The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-11-25

ments, that the Law Is constituiiouaffy unauthor.
sed. The territory belongs to all the States and
all the citizens of all the States have right to
bring their property into it, and to it therein
for all the purposes of which property is suscept-
BILE. IL will not be asserted that Congress has the
power to prohibit the introduction, within the Dis
trct, of the manufactures of Massachusetts, the
cotton and rice OF the Southern States. Now 1t
cannot be averred with truth that there is any
property more sacred, or better protected under
the Constitution, than the property in our slaves.
The Constitution is imbued with none of those
prejudces against this property, which havegrown
up entirely since its adoption, as we'll in Europe
as in some fthe United States. How, then, can
1t be pretended that the owner OF this property
shall be precluded from the of it in the lead
ing characteristic of all property, namely the sale
oft? Certainly, would say that prejudice and
notreason, can make any distinction. But in dis
cusslng the constltutionaty of the law, we do not
meet the great ground of objection, which is the
purpose and example of the law. Here, as in the
preceding grievances, the object is the advance
ment of abolition. Is it not notorious that it is
intended and valued merely entering wedge,
that 1t is to be followed up by the abolition of the
property in the District, and that these acts shall
form examples for other acts of interference with
this property! Congress has the power TO regulate
| commerce between the States. We shall no doubt
very soon hear of proposition in Congress for
regulating the slave trade between the States and
v
will not be allowed to pass TO thenew and unset
tied country of the South and Southwest or they
will couple the transit Of slaves with conditions
which will secure their emancipation in the States
to which they shall be transported. 1t is vain to
say that such measures will be unconstitutional
Neither fanatcism nor power can be restrained
by the privileges Of Constitution in parchmenN
| 1t has been already repeatedly tramped upon, and
a total disregard of it has been openly avowed by
the leading actors in the prevailing crusade against
slavery
| The next cause of complaint, and of danger and
alarm, is that the balance Of the Government is
destroyed forever and it is beyond the power Of
opponents themselves to restore it, if they had
the wish to do So The admission of California
into the Union gives them decided ma jority in
the Senate, and they have long had ma jority in
| the House of Representatives. Their majority in
the first will be speedily increased by the admis-
sion Of new States from which slavery will be ex-
cluded the last needs increase 10 give them
overwhelming power. But besides the natural in
crease OF their present excess of numbers, the in
PRODUCTION of foreigners will add to it, perhaps a
quarter of million per annum. Thus they grow
stronger and stronger every day, an the South,
proportlonately weaker. 1t Is as certain as 1t
would be if we had declaration from Heaven,
that there never will be another slave State admit
ted into the Union. 1t is equally certain that the
overwhelming power OF our opponents Will be eX-
ercised most despotcally. The spirit by which
they are urged on, is twofold first, the ambition
of low minded politicians, who are determined to
govern and TO crush all power in the Southern
States. They are governed by an ancient hatred
that has come down to them from the old Federal
party, but without the talent or urbanlty OF that
party.
That party was put down by the union of the
i South and the Southwest, and have borne with
great restveness their absence from power. But
they were of great talents and accomplish
ments, fit to govern. These are nov cast off by
81, ,h,, baua Of hair hi,rh
quaties-men known to the nation by no dis
tinction Of talent public service, the Hales the
Giddngs, the SeWards-these are the brood of the
second element Of the now dominant party, hnati-
csm. They generated from the slime Of this
foul principle; unless you resist, you to be
governed by it, You absolutely powerless.
| No tyrant has ever existed whose power to do
evil was so great, whose disposition to do good so
small-a popular tyranny of fanatics and low
minded politicians, tyranny much the worse be-
cause it is many -headed. A popular tyranny
(even when composed of less foul elements) is
more debasing than the tyranny Of Il monarch; in
its nppetites more lnappeasable and gross, and in
its duration more las ting. IL never dies. The
gloomy eXpanse of time which 1t covers is never
irradiated by Ira jan or an Antonlous. There is
an eteruaI duration Of its vicious qualities and its
rapacious rrgn. Good God Is the proud South
ern to bow in submission to such government !;
Where il the race of our great men
But under the influence of the benumbing Gov
ernment which is called our "glorous Union, -
you have ceased to produce great men. Where
are the JeiierSons, the Madsons, the Henrys,
and the George Masons of Virginia the Rut-
Lodges and the Pinckneys Of South Carolina ; the
James Jacksons and the William H. Crawfords
Of Georgia. Gone! gone! and none to take their
place none to rouse us to manly resistance against
the injustice and the tyranny under which we suf-
! fer. No! 1t cannot be; there are such men, if
the people will call them forth. The people must
take the subject into their hands. They must
no longer look to their national politicians, who
! have inhaled the Presidential air Of Washington
They must throw off national party names, whose
little factious politics have been put above their
country's cause. There must be neither Demo
Gratis nor Wings; but we must all be Southern
men. We should have, fpossble, nothing to do
with the General Government. We have, there
no longer particle Of practical power. Our own
representatives have betrayed us. | admit that
there are highly honorable exceptions but we
have been shamefuy betrayed by many of them
Without that aid which they afforded the enemy,
the sad results which we deplore could not have
been accomplished.
Our presence in the halls Of legislation gives to
our enemy the countenance Of forms which once
embodied the spirit of a vigorous freedom; which
gave our share of power, our share OF respect,
a standing of equality in the nation. But under
| the present operation Of the Government, these
are all extinguished. Our own representatives
have told us that what our enemies were pleased
get no more. | should be glad to be informed
what they have left US. Have they not taken all !:
The great matter in contest, when the recent con-
troverses began, was about the territory which
we had conquer-Ha from Mexico. | say, which
we, of the South had conquered; for our oppo-
nents were opposed to the war, opposed to the
appropriations, and their section contributed only
few noble spirits who above their low aspi-
rations. Have they not taken all? The only
thing granted to us was a law to restore to our
| fugitive slaves, which it was never supposed could
| be executed, and which we are now abundantly
assured, they will never suffer to be executed.
Nor was this grant Of anything, for we had the
right before, and the recent law was only ali effort
to counteract their bad faith in the execution of
the constitutional provisions. They have not,
however, been satisfied with taking all. They
have made that all wicked instrument for the
abolition Of the Constitution and of every safe
guard of our property and four lives, Our dan
ger is well expressed by member from Massa-
chusetts, in former Congress, when the subject
of slavery was incidentally agated, who saidl
g 1t was not with them Ohe South) question of
policy, of political power, but of SAFETY peace
iSence.'
bnyo eo;d thnv boya r,oIa tho oppronr;,t;op