Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1850-08-02


,llect of fiworls,i and that SO severely
that the poor creature family WINGED
under the miliction. ll2 We could
scarcely believe the evidence of our
eyes, thatlsuch means ofcompelline
women 10 labor were used in ours
i own country.'aGuaa 9ad Y9lil d
oeu From the Woshngtoa Union.
TnE CONSTITUTION or New ATfx-
IDo-PEoHAGE.- We have received,
nthc columns of the Ohio States
man, copy Of the Constitution re-
Gently framed by the Convention al
Santa Fe, to be submitted to the iu-
haSitants of New Mexico. We lay
before our readers such parts of that
instrument as we deem Of public IN
tcrcst. 1t will be seen that the seat
ufGovernment for The proposed Com
rnonwcalth is fixed on tic east bauh
of the Rio Grande, in territory claim
rd by the State Of Texas, ana that
Ihe Constitution, framed in such hot
haste by the Santa fe Convention,
embraces many thousand square
miles which are claimed by the same
State. Such protecting, no mat
ter by what agency ii was accom-
pisbod, is revolutionary in its char
acter; for New Mexico belongs to
the people of all tie United States,
and the claim Of Texas to the east
bank OF the no Grande is good
against the government of the United
States. But even admitting the
clam 10 be invalid, yet it was pre-
ferfedby Texas long before the pc
rod OF annexation, and her clam
las been hitherto maintained and ac-
knoW.cdged by the federal govern
nlent; and We contend that the valid
territorial Claims Of a sovereign State
cannot be a5rogateds annthled, and
nvalldated, either by the Executive
of Che Y. S. or BY the persons who
may tako up their residences on the
pubic DOMAIN, in combination with
those who may take UP their resi-
dence on the domain in controversy.
We repeat thatthe claim of Texas
TO the east bank of the Rio Grandc
is agood claim until some competent
tribunal decides otherwise. or until
sIeXas voluntarily relinquiees it; and
until one OF these events happens, it
Is the c!nar and imperative duty Of
the federal government to protect
Texas in her clam, and to see that
no hostile jurisdiction is established
within her alledyed boundaries. If
the federal government fails o. re-
fuses to perform that duty-or if it
gives aid and comfort to those who
would violate the rights of Texas 10
her own soil--thcn tllat State, by the
supreme law of elf-defenccy and of
necessity, is remanded to her original
RIGHT Of aelfprotect;oa. w
The features Of the Santa Fe con
Stitu;ion relative TO slavery is worthy
OF especial consideration. The mn
preston has gone abroad That il abol-
lShc3 slavery totally and absolutely.
But this is Il mistake. The constitu-
ton only prohibits slavery when The
person held as q slave is over ,twenty-
one years old, if male, and over
eighteen years, if a feHla,e. Under
those ages respectively, slavery is
directly and une1uiyoaally recog-
nsed and permitted. But this is not
all. 1T seems that the convention.
while il showed noparticular attach
ment for African slavery, as it exists
IN the Southern States Of The coused-
e@acy, manifested great regard for
that worst species of white slavery
which exists in Mexico under the
name of peonage, The first section
Of the first articleof the constitution,
under the caption of ,'Dec.araton of
Nights, provides that 'no male per-
son Shall he held by law to serve any
person as servant, slave, or appen-
tice, after he arrives AT the age of 81
Years, nor female, in like manner ae
Ter she arrives at Tx age of eighteen,
years, unless they be bound by then
own consent, after they arrive at
such age, or are bound by law for
the punishment of crime This
clause places servants and apprenti-
ces on the saale footine as Saves,
and 'condenNstEein all 10 inyolunta5
ryfsefyltutle,undertlie aqes which
have been mentioned; and then It fll,
lyand entirely recognizcs the sys-
temof fareonagc44th worst forni of
slaYery--by which am American frae
nlanUmayb become 10 all int4 4nts and
purposes, The bondsnan ofa Mexi.
can iudrone. The manner ic which
t!ns;sYsiem operates linayrIre2 e2ful'yuh-
Gerstpp,: by the3I following extract