The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-07-27
WASHINGTON CITY.
SATURDAY. JULY 81. 1850,
Mr.. Claws Speech.

The most striking commentary on MIR. CLAY s
speech is the fact that two of the most important
elements of that plan it supports, Were aban-
doned by its friends before he had time to revise
his speech-which was published yesterday
They are ready We understand to change the
Southern boundary of California from 80 deg
to 80 deg. 80 min., and to appoint commits
sioner for settling the boundaries of Texas and
New Mexico, instead Of adopting the line of 80
degrees as reported by the Committee a
MIR. Clay adverts, near the beginning of his
speech, to the evils of the day:
| Mr.. President, in the progress of this debate il
has been again and again argued that perfect tram
guilty reigns throughout the country; that there
is no disturbance threatening its peace, endanger-
ing its safety, but that which was produced by
busy, restless, politicians II has been maintained
that the surface of the public mind is perfectly
smooth and undisturbed by single billow.
most heartily wish could concur in this picture
Of general tranquility that has been drawn upon
both sides OF the Senate. am no alarmist nor,
l thank God, at the advanced age at which His
providence has been pleased to allow me to reach,
am livery easily alarmed by any human event
but / totally misread the signs Of the times, If
| there be that state of profound peace and quiet,
that absence Of all just cause Of apprehension of
future danger to this COnfederacy, which appears
! to be entertained by some other Senators. Mr..
President, all the tendencies Of the times, lament
to say, are towards disquetude, if not more fatal
consequences. When before, in the midst of pro-
found peace with all the nations of the EARTH have
we seen convention, representing a considerable
portion of one great part of the republic, meet
together to deliberate about measures of future
safety in connection with great interests of that
quarter of the country When before have we
seen, not one, but more-some half dozen
legislative bodies solennly resolving that if any
one of these measures-the admission of Cali
fornia, the adoption of the Wilmot Proviso, or the
abolition Of slavery in the District Of Columbia
should be adopted by Congress, measures of an
extreme character, for the safety of the great in
terests to which refer in the particular section Of
the country, would be resorted too For years
this subject Of the abolition of slavery even with
in this District of Columbia, small as is the num-
Der Of slaves here, has been source Of constant
irritation and disquiet. So of the subject of the
recovery Of fugitive slaves who have escaped from
their lawful owners not a mere border contest,
has been upposed-although there undoubtedly
it has given rise to more irritation than in other
portions of the Union-but everywhere through
| the slavehodng country it has been felt great
SVl, great wrong, which required the interven-
I'm Of Congressional power. But these two SUBJ
ects, unpleasant as has been the agitation to which
they have given rise, are nothing in comparison
to those which have sprung out Of the acquisitions
| recently made from the republic of Mexico.
! These are not only great and leading causes of
Just apprehension as respects the future, but all
| the minor circumstances Of the day intimate
danger ahead, whatever may be its final issue and
consequence. The establishment of paper in
this city-a sectional paper--and l wish could
say that upon all occasions it propagated truth
with more attention than in a particular instance
1t has done-a sectional paper is established here
to espouse, not the interests of the entire Union,
but the interests OF particular section. The al
fusion made with regard to departure from the
truth, which has incidentally come to my notice,
was called forth by an assertion recently made,
that in the State of Kentucky there was great diff
ference and diversity of opinion upon the subject
of the adoption of this measure and that the con-
stitutional convention Of that State had unani-
position in favor of the Compromise. Why, di-
rectly reverse is the fact. should not have OBJ
served at all, had not noticed on yesterday that
1t was copied IN paper in Mobile, and was spo-
ken of as an undoubted fact that even in the State
of kentucky there was great division on the sub
ject of the Compromise. l will say in my place,
with the authority which appertains omy position,
that for fifty years have never known so much
unanimity upon any question in that State. 1t is
State from which received letter from gen.
tleman, formerly a democratic member of Con-
gress, known very well to my friend from Indiana,
now in my eye, from the county Of Henry, one
of the most populous counties in that State, in
which there is a majority Of democratic voters,
and of which majority Of 1900 votes, this gentle
man-an honorable gentleman, l am proud to say,
though differ with him in politics--says that as
far as he knows or believes, there is not a solitary
individual to oppose it and the constitutional con-
venton of Kentucky, instead of opposing by an
unanimous vote of the body, expressed its appro-
baton ofths pending measure. One Of the mis-
fortunes of the times is the difficulty in penetrating
the Northern mind with truth to make it sensible
to the dangers which are ahead to make il com
prehend the consequences which are to result
from this or that source to make it give Just APP
probation to all the events which have occurred,
are occuringsor which must evidently occur.
said minor as well as major circumstances and
events were all tending, rapidly as fear, to a
fatal issue of the matters in controversy between
the different portions of the Union.
have seen pamphlet-and it has been circula-
ted with great mdustry-coptaining an EXPOSE
ton Of political economy, written in style well
calculated to strike the mind Of the masses, but
| full of error and exaggeration from one end Of il
to the other--errors of every sort-setting forth
in the strongest terms the Supposed disadvantages
resulting from the existence Of this Union to the
Southern portion of the confederacy, and portray
| ing in the most lively hues the banefts which
would result from separating and setting up 70,
| themselves. ~ ~. -
Mr.. President, will not now dwell upon othe
concomitant causes, all having the same tendency
and all well calculated to awaken, to arouse us, if
as hope the fact is, we are all of us sincerely de
sirous Of preserving this Union--to rouse us L
dangers which really exist, without undertaking
them upon the one hand, or magnifying them upol
the other. asaaGH aGa#J .
Mr.. Clay, it will be seen, changes nearly al
the causes of disquietude to the South. Tn
resolutions of Southern Legislatures against tn
Wilmot Proviso, the Nashville Convention, tn
establishment of this paper, and the pamphlet o
OF MIR. Garnett, are the principal topics of com
plant. The agitation of the slavery question il
tins district, and the complaints about the en-
ticement of fugitive slaves are minor difficulties
Mr.. CLAY does not even refer TO the resolution.
OF Northern Legislatures in favor of the Wilmo
Proviso--the attempts in Congress to adopt j
which have thus far prevented legislation; thu
continual assaults on slavery in the Northern
prints which have called for the establishment
of this paper the unequal and sectionel leqisla
ion which has caused the production Of Mr.. Gar