The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1836-1851, 1850-05-14

less fortunate Territories of New Mexico and
Utah should be abandoned and left ungoverned
by the United States, or should be disconnect--
ed with California, which, although she has Or
ganized for herself State government, must
be legally and constitutionally regarded as
Territory until she is actually admitted as
State in the Union.
1t is further objected, that by combining the
two measures in the same bill, members who
may be willing to vote for one and unwilling to
vote for the other, would be placed in an embar.
RAISING condition. They would be constrained
it is urged, to take or reject both. On the
other hand, there are other members who would
be willing to vote for both united, but would
feel themselves constrained to vote against the
California bill if it stood alone. Each party
finds in the bill which it flvors something which
commends it to acceptance, and in the other
something which it disapproves. The true
ground, therefore, of the objection to the union
of the measure is not any want of affinity be-
tween them, but tbecausc of the favor or dstavor
with which tFMy.are respectively regarded
In this conflict of opinion, it seems to MAORI
ty of the committee that Il spirit of mutual con.
cession enjoins that the two measures should
be connected together, the effect of which will
be, chat neither opinion will exclusively triumph
and that both may find in such an an'icable
arrangement enough of good to reconcile them
to the acceptance of the combined measure
And such course of legislation is not at all
unusual. Few laws have ever passed in which
there were not parts to which exception was
taken. 1t is inexpedient, if not impracticable
to separate these parts, ,!and embody them in dis
tinct bills, so rs to accommodate the diversity
of opinion which may exist.
The Constitution of the United States con.
tanned in it a great variety of provisions, to
some of which serious objection was made In
the convention which formed it by different
members of that body; and when it was sub.
mitted to the ratification of the States, some OF
them objected to some parts, and others to
other parts of the same instrument. Had these
various parts and provisions been separately
acted on in the convention, or separately sub
mitted to the people of the United States, it
is by no means certain that the Constitution it.
self would ever have been adopted or ratified.
Those who did not like particular provisions,
found compensation in other parts of it. And
IN all cases of constitutions and laws, when
either is presented as whole, the question to
be decided is, whether the good it contains is
not of greater amount, and does not neutralize
ANYTHING exceptonable in it. And as nothing
human is perfect, for the sake of that harmony
SO desirable in such confederacy as this, we
must be reconcled to secure as much us we can
of what we wish, and be consoled by the re-
Election, that what we do not exactly like is a
friendly concession, and agreeable to those who,
being united with us in a common destiny, it is
desirable should always live with US in peace
and concord.
A majority of the committee have, therefore,
been led to the recommendation to the Senate
that the two measures be united. The bill for
establishing the two Territories, it will be OBJ
served, omits the Wilmot proviso, on the one
hand. and, on the other, makes no provision for
the introduction of slavery into the Territories.
That proviso has been the fruitful source of dis.
traction and agitation. fit were adopted and
applied to any Territory, it would cease to have
any obligatory force as soon as such Territory
were admitted as State into the Union. There
was never any occasion for it, to accomplish the
proiessed object with which it was originally
offered. This has been clearly demonstrated
by the current of events. California, of all the
recent territorial acquisitions from Mexico, was
that in which, if any where within them, the in
PRODUCTION Of slavery was most likely to take
place; and the constitution of California by the
unanimous vote of her convention, has express.
ly intcrdicted it. There is the highest proba-
bility that Utah and New Mexico will, when
they come to be admitted as States, follow the
example The proyiso is, as to all these re.
| gions in common, a mere abstraction. Why
should il be longer insisted on! Totally desti.
tute, ut is, of any practical import it has, ne
vcrthcless, had the pernicious effect to excite Sc.
rious, if not alarming, consequences. ltis high
time that the wounds which it has inflicted
should be healed up and closed; and that to a.
void, in all future time, the agitations which
must be produced by the conflict of opin-
ion on the slavery question, existing us this in
stitution does in some of the States and prohibi-
ted as it is in others, the true principle which
ought to regulate the action of Congress in
forming territorial governments for each newly
acquired domain isto refrain from all legislation
on the subject in the territory acquired, so long
as it retains the territorial form of government
-lcaving it to the people of such Territory,
when they have attained to condition which
entities them to admission as Il State to decide
for themselves the question Of the allowance