The southern press., 1850-09-30
From The AUGUSTA Ca Cons,iaulionalisl.

STRICT CONsTRUCTlON AND NoN-lNTERvEN-
TIoN-On the 29th ult, the Hon John III.
Iumpkin made speech at a public meeting, at
Rome, in which he used. the following Ian
guage:
!" We ire strict Consirucfionists. The South
has aAcays been in faror Of dhe drtriae Of Nom
inferrention."
Upon this text, the Rome Southerner read
him lecture and we thinS, touches him on the
raw in several questions very hard to answer,
which are put rs follows:
@ls it according to strict construction, that
Southern citizens are excluded from Oregon
Is it in accordance with his ideas of strict con-
structon that Southern men shall be taxed, in
men aud money, to conquer and pay for all the
territory acquired BY the Government, and then
be excluded peremptorily from three. .tourfhs Of
il. while citizens Of every other section of the
Union nay, Of every other nation under the
sun, may freely enter the whole! Is it right
that they should be left in doubt lis to their right
to hold their property, even in the tiiting
portion falsely said to be open to them! Are
Southern men wrong when they demand the
protection of the American law upon American
soil ?-soil won by Southern yalor and purchased
with Southern treasure! When the North, ,ciih
Mr.. Lat,nkins rote, excluded us from one side of
the line, do not he and his Northern allies, owe
it to us to make the recognition OF our rights as
distinct on one side OF the line, as they have
made our exclusion upon the others? Is strict
construction to fetter the Federal Government
when orr rights and interests are to be provided
for, while the Constitution is to lie set aside
whenever the object is to exclude us? Where
were your strict construction doctrines when
you gave your Oregon vote!
Where was the doctrine of non-interventon
which you now tell as has always been the doe
trine of the South, when you voted with Alb
otionists and Free-soilers to exclude your con-
stitucnts from Oregon and Northern Texas?-
Your friend Chisolm told a sheepish story about
sheep, Billy by name, being in bad company.
Who voted with you to exclude us from all OF
Oregon and Northern Texas? Who are now
known to be most hostile to Abolitionists and
Ffee-soilers, the Southern ultras, as you call
them or Southern s-Sy" CONSERVATIVES !~AEt
Have you ever given, in Congress, single vote
upon your doctrines of strict construction and
non-interrention Ii so, you will do well to
point it out. Your constituents will be GLAD to
learn when and where you ever gave vote, or
lifted a voice in favor of your doctrir es, until
after you and Northern allies had set aside the
Constitution for their exclusion from all that is
valuable. You have driven us from Northern
Texas Your allies, with your appropriation OF
consent, are now endeavoring to drive us out OF
California and TO exclude us from the " banks o.
The Pacific" TO use your own elegant expression
When nothing is left but deserts Of sand ana
srh lakes then youe ONE back to your doctrine
of strict construction and non-intervention--
You practice the most bare-faced latitudinariar-
ism, and the most unblushng Intervention, until
the whole Of Oregon, Northern Texas and Cali
fornia, with the whole of the banks Of the Pa
ci6c,r are gone, and then preach your doctrines
Of strict construction and non-intervention =
You practice againstyour doctrice, while it j.
worth something to your constituents, and
preach it, when you can't practice it, ard when
it would be ,corth nothing if you could
Some of these questions will as well apply to
all these ~ CONSERVATIVES 81 as well
Wings as Democrats, in Georgia, who now
counsel abject submission to the recent action
of Congress, BY which the Southern slave
holder is -wiudled out Of the whole of the ter
ritories of the Union, obtained by war ir
which the South did her full share of the fight
ing and paying expenses.