The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-09-20
T H E r T. PU BLIC.
8 p f. ECH
or TIE
HON. JAMES BROOKS,

sance the Wiinot Propiso on the Senate Blu, giv-
| ing Territorial Governmsnt 10 Utah
| MIR. BRooKs said, that he was opposed to the
amendment Of the gentleman from Ohio, and he
rose to make come remarks in opposition to it. He
had been ready at any time to ''face that gentle
mans music'' he had "faceh it' the first of the
session, and he was more ready to "hce it" now
The world had rolled round, and the sticks of the
gentlemans drum had been kept beatng-but in
the revolution of the earth, the fewer the soldiers
that obeyed the gentleman 3 tattoo. If he kept on
beating much longer, the fact was, he believed,
| that very, very few would pay attention either to
his morning or his evening drum AS for himself,
he could say, it had not beat loud enough, nor
herce enough yet to alarm his nerves He faced
IT now. He should vote against his proviso-had
voted against it in January last. and was ready to
vote against it in al! the Januaries to come.
| There was time MIR. b. went on 10 say) when
the Wilmot proviso not il is now, a mere
| useless mischevous abstraction, nd he could very
| well understand the motives and the reasons OF
gentlemen who voted against it. 1t a bolt,
| however, that had done Its errand, that had dis
charged its duties; and the spent bolt now, that
some men were for hurling, could only do mischief
and create unnecessary alarm. When the Wilmot
proviso first introduced and passed on the floor
OF this House, II taught the country two salutary
and important essons-the South, first, that the
with Mexico could not go on TO extend slavery,
but that the intent and purpose would be by the
majority resisted; and il taught the North next,
that conquest and extension OF territory jeoparded
| the very existence Of the Union. The fear of the
| Wimot proviso predsposed the southern Demo
cratic party for peace, and il alarmed the Demo
cracy OF the North not only for the Union itself,
but for the nationality, and even existence of their
party. Thus Democrats co-opcrated with Wings
| In arrcsting the career of Generals in Mexico,
and in compelling peace.
| The lesson is impressed upon our history; and
| no party, hereafter, will be anxious for a of
conquest, unless it is first scttled which section
OF the Union the political profit will inure. The
reasons and motives, then, that prompted gentle
men to urge the Wilmot proviso, doubt sprang
from h1fvh a
| now, the Wilmot proviso was an abstraction, mis-
chievous in all its consequences, and periing
the unity and existence Of the republic. That Prov
idence Of Almighty God, which had 80 often watch
ed over and preserved US a favored people, with
| His 'cloud by day and pillar OF fire by night
is watching over us now, and preserving now,
from the peris that our passion for conquest, and
| for other peoples lands, had brought upon us. We
were to be preserved too without any sefsacrifces
OF principle, or pride, sectional preferences or
pledges, five would only leave all to that Almighty
God, and not attempt TO be wiser than He, in set
Ting the destiny of our country-what part of il
should be bond or free. The destiny is already
| fixed, irrevocably fixed beyond any human con-
troll; and, in my opinion, all we ought TO try to do
Is TO await the decree of that Providence and stand
| by il, whatever it may be.
To settle this terrible agitation in this Hall and
Cham ber--such by the way az no other form of gov
| ernment ls strong enough TO stand MONTH am
willing TO become convert 10 the doctrine of non
Intervention, of non acuon-and in good faith too
II 1t is OF any importance to know what am will
ing to do, will state here that will vote for no
Wllmot proviso, now or hereafter, on any matters
before us; and will stand upon the principle that
| the authority OF Government shall not be cxerted
10 exclude or TO extend slavery, the principle Of
compromise upon which 1t was framed. Thus IT
| Will be SEEM If am opposed to a single headed,
uniform, universal WImot, am the more opposed
to the double headed. double shuttcd Nilmot,
which would exclude slavery by law north of 36o
80. and estabhsh IL by law south of that line. If
the Wimot proviso Is principle, and principle
that must be enforced, the law OF the majority will
| succeed, and the cid, and ancient, and venerable,
and now immortal ''Wiimot" will carry the day.
