The Woodville Republican. [volume] (Woodville, Miss.) 1847-1853, 1850-05-28
MR S n LITTER

advantage Of Curpincc where t can be di'i-
del. 90 give the latter hn'f.
Ifthe action Of Ma. C.py anl NJ Web.
sfer has TINS iar been Detrimental 90 The
beet interests Of the couUfry, sud tented 20
bring nbo.itIonism prominently forward IN
national politics, 80 that in one phase or an
other IL engrosscs the action Of the govern
ment, agitates the pubic mind, and has
sowu discord and hatred where peace aud
harmony ought to prevail, j, will no less be
seen thar the position and principles assum.
ed by those great men IN their recent expo
sitions, are equally calculated TO keep anti
slavery alive as a permanent age Of personal
aud party aggfaudizemcnt, until hually the
equal rights Of the siayeho.diug States are
utterly Frustrated or they are compelled to
dissolve the Union. | viii show this 50
plainly that the most sceptical must admit
that such must be the inevitable resnlt Of
the doctrines advanced by both those states
men under the prepossessing garb Of COM
promise.
Mr.. Clay's leading position is, that in the
adjustment he proposes OF the controversy, so
tong existing aud 50 violently confessed be-
tween the s.ave-ho'ding, and non-sIavehol.
ding State, 'neither party makes any con-
cession Of principles at al
This position so futile, so childish aud abb
surd, was hardly uttered by Mr.. Gay before
it was abandoned, and the most Of his speech
went TO show that the Wilmot Proyiso was
constitutional, and that slavery was forever
excluded from every foot of the vast terrific
ries acquired from Mexico by the laws of that
conqured country.
] need not refer TO the terrible influence
which is attributed to climate, which ii is
said excludes slavery from the aforesaid ter
%ritoies, when every one knows that a COM
/, pnny could be raised in every s,aveho'ding
1, State iu three weeks, which would (f they
were base enough 10 buy their rights bay to
the general government one hundred thous-
and collars for the privilege Of carrying one
thousand saves to California and they
would ask nothing farther than what we
conceive to be the constitutional protection
olour property.
/ do not propose to go into a general an
alysis OF Mr.. Gays speech, FIR thee is one
expression contained there in which couyers
the who ground and is at the bottom Of
this momentous controversy.
Speaking ofthe Wi'mot Proyiso. he says:
"'The power then, M. President, in my
opinion, and I extend it to the introduction
as well as to the prohibition OF slavery in
the new territories, does exist in Congress,
and | think there is this important distinc-
ton between slavery outside Of the States
and slavery inside OF the States; that all out
side Of tie States is debateaO.e and all IN
side Of the States is not debateable. The
government has no right to attack the ill.,
s~titutiOn within the States, but whether she
has and to what extent she has or has not
the right to attack Slapery outside ofthe
States is q question debateabie, npon which
men may hoaorabiy, and .f3iyty differ; and
however it may be decided, furnishing,
| trust, no just occasion for breaking up
this glorious Union"
There never was q more deieterious and
poisonous heresy than That contained in the
foregoing quotation. Admit tat the gener-
al government may attack slavery beyond
the limits of the States, aud that the man.
ner and extent OF of attack are deboteabie,
, upon which men may honestly and fairly
E differ, and YOU open ii wide and i|nterniua-
I be field for future and everlasting conten-
=, ton and strife. The southern States will he
8 perpetually kept ON the defensive, and as.
sailed from year to year in every form that
malice aud ingenuity can invent. We can
have no peace, no rest, and nc security bnt
must submit with a perfect certainty that i
the powers Of the general government are
-. IL .I..~-a g, ole .a~,. 49, .,-.,v,t,A.
: will rapidly perish and become extinct
: The moral influence of the general govern.
ment can alone eradicate slavery from the
!, LAID in less than twenty years, Independents
q of direct and practical aggressions which al
adverse majority may perpetrate on our hon
, or aud rights.
The great error lies in conceding to {
confederated government Of equal aud sover
eign States any antagonistical and attackin.
powers as between the different member,
!, which compose the c~onfederacy. Such
Y government can on be protective and ben
Q etciary to the whole and all the party 0
which il is composed and the moment yop
7 concede the right of one portion of a con
lederacy to assail the rights or even the feel
ings of another portion, and they succeed
: equality is destroyed, and the government j
resolved into n superior on The one side anl
n an inferior Oh the other. Ii would not be
more gross error to class malice and hatret
G amongst the attributes of the Deity. than Il
concede to our government this monstrou
power of attacking the feelings, honor an'
o interests o fany OF its component parts. Ev
j cry interest Of every State has a right to de
mand hat the powers of the general gov
q eminent granted by the States, shall b.
: within the limits of the constitution, exer
cised for its benefit, in as full a manner, a
the States themselves could have done hat
| they not granted such powers away an;
the only restriction on this right is that tn
1 general government shall not act for the ben
eit of one interest TO the injury of another