The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-02-28

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II sounds queer to hear gentlemen, in the same
breath that they tell us Congress has no right to
prohibit slavery in the Territories, offer US com
promse-howl Why, by Congress prohibiting
slavery north of certain line, aud saying nothing
about it south Is it constitutional then for Con-
press to prohibit slavery north of 800 30, or of
some other line which may be agreed upon by the
parties, but unconstitutional to prohibit it south
Of that line7 Why, after you tell us it is uncon-
stitutional for Congress to prohibit it at all in
any of the Territories, what kind of a compromise
do you offer US when you agree that it shall be
prohibited in portion of them What does an
unconstitutional prohibition amount TO! What
do we get by such a compromise Why, merely
a prohibition which is good for nothing We could
not make such bargains-however much in a bar
gaining mood We night.be. | do not know what
others may do am not a compromising man.
cannot compromise upon constitutional ques-
toni cannot compromise upon question of
human freedom--and. so help me God win not.
/ tell you belong to that reviled political sect,
the Free-Soiers. 90 against any slave territory,
any more slave States. You shall have no diff
Guilty in making up an issue with me. Perhaps
it is Wanting too much to say SO; but trust you
will have no difficulty in getting me to a trial
bring this csuseto hearing as soon as you please
God and the country decide between Us. believe
that delay is the cause of more trouble than any
thing else. Why, this question ought to have
been settled long ago tell you, if you settle it
by the legislative power Of this Government against
nv views of right, | will submit. believe may
say the same for the mass of the people Of the
North. But if it is settled against you'll sla-
very be prohibited in these Territories, we are
told you will not submit: no, you will never sub
nit You 00a submit to degradation You roll
g. IL, tka intr
duction of such proposition into this House.
Have you really, sir, been taken by surprise ?
Did you never hear of such thing before, or did
you think Northern men were not in earnest
when they told you that they should endeavor
te exclude slavery from all territory to be acquired
from Mexico! | confess they have given you but
too good reason to think so.
You, Mr. Chairman, are Southern man. and
friend of the late Administration. You were a
member of the 29th and 30tb Congresses, AMI an
ardent supporter Of the Mexican war. Let me
ask you, sir, what was that war begun and prose-
cuted forl Was il not for territory an9 was 1t
not obvious from the beginning that 1t would only
result in the acquisition Of territory and was it
not lust as obvious that when the territory should
be acquired, the strife that we now have must
come? Were you not warned, over and over
again, that the attempt would be made to exclude
slavery ftom it, and that it would be persisted in
to the end Yes; but you AMI your friends
sneered at the warning -YcY ee2SssRs.S sxsS-set-
ed to be able to appropriate the whole or the
greater part of it to slavery Had you believed
that YOU would not be able to do that, the war
would have ceased indeed, it never would have
been begun A Southern President and Southern
members of Congress will never go to war to con-
quer free territory Did not your late candidate
for President writing to a friend in time OF the
"a H.. .n,,lIh aI lon IA
to the war and death to the Democratic party
Aye, and he never said truer word
Mexico is weak and distracted Her condition
invites aggression Her mines and her valleys
now and ever will hold out almost irresistible
temptations to our Southern brethren to provoke
war with her, which must always result In the
conquest Of her territory aud the sympathy OF
her people with the African race will always az
ford means of provoking war. Only one thing
can prevent such wars and that is to convince the
Southern people that the territory, if conquered
must ever remain free. That will lott, sir. Let
the people of the slave States be assured that
whatever territory may hereafter be conquered OF
Mexico will be free, and they will keep the peace
towards that country without bonds.
Now, it is quite obvious that if the Territories
or States bordering on Mexico should be slave
soil, then the adjoining Mexican territory, when
acquired would become slave soil and that if, on
the contrary, our border should be free soil, any
future acquisitions of Mexican territory must also
be free SOIL Aud it is only when we view the
question in this light that we see all its i'm
portance BY prohibiting slavery in the territory
already acquired from Mexico we exclude 1t for
ever from the territory yet left to Mexico, and,
what would be no less desirable, we should pre-
vent future wars of conquest being waged by this
country against that, and which could not fail to
provoke the wrath of a just God against us. 1t
it for these reasons that say it is our duty to
prohibit slavery tn the Territories and wish
that this House. at least, would always stand firm
upon this ground | once thought it always
would-hat it would never abandon this position
And permit me to tell you that so long as this
House shall stand firm for free soil, no matter
what the Senate may do, no matter what the
President does the cause Of freedom will be safe.
Just let it be understood by the people of the
Territories that they can never come into this
Union as a State--that the House will stand in
their way and keep them out as long as slavery
is tolerated in their constitution, and sir we
shall have no slavery constitutions presented here.
That is what put freedom into the California con-
stitution. That, if anything, will put freedom
into the New Mexico constitution, if you only
make them understand that they cannot get into
this Union with a constitution tolerating slavery.
If this House will only do its duty, and stand
firm upon this ground, if the majority will obey
the will of their constituents, slavery never will be
extended.
No thanks to the President, or his Secretary, or
his special agent, for the prohibition of slavery in
the constitution of California. believe, and think
have good reason to believe, that they would
each have preferred that the constitution should
have been silent on the subject bat the DISPOSE
ton that this House had manifested deferred
Southern men from taking their slaves there,
whilst the newly discovered gold mines drew
hardy adventurers from every part Of the free
States, and thus large majority of the people
there were for free SOIL and the politicians made
their acts conform to the will Of the people.
The case is different with New Mexico. 1t is
easier of access to the Southern than the Northern
people and hence more of the former than the lat
ter will 90 there No rich mines of either gold or
silver have rs yet been discovered there to attract
an extraordinary number of free laborers from
the North to the country and unless slavery be
prohibited there, the attempt will be made to in
troduce it, and probably successfully made.
But, sir, within very short time the ground
which this House did at first occupy, the ground
which the last House occupied, has been surren-
dered and given up, and now we are told by our
Southern friends that the Wilmot Proviso is dead
tndt your antl-saNery ctusc pccH "o"HNoh'A
by the House. and that its real friends are the
derision of the majority. 1t must be exceedingly
gratifying to those Representatives of free North
ern constituencies who voted down the Wilmot
Provso the other dey to be told to their faces that
the Wimot Proviso is dead that ithas been MUIR
dered in the house of its friends that its own pro-
fessed advocates and supporters have trampled it
under their feet. That is the way it was killed
il killed it has been But don't take thatas settled
question So far as this House can kill it, it has
confess been killed but tell you it is living
abiding principle in the hearts of The people of the
free States And il may turn out, after all, that
instead Of killing the Wilmot Proviso, those pa
triotic gentlemen have only been committing
suicide There are not ten men in this Hal
coming from free States that could have got here
hnl II hean understood hY their constituents that