But will pledge myself here now, while mem
Der OF this Congress TO resist them both; and will
fail back, IN order TO give peace upon the non in
tcryention, non action invitation Of the southern
members, 80 fcrvcntly sent up during the iast Con-
gress IN these Halls; and beg these gentlemen
here TO stand the ground they stood on then, and
not 70 become converts TO the Wilmot principle,
which they once earnestly denounced, and
which Is without doubt principle alarming 10 tho
South. Will stand with them now on their prin-
cipic of non intervention, and will follow the sal
utary rule, that the Federal Government was not
| created TO exclude or TO establish slavery by law,
and leave that exciting subject TO the States, aud
! the inscrutabc Providence that las fixed 50 anom-
! alous class Of human beings upon our otherwise
Tree form OF government. No other rule of action,
as II now seems TO me- can this glorious herr
tagc of our fathers from the inevitable internal dis
scnsions which threaten it-and these were the
rules which'animated and inspired the bosoms of
the Hancocks, the Rutledges, the Adamsos, and the
Pinckneys, who bequeathcd this heritage TO us.
And can sec, MIR. Speaker, that no section OF
our country has any thing TO lose but on The con-
trary, every thing TO gam by the policy OF non
action IN this matter OF sayeryi for that destiny OF
Almighty God, OF which spoke but moment ego,
has regulated all thcsc things for Us. California Is
settled, and is settling with miraculous rapidty;
and its social polity Is fixed beyond the power Of
this Government TO change il. No law Of yours is
omnipoten enough TO reverse the social order there
established. The people have dccrced and arc yet
| decreoing the uniyersality of freedom. The cni-
grant from the banks of the Mississippi joins
heartily with the emigrant from Maine, in ordain-
ing the exclusion Of slavery, as the common inter
est OF all; and all the armies and nayics Of the
world cannot create slavery where oil the people
trHi all to be free.
know that southern gentlemen attribute this
feeling TO the preoccupaton of the soil by north
ern cinigrants, under the patronage OF the Federal
Government; but a power higher than any gov
ernmcnt settled this question; and that was gold,
stimulating instant, tumultuous emigration. Inc
columns oil emigration settled, as they always VIII
under like circumstances, tho establishment or cx-
cluson OF slavery. The steamship, the winds that
waited northern commerce, there settled the qucs-
ton. The people of the North did not 90 much go,
as rush or fly, 10 California, when they heard that
! gold was thcre-and the poor white man OF the
south, who could raise money enough TO 60, was
! there before the owner Of negroes could prepare
himself TO start. California became the magnet,
which attracted all the cncrprlsing poverty OF
! America The northern rich capitalist rcpOscd
upon his funds at home, and 30 did the planter on
MS plantation at the South but the cutcrprising
and ambitious poverty Of both sections rushed, aye
| flew ON the wings OF the wind TO California, and
| established an equality there, TO have which they
| left their own land. No overland emigration from
the slave States could oycrtakc ovcrnatch these
crusaders after tho golden fleece. Poverty was be-
hind, and gold was before and when the winds
blew not strong enough or fast enough, the genius
OF steam was evoked to hurry them on. The world
tras never any thing like this eruption or ir-
| ruption, not even in thu days OF the Crusaders.
How IDLE, then. amid such a whirlwind Of causes
and of people, to mputc to the distant and fc, bic
! powers at Washington potency enough 70 re-
strain the establishment OF slavery thcrcl The
white man there would not work with the negro in
the mines, AID that sctted The question. The white
man would not allow the capitalist, be he owner Of
negroes, pcons OF other property, TO scropc,
scratch, to shovel more gold than he cUuld-and
that settled the question II question between
labor present and capital absent and labor instant
ly prevailed. The southern cmigrant Joins with
the northern the first from interest, the second
from education and preposscssion No authority OF
| Government could establish slavery among such n
class Of emgrants. The Executive, the Lcgisla
| tive, and Judicial powers Of THE Government com
bnod, have never been able TO do it, and cannot do
IL now. II would be easier this moment 10 estab-
lish slavery in tho older States of the North where