The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1850-03-11
SPEECH OF MR.. CONRAD

ON THE ADMISSION oFCALIFoRNIA.
The House went into Committee Of The Whole
the state of the non, and resumed the eonsid-
Grafton Of the message of the President in relation
to California and New Mexico.
Mr. CONRAD, of La. said that the discussion
had taken so wide range that he did not rise in
expectation of offering any thing new; but this
question was important, and had excited deep in
terest among his constituents, therefore ne deemed
it proper to them, well TO himself to state the
principles by which he should be governed. In his
humble view, the Importance, not Of the question.
but the importance Of the action Of Congress, had
been greatly overrated in the public mind and in
this body. Ii any stranger should come into this
assembly and witness the excitement when the
subject is before the committee he would naturally
suppose that the question whether slavery shall
shall not exist through all time in the territory
auired, depends on the deliberations of this body.
Such is not the fact There is law-nsker more
potent than ourselves one whose ordinances must
supersede all human enactments. That law-giver
is Nature. Its the character Of the country, its
soil, its climate its productions that adapts it to
slavery; and slavery will find its way where it can
exist, in spite of any thing that we can do. II the
country be not adapted to slavery, no human power
can introduce it there. And he most reluctantly
confessed that Nature had decided this question
rather against the South. All accounts in relation
to this country that it contains vast regions
of deserts, and rocks, and arid plains, and snow
capped mountains, and that large portion is ut
terly uninhabitable. 1t is so remarkably destitute
of water and animal and vegetable life that the
traveller faints for want Of sustenance. In view Of
this he appealed to gentlemen Of the North not to
agitate question that can lead to no practical re-
suits. The South contending for principle.
Do they contend that Congress have the power to
introduce slavery No; at least, he did not All
that he asked was that the people OF that country
may be allowed to determine this all other cues
tons, according TO their own views, interests, and
welfare. The North contend that Congress can
exclude slavery; but he denied that there is any
constitutional power to legisate. If there is con-
sttutional power, there is not a moral power. The
soil belongs to the whole country, and portion
of the people have the right TO model civil gov
ernment to suit their own plans, whether their
ideas are false true, and which are obnoxious to
the South
1t was the duty Of Congress to establish terrific
rial governments at the last session of Congress.
Justice to ourselves and to the people residing in
the Territories required this. The treaty with Mex
leo implies the authoritative obligation to protect
the inhabitants in the enjoyment OF their liberty
and property and there can be protection until
government is established in that country. Since
then, the people have assembled and adopted con-
stltution for themselves; and the question now pre-
sents ITSELF shall shall not California be admit
ted by this Congress as of the sovereign
States of this Union
Gentlemen had charged that the movement in
California Tebellious, revolutionary and the
President had been charged with being pg7ticep,
crt0stnis. He supposed that the gentleman from
tennessee (Mr. StantOn) did not mean to perpe-
trate pun when he spoke of the President as head
ing rebellion against his own authority. 1t was
| a strange kind of rebellion and revolution for the
people not to overturn government, but to estab
i lIsh one where none existed. The President hao
been charged with debating the conventions and ad
vislng in the formation of the constitution. There
/ is not word Of evidence to support the charge
on the contrary, all the documents laid before Con
gress all official and unofficial accounts, utterly
/ pei the opinion. And appeared to him strange how
gentlemen can reconcile the alledged assumption
of extraordinary power by the President with the
fact that after the constitution adopted, and the
| State government went into operation, the very
first act of the people was to send here two Sena
| tors and two Representatives TO operate directly
| against this administration. Nothing that he haC
| seen warrants the belief that the convention wa:
not fairly chosen and convened and the constitution
fairly adopted And if the people OF California wan
TO live under it. and if there be no provision agans
the Constitution ol the United States, he was will
ing that they should live under it until they cal
provide themselves with better government.
| But the question was, shall California come int
the Union? Could any gentleman give him rea
son why she shall be admitted? For himself h
| saw none. Was any gentleman prepared to sal
| that the limits of boundary not such they
| should be Did any one know any thing about he
| pOpudtOn I1dS any one seen the census lnt
| population is mongrel-from South America anC
| from China, and the Sandwich Islands, in part
| and was any body prepared to say that not one
| fourth OF them would remain any longer than they
can fill their pockets with gold? He was convinced
that the population was not large enough to send
| two members to this House-hali many Lou
isiana has, which has been in the Union for nearly
| half a century-and two Senator's with the samt
weight OF power the largest States. He should
like 10 know whence springs this extraordinary ne
| cessty for admitting California. Gentlemen coulc
not brook the usual course OF legislation and how
is 1t that certain gentlemen, who heretofore refused
| to give her even territorial government, are nov
| opening their arms to welcome her into the Union
They would not wait for the ceremonial of the nup
tlals, but hasten illictly to her embrace. The an
swer is, because there four lines in her con
| stltuton excluding slavery. Suppose that this pro
| vision had not been inserted, and there was senc
on the subject, we would have seen the same gen
| tlemen turn their backs on California, and shut tn
| door III her face. He solemnly declared that in hi
| course he was in no degree governed by the fac
| that California has excluded slavery. He recog
| nzed her right to do If the admission of Cali
| torna be made the basis of COMPROMISED it b
made one OF series OF conditions for an honorabl
! adjustment OF the pending questions, in conormit
| with our rights-he would cheerfully waive the OBJ
jectlons which he had to her admission at present
| But If the question be presented to him in dis
tinc substantive and isolated FORM without pledges
tory is not to be subject to agitation similar to this
| he should be compelled to vote against it. II
| wanted the whole question settled he did not de
sire any fragments to be left here to feed upon be
tween this and the next session; he wanted tn
question settled speedily. Every day, every hour
IN his judgement, aggravates the difficulty, an
| widens the BREACH already too wide, between tn
two sections of the country.
Gentlemen talked too glibly about the dissolutio
Of the Union. One would suppose, listening
them that it was originally entered into as a com
nercal partnership. He had not and did not in
tend to make a calculation, and enter into a CON
putation of the profit and loss of different portion
| of the Union. He struck no balance-sheet belwee
the M9Ith Ia Sna tthfsS6rutfon OF the Union. He ha
not been taught to estimate the value OF the Unio
by dollars and cents.
Is there no value in national glory-the proud r,
collections of the past and the bright aspirations
the future Is there value in our proud att
nde with respect to the other nations OF the earth
Is there no value to be attached to national repo
and tranquility? He mpelled to express Il
| hope that fthe Union destined to be dlssolve'
if all are called to be its executoners-f our star
, destined to sink below the horizon, never again
rise-that star which has illuminated the darke
corners Of the earth and guided the prosecuted al
oppressed to freedom-let it be brought about
. | nobler considerations than these, drawn from p
cuniary considerations, Have gentlemen thougl
l. of tumults and border wars, TO be followed by
:, | exterminating war, to continue longer and to
. | more terocious than any waged in the annals
mankind wars which would impoverish the Nor
and desolate the South. Nothing short OF the pc