The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-12-07

American valor could not subdue in Mexico!
Mr.. CLAW, Gen. Cass, DIR. Webster, and many
others whose names may well stand in proud
association with theirs, long since told you that
these ordinances were in force. III you did not
mean to open that country to the South, by re-
pealing them, why did you not surrender at once
and say that the South never could and never
ought to get any portion Of it! Sir, put the
question to this convention, put it to the good
sense of mankind, whether great constitutional
rights ought ever to be sacrificed by holding to
a mere abridgemem Of the doctrine OF non-inter-
ventou, too narrow and contracted for their pro-
lection!
Mr.. President: In the progress of this dispute
about our territorial possessions we have lost
too much by not better understanding this doc
trne Of non-intervention. At our last session
we maintained this doctrine in its fullest, broad
est sense. In ten resolutions we maintained 1t
maintained it as to the whole country. But,
sir, after exhausting every argument and making
every appeal to our Northern brethren to allow
us the full benefit of it, we turned to the con-
temptation of the painful fact, whose bitter re-
alization we have since experienced-to the fact
that there was little or no probability that our
rights would be fully recognized. Under the
full belief that they would not, we planted our
selves on the former compromises which had
been made in critical periods of our history.
Sir, we were unanimous in favor OF the Mis-
souri, compromise line-not one discOrdant voice
WAS heard through the spacious hall Of our de.
alterations. If the Congress Of the United
States had responded favorably to that voice, all
would now have been well with the Republic.
California W uld have been in the Union, but
with her Southern boundary on SO deg. 80 min.
She would then have been larger than Virginia,
VnrLy paunau lvauo The rnmaInlnU
country would have been organized into terri
torial governments, without saying word about
slavery-neither admitting it nor rejecting it;
but with Il repeating clause of all laws which
might be in force there abo ishing slavery. Thus
the South and the North would have been thrown
on an equal footing, leaving it to the Consttu-
tion-not to Congressman to tho laws OF
Mexic0-to say whether slaves should be car
ried there or not. All, if this had been doce,
what contentedness and peace would have then
pervaded our once happy country! Then, in
deed, we could have rejoiced and started afresh
in the career Of national greatness and glory.
But, sir, it was rejected, and the strange story
is now told us, that it was anti-republican
Anti,repubican to abide by the Missouri com
promise by the Oregon compromise! by the
Texas compromise Take back the incredible
charge. The last message Of James X. Polk to
his countrymen, just before he went down to
the tomb, mplored them to settle this question
on the principles of the Missouri compromise.
Take back the charge that he was no republi-
can When Texas was admitted on the com
promise line Of SO deg 80 min, Andrew Jack
son was still living, and his heart reoiced to see
the noble work accomplished. Take back the
charge that Andrew Jackson was no republican.
Take back the charge against the hundreds, and
thousands, and tens of thousands, who voted for
$500 in voting for her admission into the
Union. Take it back, or s.ifle your shout for
Polk and Dallas, and tear down from your banner
the lone star Of Texas.
1t is sometimes declared to be unconsttu-
tional. 1t was not proposed rs an ordinary act
of Congress but rs a compromises compro-
mise of disputed question of constitutional
construction Now, why cannot disputed con-
struction Of the Constitution be compromised as
well as any other! Every other question, it
seems, can be compromised. Even an omnibus
full Of all sorts of compromises will do. Yet
the Missouri compromise and the Texas com
promise will not do at all. And why were they
unconstitutional Because, it is said, they al
lowed of the Intervention of Congress north of
that line. No, that was not the compromise.
The original demand of the North was, that Con-
gress should intervene and exclude slavery from
the whole country north and south of $500.
Now, the compromise was, that Congress should
fOrbedr that intervention or exclusion Of slavery,
and leave part of it for the South-that part
was south of So 80: that was the true nature of
all these compromises. Now, was it unconsti-
tutiOnal for us to Sare q part when we were
otherwise to lose the whole country! Well,
now, after ALL let us look to results. Congress
rejected our Missouri compromise, and passed
its own bills in lieu of it. Which was best for
the South? Ours would have saved ohe-third
or more-your bills have lost all-every square
acre of it. What equivalent, let me now de-
mand, has the South received under these bills
for the loss and surrender of these vast possess
sions? For California, the key that commands
all the amazing commerce of the Indies? The
Fugitive slave bill For Utah and New Mexico
The Fugitive slave bill What for the loss Of
nearly two States proposed to be carved out of
Texas! The Fugitive slave bill Truly this
Fugitive slave bill must be something new and
miraculous. No. 1t is not new-for it is only
the act of '93 little amended and enlarged and
the act Of '93 was nothing but meagre com
pliance with an express p DIVISION of the Consti-
tuition. But, if not ne,D, surely it must restore
vast numbers Of fugitive slaves to their masters,
in compensation for the loss of so much land
Restoration! | believe it is rather the other
way. Instead of coming home, ! believe they
are getting further otf-scampering away in
great droves to Canada But, to be serious
what pass has the country come to- when one
half it has to bride the other, simply to do its
duty under the Constitution The South to
give up its half of the countries acquired from
Mexico, in order to induce the North to surren-
der our fugitives from labor. What commen-
tary on the fraiernal Constitution-abiding spirit
of the North! But, it seems that after giving
up all our interest in the Mexican territories,
even then, they are not willing to surrender our
slaves. They seem determined to take our
lands and keep our negroes too
But, admit these territories have not been lost
by the instrumentality Of the Wimot Proviso.-
That one of her advanced or outer works
which the North concluded to abandon, because
the South, the whole South, had vowed they
sho uld be carried, at all hazards and to the last
extremity. With an adroitness which has distn-
guished all her movements on these slavery ques-
tons, she retired from the Wilmot and entrenched
herself behind the .Merican fortress and the South
either had not the courage to attack her there or
vainly imagined that she had retreated from the
field and given up the contest No, sir, she has