The North-Carolina standard., 1850-03-06
THE NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS."

The Register charges the Standard with inconsis-
tency the subject of Slavery in the Territories, and
seeks to establish the charge by quotations from Gen.
Cass's Nicholson letter. 1t says have deliber-
ately repudiated the doctrine of non-nte1venton,
presented in that letter. That paper is mistaken. In
paper of the 7th June 1s4s we held the follow
ing doctrine, and we hold it yet:
In humble opinion, the /" true democratic
doctrne is, that these Territories are the common
property of the people of the Union that the people
of all the States have the right to emigrae to them,
with their property and settle upon them that Con-
gress has no Constitutional power to make any regu
lations Determinations the kind of property
to be carried to these Territories; that the people of
the Territories, while they the best judges
what may advance their interests socially and pot-
cally, hare neuertheless pocr either to establish
Trohi6i sorery among lhcmscres that this pouer be-
longs to then, only TN their sovereign capacity When
they TO adopt Constitution and organize State
and that when they, in this sovereign capacity a
State, present themselves for admission into the
Union, Congress is bound to receive them, whether
they have established slavery not, provided they
that of non-interference the part of Congress,
in "guestions of slavery'' put forth by the Balt-
more Convention, and to which Gen. Cass cordially
suoscribes. -
We do not agree with Gen. Cass that the people
of the Territories, before they sovereignty, have
right either to abolish establish Slavery. We
did not read and understand his Nicholson letter
but we clearly, then thought, drew the infer
ence from it that the people of the Territories pos
sessed the right only of regulating the institution,
and not of destroying We are determined to deal
frankly with this matter, as with all others which
belong the Slavery question 1t isa question above
party.
The Register holds, with President Taylor, the
doctrine of nonacon at this tme-that is after agi-
tation and the impending Proviso have operated to
keep Shareholders out of California, and after the
Freesolers have organized government there to their
notion, that paper is in favor of silence by Con-
gress on the Slavery question, and the admission of
this Territory State. 1t is also in favor of the
Presidents policy of non-action in relation to the
other Terrores-that is, it would leave these Terri
ritories without regular government, account of
the fear of encounterng the Wilmot Proviso, and
wait until the people organize themselves under SOW
eregn forms, 'ciM the certainty that they '0iA then
etide Sarery, as California has done. This is the
Registers position Ours, we beg leave to say, is
very different. Non-interrenton and non-action by
Congress are two distinct things.
We ask the attention of the Register to the follow
ing remarks of Mr. Berren, delivered in the Senate
few days since in reply to Mr. Miller, of New Jersey,
who had spoken approvingy of Gen. Taylors policy
of non-action:
Mr. Berrien said beg leave to interrupt the senator
for moment What the people of the South desire
is, simply that Congress refrain from Legislation on
the subject of slavery They do not ask Congress, to
refrain from its constitutional duty to orgapize terri
torial governments. They claim that slavery should
not be excluded by any action of Congress from new
y 'Oih their brethren Of the North, Of emigrat;ne ;nto
.h1se new Territories with their property and the,
wne" these Irrores shoN haze arriped at the pa,tie
uar stage necessary to their admission ,nto the Union,
ey can decide for themselves whether slavery shall
OF shall no, be admitted.'