The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1850-04-24

lhas What aim sl can be heat accomplish
ed by frank zsovai Of the truth. 50 FAR
AZ understand il. ] have said. and | sag
il sgain. thas Congress has the eonsliiD-
iional power 10 apply the Wilnoi Prosiso
70 This Territory. and all the Territories
that belong 10 the United States. ! be-
lievs that Congress has entire power and
jurisdiction over the Territories; lllal we
are ihs supreme lawgirer over them; may
dispose Of their institutions az We think
right. and let in and shut oul just whom
and iusl what we please. Bur, Mr. Pre-
sideni. when The power 10 adopt mea
sure is admitted. permit me 10 say that
very little is done towards ascertaining
that il is proper that The power should be
exercised. An abuse even Of an admitted
power is moi only just ground ofcomplsini.
but. under Circumstances, il may be just
as fair and reasonable ground of resisi>
ance as il The power exercised were usurP-
ed. II our government sere a simple
dcspoiism; II all The powers Of all lie
branches were ceniered in The hands OF
one single ruler. il could not be said on
any occasion than he astaped power; but.
IL he abused the powers ihus con6ded TO
him 10 purposes of oppression and injus-
lice-if his administration rendered pro-
perry insecure and life iplolersbls-be-
yond all doubt. there would be the same
right Of resistance as IL The power thus On.
Justly and oppressiveIy usedhadbeen usur.
ped, instead of having been conferred.
The one is a case of unjust seizure Of
power; the other is case OF wanton dis
regard and violation OF The confidence up
ON which The power was given. One is
violence; the other is fraud. One is open
rapinss the other is breach Of trust.
Now, sir, IL has been said. and well said
I-imIy and philosophically said-lhat
"the assertion ofexireme right 10 always
odious." In political maiterss an asser-
l,ion ofextremc right. such resolution 10
do whatever we may lawfully do. 10 the
utmost extent Of our power lawfully TO do
Ia. always ends in despoiism. Itis prin.
eiple in the private business transactions
OF life that inevitably terminates In dis
honesty. He.who sets oui in the business
transactions of lie with the fixed, inaex'
ible resolution always 70 obtain, 10 the
extreme. everything that is the TO him
will ultimately prove that the maxim 4
. entirely inconsistent with integrity, ant
he will end by scizing things which be
; log to another. No power in any govern
msni, and especially in a government
like ours. should be exercised. the exist
. encc Of which power is denied by many
and the propriety Of exercising il in 9
lgiven case is doubted by still more. un.
less under the influence Of fs,rong reasons
, and for the accomplishment Of jusliiablt
|, and important ends. lf this proposition
be true, | ask upon what footing gentlemen
can propose TO apply the Wilmoi ProvIsc
to The Territories 10 which we hope Il
give form Of territorial governmentl
WHAT'S the important end which is to bs
attained as consequence OF il! Gentle.
men tell us on all hands that. in point o
fact, slavery cannot be established in these
Territories. Many gentlemen tell us that,
in point oflaw, slavery now stands exclusl.
ed from those Territories. We'll now,
sir, have said. and say il again-for
do not conceal any views may entertain
upon this subject--that | belong to that
class Of public men who entertain the opin-
ion, and have a very strong conviction ol
its correctness, that the civil or municipal
laws which prevailed in these ceded Ter
ritores at the time they passed into our
hands, whether such laws relate 10 the ex-
islence or the non-existence of slavery or
anything else. continue in force-ihat they
are moi repealed by any silent and neces-
sary operation Of the constitution, and
that they continue until the conqueror,
until the United States. acting through the
Legislative department Of the government,
shall think proper either to repeal or mo-
dify those laws, or to commit TO some
subordinate legislative authority The pow
er Of doing il. But there are many gen.
ilemen-perhaps the majority Of southern
statesmen-whoe entertain a different opin.
ion from that which | have expressed up.
on this constitutional question. They
think that these laws are superseded by
The silent operations Of the constitution,
or at any rate, il nothing is done by Con-
gress 10 pu, them in force. they fall as be.
ing part Of those political regulations in
the conquered countries inconsistent with
the general scheme Of our fundamental
law.
i Now, sir, in this state Of divided opin.
ion as to the legal right TO consider slave
ry subsisting institution, recognised and
protected by law, by the constitution, in
these acquired Territories-in the gene.
rally conceded opinion that there is no
likelihood, in point Of fact, that slavery
will ever reach these Territories, what
motive can be assigned, what reason
which addresses itself TO the mind of the
statesman can be urged, why this Proviso
.Lz,Il h.. o1ortal7 II 10 ,ot n nroy;~,on