Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1850-02-16

her debts becomes the property of the
United States; and the fund pledged 10
the payment of her debt is now turned
into the vaults of the Treasury of the
United States. Now, he thought, that
by all the p inciplcs of honor and Justice
known amongst men, the United States,
the recipients of this pledge, should pay
the debts due to the creditors, at least ms
far as the thing pledged would 90 to that
object There were three parties to the
affair-Iexas, the creditor, and the Uni
ted States; and the United States could
not do anything to the prejudice or wrong
of third parties. :
How much of that debt would now cx-
list if this pledged fund had not been
transferred TO the United States, is un-
certain. The trade to Galveston and the
other ports of Texas, was now principal
~ In the hands of coastins vessels, and
instead of receiving imports from Europe
The goods were sent there from the other
States OF the Union. But it is certain
thatit Texas had not become a State Of
this Union, the duties on her imports
would ina few years have been sufficient
to pay her debt This proposal was
made another condition, on the condition
that Texas should relinquish any claim
to any portion of the Territory called
New Mexico. Now, she had no valid
title to any portion of that Territory, but
merely claim; and with general de-
sire to have harmony and peace, she and
the United States might do, as is done bv
individuals, compromise, and the United
States pay something even for a disputed
claim for the sake of peace.
The fifth and sixth resolutions like the
third and fourth, had some connexion.
and should be considered together. The
fifth asserted substantially no other prn-
clpIe than what was asserted by rcsolu-
ton of his submitted in the Senate twelve
years ago, and then passed by majority
OF nearly four-ffths Of the Senate. That
resolution was passed in 1888, and re-
CURED that the abolition of slavery in this
District should not be done except with
the assent of Maryland, the assent of the
people of this District, and upon full
compensation to the owners of the slaves.
The sixth resolution is, that the slave
trade should be abolished or prohibited
IN the District. 1t was that the alicna-
ton or transfer of slaves between the in
habltants or between neighbor and neirh-
Dor should be prohibited, nor that the
nghis IlS OF property among the residents of
slave trade, pronounced to be an abomin-
able traffic more than forty years AGO by
a distinguished son of Virginia. Mr. Ran
dolph, should be broken up at least in
this District 1t was a mistake on the
part of gentlemen from the North if they
supposed that the regular traders in
slaves are loolScdupon with particular IA
vor at the South. On the contrary, they
were sometimes mjustly excluded from
social Intercourse on account of the odium
attaching to their business.
There was no reason why The trade
should be allowed to exist here any long
er. There was, if it was desired to have
Il .arge number of slaves together for
sale, Alexandria, Petersburg, Richmond,
annapolis, and Norfolk, and let them be
carried there; let the trader go there and
establish his jails and his prisons, and not
in this place, the capital of the nation !;
where too often are shocked the feelings
of gentlemen, by seeing slaves in chains,
and in long trains, driven down the
Avenue, from the Capitol to that house
where resides the President of a free Re-
public. He spoke the sentiments of
many Southern men when he declared
the slave trade, now carried on in this
city, to be abominable.
The object and purport of the seventh
resolution had been made plain and obvi-
Gus by the debate already had upon the
bill before the Senate. 1t was obvious,
also, that no legislation is necessary, nor
was it intended that any should follow
the eighth resolution. 1t established &
truth sustained by law, and would meet
with a general acquiesccncc
lie had thought that resort to tho
old custom of our American and Englisl
ancestors, of ar OCCASIONAL declaration o
great fundamental principles, would b,
the best plan to pursue, and the Scnat,
now had before them that plan of set
ting the great difficulties existing.
How far it might prove acceptable t,