Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1850-03-09
coNaRESsss
THE ANNUAL MESSAGE, CALIFORNIA.

THE ANNUAL MESSAGE, CALIFORNIA.
Mr. Bayly moved that the rules be suspended
and that the House resolve itself into a Com
mittee of the W hoie on the tate OF the Union
with view to dispose of the Pre- sidents Mes
Sageeslt was important Mr.. b. said) that that
message should be acted upon
The motion having been taken and decided
in the Affirmative
The House resolved ITSELF INTO Committee OF
ths Whole on the State of the Union Mr..
Boyd IN the chair and resumed the considera.
ton oi the resolution referring to the appropri-
ate committees the various subjects embraced
IN he Annual Message of the President of the
Cnited States.
Sir. Brown ofMississippi was entitled to the
floor
He said he would occupy a very few min
utes, IN presenting some views which he should
have presented the other day, but for The expi-
ratior o. MS hour.
Having already taken his position against
the President Recommendation Of the Califor-
MA constitution, and having expressed has alb
hOftcnce of the whole series of movements
which led to its adoption by the people in that
country, he should not further allude to the
President or Cabinet in that connection.
n new character hal presented himself, rs
one one OF the champions of tnis new and extraor-
binary political movement He alluded to
General Cass, the late democratic candidate
for the Presidency. That distinguished gen
tleman had redeemed his pledge, and the
pledge efhis friends, on the subject of the Will
mot ProFiso. He had spoke e against it. He
had expressed his dete rinination not to vote
for it With this he was satisfied. He would
20 further and say, that the speech, so far as it
related to the proviso, challenged his admira-
tioa and excited his gratitude. 1t was replete
with sound views, eloqucntly and happily ex-
pressed. And no one could read it attentively
without conceding to its author great ability
If the distinguished sentlcman had closed his
speech with his argument against the proviso
there would no: have been man in the country
more willing than himself to award him the
highe t hn1ors But the speech was marred
by the expression of opinions, in It's closiug par
agraphs, to which he, Mr.. b. and the southern
people generally would dissent. General Cass
had Gf Mr.. b. correctly understood him) avow-
I'd his opinion to be- that the people of the ter
rtories had the right to exclude slavery; and
he was understood to sustain the action of the
people iii California in forming n State govern
ncnt. Against all these parts Of the sreech
of General Cass, he (Mr. b. entered his solemn
protest. He felt bound to do this, hccausc IN
the late Presidential canvas, he mad, as the
friend of Gen. Cass, given different interpre-
tation to his views, as foreshadowed in the
Nicholson letter. 1rdc ne had not done this
itiiOub ooiIlC IISt, lIS COTTcCl-
ness. But gentlemen nearer the person of G en-
Cass than himself had interpreted the Nichol-
son letter to mean, that when the people of a
territory to form State constitution, they
could then admit or exclude slavery at will,
and whether they did the one thing or the 9th
er was not q matter to be ques toned by Con-
gress.
He now conceded, as he had done in the
Presidential canvass, that whenever a people
duly authorised to form State constitution,
have exercised this authority and asked ad-
mission into the Union, it is not properly n sub
ject of inquiry whether their constitution adj
mts or excludes slavery from the proposed
State. But he understood Gen Cass as going
further this--tO the extent of giving to the
people of the Territories the right to exclude
slavery during their territorial existence, and
indeed before government of any sort had been
established by Congress- He understood the
doctrine rs advanced by Gen. Cass to be, that
the occupants of the soil where no government
existed-as in New Mexico, California, Desc
ret, &c.--had the right to exclude slavery; and
against this doctrine he raised his humble voice;
and thought might stand alone without one
other southern representative to sustain
him, he would protest against it to the last
In the late Presidential canvass, men of all
parties had assaied this doctrine. The Wings
charged Gen. Cass with entertaining these
views, and the Democrats had indicated him
against the charge. The doctrine was uniyer-
sally denounced by men of all parties in the
South and now we were startled with the in.
tciligence that Gen. Cass and Gen. Taylor both
approve il. For himself no earthly considera
ton should keep him silent on such question
No consideration personal to himself-no party
ties nor political obligations, should seal his
lips, when his country was about to be betray
ed and sacrificed. He had denounced this doc
trinc before his constituents, he now denounced
it before the House. He would not consume
time and prevent other gentlemen from speak
ing, by going into an argument on the subject
He had felt it due to his own position-to the
cause of truth and justice, to make known a
the first convenient moment that what liz
condemned in Gen. Taylor he equally con
demned in Gen. Cass; and ha wing done this, h,
was satisGed. .
THER 5'JLTS OF ABOLTIONISM
The following is the conclusion of the articl,