Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1850-02-14
CONGRESS-.

NON ~ Is L. GSs
On Tues lay and "Wednesday 18th and 9TH
Mr.. Clay addressed the Senate on his comprom-
lie resolutions. Never was the Senate and ev.
cry avenue TO it, more crowded than en- this &C.
caSion, and the interest was kept up Throughout.
The impression seems 10 be that the resolutions
roH form the ground OF compromise. The
first days speech is but anpliicoiipn Of the
first part of that delivered by Mr.. Clay on in
Producing the resolutions of which our readers
had good abs;ruc, last week We have look
ed for some satisfactory reason for yielding the
ton Of the opinion of Congress that Slvery does
not now exist IN the territories under the Mexi-
can law, and probably never Will for that, it
seems to Us, Is the upshot of Mr.. Clay's resoIu-
ton upon shat topic We have looked in van
however. II there is 10 be Il compromise, let
there be- something to it-somcthng tuncible-
something binding up n somebody. Ii Con-
gress IS ready to say that Slavery is now exclu-
Jed By the Mexican law, why not carry out the
fact to its Legitimate consequence, and say that
Congress never will disturb this law, nor permit
the entrance Of slavery in defiance of it,
so long as II has jurisdiction In other words:
the South shall say 10 the North won't
t'y 10 push avery in'o New Mexco"-and the
Norh shall say very well, brother Just so
long as YOU manifest disposition not to break
into the pasture, won't fence it," So far,
there is fair compromise on both sides; AMI it
Is. probably, what Mr.. Clay regards as his COM
promise; but how make ii binding? 1t seems
to US the opinion Of this Congress is not enough
At any rate, if Congress does bold this opinion
in good filth, why not declare that the existing
law of New Mexico, prohibiting slavery, is re-
cogni-rd by Congress, and shall forerer remain
the law OF the land, unless abroga,ed specfcal-
ly by the states formed out of this territory af-
their admission TO the Union as sovereign states?
This brings round in the end the identical pro-
ject of the President. The difference is that
the first allows territorial government a: once
the President allows none at all
But ii is useless to speculate, at this distance,
upon what is practicable to be done. All we
can say is, that just SO long as The South insists
upuh any ultdSuiC " iuiCc SldseTY upon SOIL now
free-jnst so long as she attempts TO fas,cn up.
on this government, as an original sin, that
which the South herself has until now been
won't to cast back upon the government of Eng
land,-we hope the representatives of the North
will as firmly insist upon every measure proper
to screen us from The guilt of such deed. 1t
is not mere sentiment which the North should
thus insist upon, even to the last extreme it is
a duty, imposed BY power higher than any hu-
man law, and which cannot be compromised
with IMMUNITY. That duty is to prevent the per.
petration of great wrong, such as would be the |
establishment of Slavery in any part Of the now
free territory of this nation. If the South is
content to say she will not perpetra,e this wrong
well. If on The other hand she says it shall be
done, then the North IS partner in the con-
Germ, wil most assufedly say thou shall. not
The other topic in Mr. Clays speech of Tues
lay was on the Compromise of the boundary
question of Texas. His offer is a liberal one
/ slice of New Mexico equal to the present lin
Is Of Texas, and the payment Of three millions
" more for her. Texas claims vast deal more.
1 10 evident enough that the Texas swindle, for
ed upon the country by locofocoism, in the an
'exation Of slave territory sciLhost metes and
ounds, was Wholesale sfiair. Mr.. Clays prop
silion u good one, 20 far a. it will save vast
eal of territory from the clutches Of Texas:
line will show whether it il the best that can be
ct
Senator Houston {" Sam Of Texas has also
,ade = temperate speech-for compromise, for
ne Union. Sam has good streak in him. He IL
not great but clever. This speech Is of tho q
God vein. He made an excellent speech on {
'e last night Of the last session. Tho Senate i
ID ben diseFaesd b. dd1aas ssch = sssr Is