The Port Gibson herald, and correspondent., 1850-12-20

same constitutional doctrine; and upon it Gen.
Cass carried the State of Mississippi.
The opinion was prevalent among leading
statesmen, North and South, that our Mexican
acquisitions were not suiea in soil, climate and
production TO slave labor. sAmong the distin-
guished gentlemen North who had expressed
this opinion. will mention Hon. James Buch-
anan and Gen. Cass; and among Southern men
Robert ]. Walker, Of Mississippi, and James
X. Polk. of Tennessee. II will be born in
mind that Mr.. Polk was at the head Of our gov
eminent, from the inception TO the consumation
OF our Mexican acquisitions. This fact together
with his known devotion to duty, entitle bis
opinions TO great respect. Speaking of the
Mexican territories, he holds the following lan-
guage: "Tbe question is believed to be rather
abstract and practical, whether slayary ever can
or would exist in any portion Of the acquired
territory. eren IF lef 20 the option Of the seueral
slareholding States themselves. From the nature
of the climate and prodnctions.i in much the lar
ger portion of il, it is certain. itnever could e2-
ist, and in the remainder, the probabilities are,
it would not" We have seen from the extract
just quoted, the opinion of the lamented Polk,
as to the probabilities Of slavery in these terri
tories. In much the larger portion of them, ii
was certain, slavery never could exist; in the
remainder, the probabilities were, il would not.
TO do full justice, however, to Mr.. Polk, candor
obliges me to say, he never was, or could have
been unfaithfnl to the South; and to guard him
from any imputations growing out of the above,
| add The following: "But however this may be,
the question involving. as it does, principle of
equality of rights of the separate and several
States, as equal copartners in the confederacy,
should not be dsregarded." Mr.. Polk's views
as to the speedy admission of California into the
confederacy as d State, are as follows: Q quote
from the letter OF Judge Wilborn, member ne
Congress from Georgia, to his constituents sit
will be recollected that in the last winter of Mr..
Polk's Presidential service, Senator Douglas, of
Illinois, proposed Bill to convert California al
once into a State, with view to throw this
question OF slavery into the hands of her peo-
pie, crude and Of doubtful favoritism TO slavery,
Ito go no farther) and their instant admission
into the Unlon." Senator Douglas in reply to
this letter of Mr.. Welborn, saws: "Mr. Polk
took deep interest in the passage OF the Bill
as modified by me, and arrayed his personal and
political friends IN support OF it, as the best and
only mode of giving government to the people
of California and OF settling the question in a
manner satisfactory to the country and consist
ent with the constitution Of the United States.
And it is also remarkable fact, worthy of no.
tice, that every man, without an exception, of
those who composed the Cabinet of President
Polk, acquiesced in the late adjustment of the
questions of slavery by Congress But further
to form some idea as to the probabilities of slave
ry in California, would call attention 10 the
following extract from the aMississippian," the
Ioo1 liz, Il IN ,,f al Of h.
18th day of May, 1848:
'.On the purely abstract question Of slavery
in California. New Mexico or Oregon, we dc
not intend, so far as we are concerned, to permit
or countcnance division inihe democratic party
"No man is so great fool as to suppose that
the owners of slaves would thing of carrying
them into country already Inhabited by mixed
race who do not consider the white man supe-
rior to the negro. Then the agitation of this
question is foolish and calculated only TO destroy
the democratic party.
"Much has been achieved since the elevation
of General jackson TO the Presidency--and shall
we now ieopardlse ALL on question entirely
foreign to our politics.
.'We have accomplished the overthrow Of the
Bank of the United States; we have established
a constitutional Treasury; which in its success
full operation claims the approval Of the world
we have proved the impolicy Of the Protective
Tariff system; we have conducted war (without
bank attended with brilliant achievments
such as the world never before witnessed: and
shall we now be told that the democratic party
will put all its great and successful measures
in Jeopardy. merely TO crafty few factionists?
We answer, NO, NO! never shall this be said.
"These abstract discussions on the subject Of
slavery. are ridiculous IN The extreme. In and
out of Congress, they are conducted by bad men
who engage in no other debate than one derived
from siefeotyped pages Let there be an end OF
them, on the part of the Santh, in Gods name.
Our property is guaranteed to us by The consti-
tuition; when our rights are invaded-when our
negroes are stolen, let us punish the thieves as
we would horse thief or any other sort of a
rogue. This is all we have to say 10 tie Aboli-
tionsts If ace catch you stealing onr sldres zee
aoiH hang you-legally, and not by mob, and
without excitement or commiseration.
"New Mexico, California and Oregon, are
now settled by free men; California and Oregon,
each, at this time contain several thousand free
white persons; they labor for livelihood. AT
the close Of the present war with Mexico, a
large number of the volunteer soldiers. traders,
feamsters and other attaches Of the army, will be
left within the territory which we may acquire;
these, loo, will be generally poor men who must
labor for living. Is there rational man, who
considering these facts independent of natural
barriers which we might enumerate-is there,
we ask rational man, who could ask or expect
these free white pioneers of newly acquired
territory, to degrade their labor 10 the level OF
that Of the sooty African?
"We believe that the bounds of slavery in
these United States are meted. and we are just
as well satisfied that negro slavery viii never
cross the Rio Grande. as we are that It will new
er cross the Ohio; equally well satisfied, are we.
that it will never go beyond the domain of Texas
towasds the Pacific. aOh.p say our won be
Southern Hotspurs, who are eternally agitating
this subject, aiust admit our abstract rights and
we viii be satisfied! And in this they exhibit
neither wisdom nor patriotism. They prove
themselves to Se agitators and factionists.
.Mr. Walker in his celebrated letter upon
the annexation Of Texas to the Union. took the
view that whenever African slavery in this
countryis abolished, it must pass off to the south
across the Rio Grande, and we have never heard
southern man eensure him for the sentiment.
Neither Gen. Cass nor Mr.. Buchanan, oppose
the Wimot proviso because of its unconstitu-
tionaIity. but expressly on the ground that such
provso is useless, as it will never interdict
slavery where slavery never can be; yet their
letters meet hearty response IN the bosoms oil
southern democrats. Why. then, on an irrele-
want issne-an abstraction-a firebFand of fac
tionists-shall southern democrats countenance