Weekly national intelligencer., 1850-07-27
NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER.
THE wELMoT PRoVIso.

THE WELMOT PROFtSU.
We called the attention of our readers some
days ago 70 an able and liberal article in the last
number of the North american Review on the sub
iect of the sectional question, generally, which has
so long engaged the attention of Congress and the
country, and on the.merits of the Wilmot Provisc
in particular. The entire article is too long for
our space, but we believe that our readers will
thank us for placing before them'the following ex-
tracts. being such portions of the article es we are
able sc find room for.
EXTRACTS FROM THE REVIEW.
ss is fortunate for the people of the United States that
their Interests do often Depend any great extent upon
the legislative action Of Congress- Inhe distribution Of
thory between the National snd the State Governments
much power reserved to the latter, many subecsa
exclusively within their control that the former, in its le
gsave capaciy should suddenly to act, if it should
fall eseep, remain in comatose state for ayea twc
great harm would result At any rate might easily provide
for such long suspension Of its activity, by merely append
ing clause each Of the annuaappropraon bl provid
ing that if Congress did together again for five
ten years, the Government might draw from the national
treasury for each of those years. equal in
those appropriated by the bin for the first year, and might
expsnd them for the specified Perhaps should
from year year in the ratio with the growth of the
population. general appropriation bill of this character
passed. quite confident that the interests Of the
country would suffer- and its reputation would certainly
be increased, Csngress should the century.
50 This opinion may appear ezravagan 10 but in
support of wetsve only to appeal the action, gather
the nacon of the present Congress- Theenators and Re-
pescntatives, collected from all parts of the Unon and
chosen with great care in eachcasehc honor of election
being highly and almost universally przed-have May
in session, and have, apparently been hard work
for naary six months, and haze much hare they accompEd2
They have passed Just four laws cny which, that for
takag the seventh census of eny public Importance The
urgency in this very great for if provision had
beer made in for taking the s summer the
whole number representatives for the Congress could
not have been apczoned among the several Sates the
constitution requires. The Representatives, therefore, could
not heve been hosen and suapoon would have been
more than fufhcdhe present Congress would have been
the les. of its So imminent the peril of such
result and desirable did that Congress should
again he exposed the danger Of Diving in this disced
able fashion, that a. the eleventh hour amendment
introduced into the bill, fixing the ratio which the Repre-
senstves should be distributed among the Stae and order
ing that the present bill should continue force if Congress
ten yea.s hence shord fail to provide substitute Tor it.
We think the contrvers Of this amendment showed great
gacy aud proper appreciation OF tie character of the hon.
orabe bofy to which they belonged"
"We complain, then, that both heues of Congress have
been vrusly transformed into nosy and quarrelsome deba
the entlre neglect tnelr
Of legislation, nearly the whole Of which is postponed the
last hree days of the session. Then, all the bills which
have been proposed only very few o. which have under
gone any discussion hudded together and, after calling
the yeas and amst continuously oany houstogeher
the which essential the continued existence
Of the Government such the appropriation bills passed
under the pressure of the previous question:, and the others
die natural death, 60 to sleep until session. Among
fhe bills which thus nothing of those which
have been debated during greater part of the session. Thus
the functions Of Congress- debating AID egsang,
eRecuay separated from each other bills debated
without being enacted, oherS enacted without being de-
baed. What iscaed thedong session. Of each Congress
usually continues about eight MONTHS of which perhaps
months and twenty days debating
calling the yeas and and the other five days gveeo
legislation The expense of such session the country is
nearly fifteen hundred thousand dollars"
No will suppose, of cou,se that hereas any decien
cy Of important subjects which Congress might act,
which, in truth the great the ecountympeage
require ii to act, the members DID not thus scandaously
discussion from legislation Matters Of tanscendent
importance-the revision Of the tst the reduction of the
rates OF POSTAGE the amendment of the consular and dpo
matte systems, the medes Of deposng and transferring the
public funds, and many others-have been waiting the lei
sure OF national Legislators during the whole six months
which they have thus far wasted in hot debate about pure
sactions During this period, most OF the membess have
been talking and many of them have been actively
in parliamentary uvre the avowed purpose of which
prevent postpone a action whaerer Some half
dozen members from the North, and about many from The
South, protesting respectively in their violent and exag
gestd form, those doctrines regard slavery which beong
their respective localities, able parslyze for many
weeks the action Of the House. by obsrucng oganiza
ton, ard declaring virtually that business should be
acted till their extravagant demands satisfied These
two fractions factions Of the House, the anipodes of
each other in principle adopt the policy and play into
each others hands The fanscal opponent and the fana
ica advocate of slavery adopt the policy and lock the
wheels Of Government in order compel the majority
OF the members to submit their dictaon. They unite re-
pudia,ing the cardinal principle upon which all nsitu
tons are based that the will Of the majority, when mani
tested under the forms and through the channels prescribed
by the constitution and the laws shall ule and though their
united iorce hardly numbers bakers dozep they require
the other two hundred and twenty Independent
to adopt their opinions and for their
men, under the penalty that Congress shall otherwise be
dsanched and disabled from the performance Of its appro-
pirate functions going TO characterize such con-
duct factious, and anarchca and antrepubcan as
directly calculated TO suspend the action of all government
and reduce society itself to chaos Is il econcilabe with
the oath taken BY every member to support constitution
aud the laws 1t miserable chcanery for such persons 10
avm that they only exercising their undoubted privilege
vote according to their consciences and their best Judgment
when this privilege is exercised with object avowedly hos
tile to The purpose for whcht granted II was given to
them that they might assist the House act not that they
might prevent action Every one knows that violation
Of the spirit Of oath is higher offence in morals than
transg Of the letter nssmuch adds the guilt OF
cowardy pevaca,ion that of intentional perjury Sub
mission to the legally expressed will Of the majority
spaon Of his seat is the obvious duty of every member Of
legislative assembly he made legislator in order
that he might prevent all legislative action whatever.
sWe strong language upon this point because the
greatest danger which republican institutions
posed proceeds from this inclination the part of the dscon
tented few obtruct all action whatever and rather to have