The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1850-02-13

NutFn ~ the fnfrr oi me popular currenl
there. Il The question Is nnseliled IN lhe
next Congressional election. j. this: Thai
lhe Government Of the United States mus
do nothing 10 sanction slavery that Il
must therefore exclude il from The Terri
tories I: thsi il must abolish IL in The Dis
irirt of Columbia. forls. and aFsenaIs. and
wherever il has jurisdiction. Some. too.
rsrying The principle 10 lis extent. insist
that the cnasiing slave trade. and that be.
tween The States. should also be abolish.
ed. and that slave labor should not be To-
leraied in a public Office Of The United
States. such as eusiom-houses. post off,
ces. and The like. As these things all OBJ
siously rest on the same general dogma.
il is clear thai the yielding OF one or more
points would not check. but would mere
IL accelerate, tie general movement 10 the
eni oi the series. Before this end was
reached. they would probably append. as
a coEollary. the principle that The Presi-
dent should NOT appoint stakeholder 10
Office. II is. sir. my deliberate Judgment
that. in Tie present temper Of The public
mind al the Norlh, IL The territorial ques.
lion remains open till The next election.
Few if any gentlemen will get here from
'hc free STATES that arc not pledged 10 The
full extent Of the abolition platform. Il
is. therefore. obviously the interest OF all
nfus 10 settle Tins question at the present
session.
i That the general principle ADORE stated
is al war y iih the whole spirit Of The Con-
sliinlion Of The United States. which sane.
lions slavery in several Of lis provisions. |
need moi argue here. Taking, however,
a practical view OF the matter in coniro-
versy, look for momenl AT the territorial
qnesiion. the great issue in the struggle.
will do northern men on this floor The
Justice 10 admit that they have argued
themselves into the belief that they are
right in claiming The whole Of The terrific
ry f,r free soil. Let me state. for mo.
meni. The converse. or opposite Of Their
proposition. Suppose il were 10 be claim
ed that no one should be allowed 10 60
into this public territory, unless he carried
one or more slaves with him; il might
then be said, Just as gentlemen now tell
! u-, tina, il would be perfectly fair, because
] IL placed every man who might be inclin-
ed TO 90 there on an eqnal footing. and
night, BY means of having thus homo
geneous population. advance the general
interest Northern men would al once.
! suppose. object TO this arrangement.
Then we should say to them, il you do
not like this restriction. let il be settled,
then. ihatevery citizen OF the United States
may 60 into the common territory and
carry slaves or moi. just as he pleases.
This would seem to be perfectly equiia-
bic and fair arrangement. Northern men,
however, object 10 this. and say that they
are unwilling TO live in territory where
others own slaves. Then we Of ihe South
say 10 them, that we will consent TO di.
vide the territory, and limit our possession
with slaves 10 a part Of il. and allow them
TO 90 At will over The whole. Even TO
this they object, and insist that they will
not allow US TO occupy one foot Of the ter.
ritory. Remember. sir, that this very
territory was acquitted by conquest, and
that while the South, according to its po-
pulaiiau. would have been required TO fur
nish only one.ihird of the troops, it in
poin, of fact did furnish two.,hirds Of the
men that made The conquest. And the
North, deficient as il was comparatively
in The Struggle, now says that its con-
science, or lis cupidi,y, will not permi, us
TO have the smallest portion OF that terrific
ry. Why, sir, this is the most impudenl
proposition that was ever maintained by
any respectable body Of men.
Sir, | give the North full credit for its
feelings in favor of liberty. can well
suppose that northern gentlemen would
resist, in the most emphatic manner. the
attempt to make any man who is now free
a save; but regard them as too intelli.
gent to believe that humanity, either TO the
slave or The master. requires that they
should be pent up within territory.
which. after time, will be insufficient for
their subsistence, and where they must
perish from want. or from the collisions
that would occur between the races. Nor
can suppose that they think il would be
injurious to New Mexico and California
for our people 10 60 and settle among
them. Prominent northern statesmen.
both in this House and in the Senate,
have described the population Of those
Territories. and have represented il as be-
ing moi only inferior to those Indian tribes
that we know mos, of. viz, the Chero-
kees and Choc,aws, but as being far be-
low the Flat Heads, Black Feet, and
Snake Indians. cannot. therefore, sup.
pose iha, they really believe that those
territories would be injured BY having in
fused into them such state Of society as
produces such persons as George Wash
ington, John Marshall, and thousands o.
other great and virtuons men, living and
dead. Your opposition to our right will
he regarded as resting on the lust for no
liiical power Of your politicians, or on .ht
capacity Of your people.