The Woodville Republican. [volume] (Woodville, Miss.) 1847-1853, 1850-11-05

ed 10y i0rce oi amsby the whole OF the United
States whose property was usurped, How
much more elariagly wrong, and contrary ID
the spirit Of the constitution and of the rights
OF the States is it, when tins usurpation has On.
ly been as against one portion Of the Union.
and expressly tor the benefit OF another portion
at deadly war with Il and which desires and
has been striving for and succeeded BY this in
gaining the power to crush its institutions ?
And in what light aust we regard the action
of Congress in saactioning and supporting this
partial and 50 greatly important act, though il
was protested AGAINST when that body had the
power and was urged to render it null and
void! Did not Congress by giving it life real
ly exclude us, by its own act, from California!
Let us suppose, however, that this transient
mass Of individuals in California acted in per-
feet accordance with law providing for
horde forwhom no government has been erect.
ed and that the State they formed tras a SOW
ereigu State; yet by this accident of no gov
eminent being provided, and their taking ad-
vantage OF the law we assume to be in force
in such case, the slave-holding States were cx.
cludcd from the property, and when this State
presented itself for admission, since, by its fun
damental law, it excluded them from the right.
ful enjoyment of a tract of country bordering
upon the Pacific sufficiently large for four OF
the largest States in the Union, Congress had
the power was urged, and was in duty bound
to restrict its limits to that of territory sufi.
-cient for one State, and the Congress acted I'M
justly towards the slave-holdmg States, and IN
conformity with the interests and ianatcal spir-
it Of the Northern States, in not doing so, but
virtually suffering us to be excluded from three
States, Herein, then, by the not exercising of
power Congress has acted uRconstionally,
and has virtually enacted the Wilmot proviso
To recapitulate the wrongswe have suffered
by the admission of California The people of
that country by forming a constitution and by
restricting our removal with our slaves into
territory in which we had equal sovereign
and nndivesed rights, performed acts unjust
and of themselves utterly null and void, and
Congress- by giving to these acts vitality, de-
clarlng them Of force against us, has bro
ken the constitution, the compact Of union be-
tween the States. Again; even though this
people had the right to do these acts, Congress
acted unconstitutionally in not exercising a
power and confirming our exclusion to reason
able limits.
From this, we see, how we have been ey-
prcssly prohibited, by the dominant majority of
the North, through the action Of Congress, from
enjoying the territory Of California embracing
good portion of that acquired from Mexico
But from the rest ofthat acquisition, comprised
in the territories of Utah and New Mexico, we
have also been excluded During the agitation
ofthe Wilmot Proviso, and upon the assertion by
Northern Statesmen, and by the Northern Peo-
ple that the lars IN Merico erciuding SlQUcry
pere still in force IN the territory acquired from
that nattOR as a matter Of course, the slave
holder was deferred from emigrating because
il was uncertain but that he would soon be de-
prived ofhis property by the action Of Congress,
and il was certain that he would have to suffer
doubtful lawsuit as to his property in his
slaves, under the laws of Mexico, which suit
would have to be tried by Judges appointed un-
der northern influence. The Territorial Bills
have been passed by Congress for these Terri
tories, without the Wilmot Proviso only because
the lars Of Mcrico gere thoughtto be sufficient
exclusion Of as. The laws of Mexico were not
expressly decided to become void upon rac.
curing the territory, and our rights put upon
firm basis, as should have been done by Con-
gress, but are asserted TO be law by the North
ern people, and the question is still open and un-
settled. We are thus prevented from ever en-
ioying, and are virtually excluded by the Gov.
enment from this balance Of the Z" vast and rich
territories we have acquired from Mexicoo
The agitations of the aboitionists began, il
will be remembered, by the presentation ofpe-
titions praying the abolition Of slavery in the
District of Columbia. II has long been urged
that the slave trade should be abolished in that
District This, II IS asserted, Congress-acting
as the Legislature Of the District-has the right
TO do.
On the 2lst December 1913, Mr. Gott, Of ".
Y, introduced the following resolution into the
House Of Representatives:
Whereas, the traffic now prosecuted in
this metropolis of the republic, in hnman be.
ings asi hattes, is contrary to natural justice
and the fundamental principles Of our po'it-
ca system, and is VIGOROUSLY reproach TO
our country throughout chtistendon, and a
serious hindrance to the progress Of rcpubii-
can liberty among the nations OF the earth.
Therefore,
Resolved, That the committee Of the Dis
trct Of Columbia be instructed 70 report a
bill, as soon as practicable. prohibiting the
slave trade in said District"
This resolution being adopted by yeas 9s