The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1850-08-21

|
'Thirty-first Congress- first Session.
WAsHINGToH, AUGUST l3, 1850.
u S. SENATE.
| CALIFORNIA.
| ALr. DOUGLAS moved, and the Senate
TOOK up the special order, being the bill to
ADMIT California into the Union as State
lEc question was on reading the bill
| third time.
MIR. DAVIS. Of mississippi. addressed the
Senate. Hc asked why was the impa,icncc
| 70 pass this bill! II was not for the pur-
pose oi giving government to the people
OF California. The records OF Congress
show that those who now wore so clamor-
Gus TO admit California, defeated cvn-v
eih,ft TO give government to California
mt fermcr sessions. But MS soon as tho
constitution OF Callforni'. containing the
W'mot proviso, whir', they had in vain en-
ueaVorcd to pass Congress, was adopted,
'hey desire to bring her into The Union,
| nsn,hs' a precedent, aud without proper
uc'"eration. The South had rcuunetra-
ted, but the rcnons,rancc was dIsrcgar-
] led And why did they desire to bring her
III! IL was known that the new State
would be irec-tsade people, and those en-
| gage1 m manufactures and commerce could
have no interest in introducing California
INTO the Union. II was then deliberate
aggression upon the minority And this
aggression was tho mode by which they
showed their devotion to the Union. Tie
! South had been excluded from all partci
patton IN the territories belonging To them
in common with the North, ana their an
| pcals and renohsranccs have been an
swered by Invcctve and the cry OF d,suuio,.-
| lists. This was Il constitutional Union, and
BY preserving The Constitution uni,nparcd
IN all lis spirit, was The Union 10 be pre-
served. The South had ever observed Tic
Constitution, and thus had been the lirrncst
friends Of The Union.
The right 10 resist an Unconstitutional
act was undoubied; and if resistance To an
unconstitutional act, an act having no ioun-
datioU or authority upon the Constitution,
hut resisting sc!ely and exclusively upon
the will o: dominant majority was sc,!ii!on
and treason, then he entertained both sen
tilcnts. They were now called upon,
for the first time, to destroy the balance
existing between the two scctious OF the
country, in both branches OF Congress. In
the temper of the majority upon this mca-
| sure. the probable temper of that majority
towards the nlEorlty when that minority
shall bc decided I'd sbc minority forever
was torcshadowcd. He had been instructed
! by his State Legislature TO resist this BILL
The Legislature Of his State had appropria-
! ted a large sum 10 be used hv the Governor
in resistance TO the Wilmo' proviso; and in
this bill he saw nothing differing irom that
proviso Whether slavery were excluded by
Congress, or by band of unauthorized adj
rcI,urcrs, having no possible author itv,
made no difference; ono was as aggressive
as the other, and If there were any differ
cnce, il would be III iayorof the congress
! siona| enactment.
He appealed to the North TO pause in
their action. The South were oya! To the
| Constitution, and he warned the majority
| against ,rcad!ng too far upon the patience oi
a people already alarmed. lie referred 10
their common ancestry, and the devotion of
the South, III times past, in defence OF the
North against wrong. lie appcalcd to
them As Senators, couutrymcn, ana brcth-
rcn, to pause in this great act, ana listen 10
the solemn warning OF The consequences.
Mr.. CLEMENS sad that he desired TO
state again the objections which should go-
! vcrn !nin IN voting against this bill He
| knew tho bi!! would pass, and would con
tine himself 10 n mere statement oi the
points Of his objections, He objected 10 the
! passage OF this bill, because no census had
ever been taken OF The coplc and there was
no evidence before the Senate that at the
| tame that constitution was adopted there
was sufficient number Of inhabitants, in
| 4 meaning OF the Constitution, IN the Ter
ritory, 10 cntrt!c her 10 one representative,
much less two. Because no territorial 90.
ycrnmcnt had been established over the
country hy Congress. Because no !aw had
been passed by Congress authorizing the
people there 10 call "A convention and frame
State constitution; and, above all, he on
posed this bill because the constitution Of
! California, which has been presented here,
Is not the constitution of the people of that
country, but ~ the offspring Of executive
and luItary dictItion. lie had on a tnrmcr
occasion stated these objections and they
had never been answered. The un,y arnu
mcnt he had heard against them was, The
necessity ol the people of California 10 have
a government. " no WAS responsible for
the fact that California had received no nov
crnmcnt! Was It the Soulhi Certainly
not. Tho Senator from New Nork took
the honor OF defeating every effort to give a
government Ia California. Now the same
persons who defeated all efforts to
give California government claInor Tor her
admission, notwithstanding all the constjtu-
ilnnaI objection. The acts OF California
are admitted to be wrong, viii these two
wrongs make right!
And now, because committed hv the
North upon California, the whole Consc-
qncncc Is Ia be visited upon the South.
Like the incident told in Tie Senate a few
days ago, the Soulh is brought to tie edge
OF The prccIpIcc, and is about To be thrown
down backwards, not lor her own wrongs,
but Tor the wrongs co nmttcd hy those who
now advocate The admission of California.
lie referred 10 some remarks made yes
tcrday hy Mr.. CAsS, and replied to them,
reading, as a part of his reply, an extract
from speech madc by that Senator two
years ago on the Three Million Bill
lie was not prepared to say what Ala
bama would do this act should be passed.
lie was the servant OF his State, and 1t " as
not his place TO direct her what to do. But
whatever she commanded h,ln 10 do he
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