resolutions came into play:
and this brings me to the meeting Of sou the rn
me mbers OF Congress. got up, and conducted by
Mr.. Calhoun. 1t n meeting with closed
doors--every citizen, not actual me mber from
"A slaveholding State, was excluded-even Mr..
Bibb of Kentucky, n former Senator, and who
was turned out under the special decision Of MIR.
Calhoun himself Members came upon invita-
ton. was not invited, and would not have
gone II | had been. Gen. Houston was not in
vited, but went without invitation, aud moved
the opening Of the doors to the public, which
was voted down. have been told that disu MON
was expressly discussed; aud that would seem to
flow, as "A regular consequence: from tho funda-
mental proposition Of the original address, drawn
up by MIR. Calhoun, and assimlating its impor-
lance to tho declaration Of wrongs which sepa-
rated the America IAN Colonies from Great Britain.
and giving a higher Importance to the present
crisis, as going beyond the former. and involving
not merely rights, but life and prOperty-ev~vy
thing-the safety Of the South. and all. The
paragraph which contained this declaration was
this:
1--WE whose names are hereunto annexed, adj
dress you in discharge Of what believe TO bs
a solemn duty on the most impor tant Aubiect ev.
er presented for your onsidsration, not except-
ing the declaration which separated you and the
other United Colonies from. the parent country.
That involved your indePen nee; but this your
all, not excepting even your safety. We aiiude
to the conflict between the two great sections Of
the Union, growing out Of difference Of feel
ing and opinion in reference to tho relation ex-
isting between the two races-the European and
African which inhabit the southern section, and
the acts OF aggression aud encroachme Ut TO which
it has led.''
From this strong language, exaltng the crisis
above that OF the revolution, il would naturally
be supposed that the remedy to be the same;
and so 1t was Understood by many, and the words
struck out. The same conc fusion would seem
naturally to result from a concluding part Of tho
address. IN which unanimity was invoked, cOu-
sequences disregarded the Union treated a. n.y.
potheticaiiy worse than useless, called q sword
to assault. aud not shield to defend, anI in
which it was left to the North to count its value
Tn. is the paragraph which contained these OK
''As the nssailed. you would stand justified by
all laws, human and divine, in repelling blow
so dangerous, without looking 70 consequences,
and to resort to aH means necessary for that pur-
pose. 1onr assaiIants, and not you, would bp
responsible for consequences. It would be for
them. and not for you, to count the value of tho
Union without your rights, it would he worse
than useless s,cord to assau Il, and not shiekL
to de lend you.'
The most significant Of these phrases weya
struck out. doubtless because they moro than
squinted-n fact looked straight--at dish Mon
The striking out of these passages shows that
the majority Of the meeting dssented from Mr..
Calhoun's views, and caused 10 be expunged
from his address the anti-union passages. Tho
majority were doubtless in favor of preserving
the U MON: but that is not the present inquiry.
The present inquiry is into Mr.. Cahoun's de
sIgns-his design in his resolutions of February.
1o47; and every thing that occurred in the meet
ing, and especially the passage expunged from
his ado ress, show that his deliberate design was
what his resolutions hypothe iicaily imported
the subve rsion Of the Union. The paragraph
assirnilating the condition Of the South in reia-
ton to the North TO that Of the colonies at the
declaration of independence was awfully sig
nifcant. and dreadfu'ly false. No wonder il
was expunged. Compare the list Of grievances
which he drew up, and which constitute the sta
pie Of his address that was published--compare
this with the list Of grievances against Great
Britain, drawn by Mr.. Jefferson and prefixed To
the declaration Of indepe ndence--and then SEQ
what truth there was in Mr.. Caihoun's reckless
comparison. According TO his asser tion the
southern grievances were not only equal. but
greater than those umerated by Mr.. Jefferson.
The declaration Of independence is in every
house: but there is another place where tho list
is more perfect-the preamble TO the constitution
Of Virgiuia--also drawn by Mr.. Jefferson. and
where an item suppressed in the national decia-
ration Of indepe nde nee. TO crafty some extreme
southern friends. was retained in all its viaog by
his native State. That item was this: "Hv
prompting our negroes TO rise in arms among ~
those very negroes, whom, by an inhuman use
OF his negative, he hath refused his permission
to exclude by Lan." What a contrast: Tho
kings refusal to authorize the exclusion Of slaves
from Virginia. then one Of the causes Of separa-
ton inserted in her declaration Of wrongs. pre-
fixed TO her constitution-ihe nominal exclusion
by law of slavery from q territory where il -
not, and cannot be, now a cause Of separation Of
the southern from the northern States! Surely
the Father Of his country had, in his minds eve
this address Of Mr.. Calhoun when, in his fare
we'll 70 his children. he warned them against the
misrepresentation Of designing men who. for
H. ends