The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-11-23
Mr.. Claws speeoh.

high appreciation of that body for Mr.. CLAWS
successful efforts in behalf of the recent meas
ures, which the Speaker hopes will give {" peace
and quiet to the country, and bind in an indisso
luble bond our glorious Confederaey."
Mr.. CLAY responds, and dilates OH those
measures, and defends them. He says there
was necessity for admitting California rs
State, because Congress L" had totally failed to
perform the high and imperative duty of estab-
fishing for her a territorial government, and had
left her without law, without order, without gov
ernment in state of almost perfect anarchy,
and in such an abandoned condition, that she
had right, as any rational community on earth
would have, to institute a government for her.
self, and to establish law and order"
California was acquired in lS4S. But one
session of Congress had been held prior 10 the
last session, and the failure or delay was only of
one session. But the failure, whatever it was
did not justify or require the formation of Il
State or Il provisional government by California,
or at least would not justify the continuance of
the latter, after regular government had been
provided by Congress. The obligation of Con-
gress to provide a government, is admitted.
But what sort of government! The usual
one in such cases, is territorial one. The pro-
priety, and the obligation of such an one in this
case, was most obvious. The territory was
found to be of immense value, it was Of great
extent, and from the peculiar kind of mining or
rather of digging pursued there, was capable of
giving employment and wealth to vast popula-
ton. The proprety of territorial government
was, that it admitted people and property from
all sections of the Union. The evil and injustice
of State government was, that it included the
people and property Of one of them only. And
nobody ever questioned the suf1icency of terri
torial government to establish law and order.
In the case of new settlement, it is more otfi-
cient than State government.
But the inhabitants of California met and
formed State constitution, with precipitancy
never before attempted, and claimed an extent
of territory five or six times great as was ever
before claimed by new State. The effect of
ratfying such proceeding by Congress, was
P<tipapiS. H was W Cub oH tlc SEtNeuOulIg
people of the Union Immediately from all that
| region. Congress might have created terri
torial government, which would have left the
slaveholding population to the enjoyment of
their rights in that country, and when time had
determined its adaptation to particular modes of
labor, the people there could have determined
whether to exclude slavery or not, and slave
holders would have had voice in the decision.
Or if there was anything in the pretence that
State government was Immediately required
there, (Which was not the fact,) Congress could
have admitted California with suitable boun-
daries," as Mr.. CLAY himself at first proposed
that is, we presume, such boundaries or area as
other States have-and the residue of the terri
tory with a territorial government, would have
been left open to all the people of the Union.
But Congress, instead of performing this obliga-
ton to the people of the United States, rs well
as to the inhabitants of California, instead of do
ing what no man could dispute to be both just
and CONSTITUTIONAL Congress precipitately adj
that the effect and the object of the measure was
to exclude shareholders, and those who preferred
the institution, and to detraud them of their
rights to a share in its occupancy. And this
was done by Congress in pursuance and con-
summation of the design previously formed and
announced by the Northern States, to exclude
slavery rom the territory by the Wimot Pro-
viso, policy whose announcement it is we'll
known, had prevented shareholders hitherto from
going there, and hence gave the first emigrants
or visitors from the North the pre-occupancy.
Mr. CLAY says that California does not con-
tain as much arabic land as many other States.
Well what of that i! Itmight not contain foot
of arabic land and yet support u hundred people
where arabic land would support one. 1t was
because the land was not arabic, but was aurf-
erous that it was so valuable and so likely to
concentrate large population. If it had all
been arabic, the objection to the great magni-
strong rs it is. This arabic argument which
Mr. CLAY borrows from Mr.. WEBSTER, is a
very shallow and shabby fallacy, whose employ
ment by them evinccs the weakness of their
Mr. CLAY proceeds to say that the people Of
California, and not Congress, excluded slavery
from that region. Mr. CLAY knows that but
for the ratification by Congress of what Califor-
MIA had done, slavery was not excluded that with
out the aid, concurrence support, and approba-
ton of Congress, the attempt of the people of
California to exclude slavery would have been
abortive-null and void. He says that Califor-
mia had right to exclude slavery. We say that
California had no right to Stlte government
at all at the time: and if she had, she had no
right to more territory as 4 State than other
States-nor 50 much-since that territory is so
valuable.
1t was intmated by Mr.. WEBSTER, that the
gold may become scarce there, and then the peo-
pie will depart, and that unless the territory is
large there will not be enough left on the arabic
land to make State. Well. sufficient unto the