Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1850-08-23
THE KEOWEEf COURIER.
CALIFORNIA AND SLAVERY.


CALIFORNIA AND SLAVERY.
We CLEAN from various sources
that The California peopl, are becom-
ing convinued that there was too
much haste for their own good in the
adoption of a State form of govern
ment. 1t is asserted that they now
believe territorial government will
better suit their condition, as they
cannot carry on State government
commensurate with California prices.
Mr.. Berrien read a letter in the
Senate, on Monday, from distingu-
ished source in California, avowing
the opinion that the slavery question
is not yet settled in California; that
tier constitution will be altered in
thatIrespect when convenience shall
indicate it; and the writer asserts
that the people do not wish the bill
for the admission of the State to be
passed. w
The Washington correspondents
ofthe Baltimore Sun and New York
Herald all seem to agree that there is
some authentic information upon
which the Southern members are
basing their efforts TO defer action on
the bill to admit California. Itis un
derstood that since the adjournment
of the California Legislature, the
members from the southern counties
have gone home with the intention of
getting up a convention for the divis
ion of the State, and the establish
ment in the southern part of said
State of a separate territory and
separate territorial overnment.-
News is expected by the steamer
now about due of some proceedings
in California looking TO the division
of the State.
I'm view of all this, we cannot un-
derstand why Southern Senators
(any of them) could vote for rushing
California through in such hot-haste
on Monday and Tuesday.
That slavery will eventually be
established in California, there is
every reason to b ,lieve. Additional
evidence ofthe value ofthat species
of labor is found in The following ex-
tract of a letter from Washington in
the New York Herald. The writer
says:
81 am informed by distinguished
member of the State Senate of Cali
fornia, that there are several thousand
slaves in that country, chiefly below
80 30; that one person estimates the
number of slaves in the country al
ready at from three to five thousand.
Our gentleman, from Arkansa, has
eighty slaves engaged in the southern
mines, Others have been named to us
as having their slaves in the diggings
taken out by the ella route from Tex
as, Arkansas, and Louisiana, and
other Southern States. The aboli-
ton of the system of pconage has
thrown out of the possession of many
large landholdersF and cattle raisers
hundreds of poems. Under this state
of things, some of these stock raisers
are already providing to supply the
loss OF their poems with negro slaves.
Ihe abolition of peonage will also ac-
count for Tie Hiaetiiigs which have
been held in southern California, for
separate territorial government.
All this seems to indicate that,
whatever the action of Congress
may be, slavery will find it's way at
least to the southern portion of the
territory. But what a striking evi-
dence is it of the gross wrong inhic-
ted upon the country, as well as on
the inhabitants of California, by the
nefarlous plotting of the last admin
in forcing a State govern
ment on a people who were not pre-
pared for it, and who evidently did
not desire it. Intelligence from Cali
tornia vii! now be looked for with
lSonth Carclinian
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Meeting Ofthe Southern Members