Daily Richmond times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1849-1850, 1850-05-08

Wednesday Morning, May 0th, 1850.
MR.. POLK AND THE WILMoT pROvIso

DIN oAnA AMI IllL w lLhOl IhONloO
The Enquirer copies from the Nashville Uraio1
the following memoranda of the views and inten
tons of the late President Polk with respect t.
the application of a restriction against slavery t.
the Territories acquired from Mexico.
The editor Of the Union having referred to
saw him, proceeds to say
He (Mr. Polk stated the circumstances under which
the Oregon bill was approved, as contained in his mes
sage and reiterated his determination to have vetoed
any bill excluding slavery from any portion OF the terri
tory South of the Missouri compromise line. He kind
y granted us permission to refer to his papers this
subject but he almost Immediately afterwards seized
by the disease which proved fatal to him, and we saw
him more The permission then extended to us has
however, since been renewed by Mrs Polk and during
a recent visit the where the papers of her illus
trous consort filed with all that method and order
for which he wasso distinguished, we copied the very
important extract which will be found below.
Most of readers will recollect that near the close
of the session OF 1S49, Mr.. Walker, Senator from
Wisconsin, introduced amendment to the civil and
diplomatic appropriation bill, giving territorial goyera-
ments to California and New Mexico aDithout attach
ing thereto the Wilmot proviso 1t was generally sup
posed that the proviso would be attached in the House;
and the veto of the provso would have been to veto the
entire appropriation BILL at the moment OF the session
Mr. Polk did not hesitate moment in coming to de-
termination. He dreao up Ueto message, and sat in
the office of the Clerk Of the House, firmly determined
to veto the BILL if presented him with the proviso at
tached to the territorial government portion OF it, This
message is preserved among the papers of Mr. Polk,
and is OF the documents which he referred to in his
conversation with We read it through, on our re-
visit to the where he kept his papers, and
with increased admiration OF his talents and exalted
patriotism. 1t bears, in his hand writing, the fol-
lowing endorsement:
"March, 1849. l took this message with me to the
capitol on the night of the Sd March, l849, intending
to return to the House in which originated with nv
tho civil and diDOmatc hill n which an
amendment offered by Mr.. Walker, OF Wisconsin, had
beed adopted in the Senate for the Government OF Ca
torna had been amended In the House by ENGRAVING
upon the Wilmot Proviso. The bill with the Wmot
Proviso attached did not pass and was therefore
necessary to use the message. J. X. p"
We now make an extract from the message referred
to- not doubling that it will attract general attention,
and eectuay silence the talk about the precedent set
by Mr. Polk in approving the Oregon bill:
81 cannot, consistently with my opinions and we'll
settled convictions of duty to the constitution and to
the country sanction BY an approval OF TINS bill the
subject were officially expressed in my message to the
House of Representatives OF the 18th of August last
announcing to that body my approval and signature OF
the bill to establish the territorial government OF Ore
gon and again in my last annual message to Congress,
recommending the establishment OF governments over
the territories Of New Mexico and California, acquired
by the treaty OF peace with Mexico. The doctrine Of
nonnterference with the subject Of slavery by the Fee
deral Government, have never doubted the true
doctrine The people who nhabit, or may nhabit the
acquired territories have alone the right to decide tor
themselves what their domestic institutions shall be,
without the intervention interference OF Congress
In signing the Oregon bill, and expressing my opinions
in my last annual message, telt myself constrained to
yield my original convictions had this been an open
and original question, and to conform IN my action
to the compromise established when Missouri was ad
mitted into the Union. thus constrained to yield
because the Missouri compromise in respect to slavery
had been recognised and acquesced in by the
ing and nonsavehoding States for period of nearly
thirty years; and had not only been acqueSced H. but
had been distinctly recognized and affirmed, without Sc
rous opposition, in the resolutions passed by Congress
in February 1915, for the annexation OF Texas as a
State of the Union. was unwilling, by my action, to
attempt to reverse what seemed to have been so long
and so well settled
"ln the provision of the bill, under consideration,
Congress has dsregarded the principle of the Missouri
compromise, and undertaken to enact law which not
only abrogaes it, but in effect destroys the equality OF
the several States, and the equality of rights which be-
long their respective citizens. The bill reduces one
half of the States and their citizens to condition OF
nterony their political rights, under the constitu-
on the other half of their sister States and their CT
items. The equality of the States political commu-
nties and the equality OF rights OF their respective ctl
zens constitute fundamental principle, which lies at
the foundation of Federal Union; and without the
distinct recognition of which is we'll known the conte-
deracy couldnever have been formed.
"The territorial possessions acquired by the treaty
OF peace with Mexico were purchased by the common
blood and treasure OF citizens of all the States-slave-
holding and non slaveholding 1t belongs equally and
alike to all the States, and the citizens OF all the States
have equalr rights in it. TO exclude the citizens of the
savehoding States from the enjoyment otequa nights
in it with the citizens of the non-laveholdng States, fo
other than that slavery exists in the former
and that the latter possess the majority OF the popua
ton of the Union and the majority OF the representa-
ton in Congress, would be to infict vital wound
upon the Constitution ITSELF and to destroy the whole
frame and design OF the confederation OF which all the
States under the Constitution are equal members. Sure
y there be adequate motive Tor any lover OF
glorious Union to press this delicate question to
treme point by which the blessings Of liberty may be
put injeopardy or lost forever 1t was because OF my
deep convictions OF the value OF preserving Fede-
raj Union in all its parts, that was willing, In signing
the Oregon bill, to give up original opinions and yield to
an established compromise"
The Enquirer seems to regard the production Of
this unused message of Mr.. Polk, as being parti-
cularly valuable for the purpose of rebutting the
argument drawn, as it says, by the submission
lists" from the precedent alleged to have been es-
tablished in The signature of the Oregon bill So
far as this argument attempts to prove The South
committed to non-resstance by its acquiescence in
Mr.. Folks act, it is undoubtedly refuted by the fact
that he justified his upon the groana that it
was but carrying out the Missouri Compromise.
BY adopting that plea, he dsarmed the South, for
that occasion, and at the same time, most unhapply
gave mighty impetus to the progress of Northern
Free-Sosm. Mr.. Calhoun recorded his solemn
testimony to this fact, in the original draught Of
the "Southern Address" Martin Van Buren,, the
candidate of the Free-soil party, appealed to
MIR. Folks message to Congress, as conclusively
settling the question of the consttutonalty of the
Wimot proviso. And he had good reason to cite
the authority, as he did, against Southern Presi-
dent; for the Oregon bill was signed by Mr.. Poll
inthe face of an express refusal of Congress tc
recognise the Missouri Compromise as applying tc
Oregon.
Itisworthy to be observed that although the mes
sage, from which extracts are cited above, proves
that it was Mr.. Folks intention to veto the Wilmo
Provisoi if applied to California or New Mexico, il
shows also that he entertained views which the
Virginia Democracy have placed in the same ca