The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-09-14

Utah and New Mexico,--from their dominion and
their domain ,-thefr culture and their treasures
The Sourn rAys rnREs-rouKrHs, THE NosrH
osEFouRrH OF THE MExscAH WAR-pEsr
This would seem the utmost height and the whole
extent to which oppression and wrong could reach
or would dare but il is neither all nor the worst,
and falls far short Of the reality. AnSIO0, OOO,-
600 Of the debt contracted to prosecute the war
against Mexico,--(and which Of course is the pro-
Der measure Of what these Territories have cost
us D remains unpaid. But you ready to ask,
what further interest the South have in that,
-inasmuch AS the Free States having approprl-
ated the tchoie acquisition themselves, they will
of course pay the ph0Ie balance of the outstanding
debt. Never in your lives were you the victims
Of a grosser mistake With the despotism OF
numbers your task -marters demand of you, your
full share Of these $l00, 900 100 Of Indebtedness,
| for which you will not have received a dollar s
| worth Of consideration! And what think you,
will your share be- Ii the Federal revenues were
collected through direct taxation, under the con-
stitutional ratio Of Federal numbers, -(taxing
threeffths Of the suves) the North s share of the
amount would be three-ffths, or 500, 600 ,000--
and consequently the South's share two-ffths or
| $40, 900 ,0OO;-(an amount quite large enough TO
pay for nothing but the revenues being collected
through the Customs,-m thanreverses the APP
| portionment Of Indebtedness between North and
South upon the basis of Federal numbers;-for
with the revenue so collected, the North VIII
have to pay but one fourth Of $o5,000, 900 of the
amount, while the South must pay the residue OF
| three-fourths, or S75,OO0, 900 Of this Mexican
War-debt,-- reap nothing of the fruits, save
the memories she retains of that chiyalrous honor
and those SURPRISING exploits Of her braves
which have given her name to history and renown,
| and of which, neither detraction nor oppression,
can defraud or deprive her! This VIII seem an
credible to the mass Of you know,--but II Ineyi-
tabiy results from the principle and the iact that
! the consumers pay the revenue coliectedthrough
the Customs, LAS well as vast amounts besides, IN
commissions, freights, exchanges, &c.--and that
Southern consumption of Foreign fabrics and pro-
ducts, mot on the Free List )bear just that pro-
portion to Northern consumption OF the same artl-
Giles, and the excess Of the comparative consump-
ton, is fully and safely attested, through the ex-
cess in values oft the Souths over the North's en-
| orts-which pays for her excess IN the consump-
ton Of the imports. But to make this surer, 81 re-
sort to the Appendix of that admirable pamphlet,
entitled The UNIDN, PAsr AND FUruRE, by
Muscoe Hunter Garnett, esq.--and give you an
estimate which he has drawn from the Treasury
Reports themselves -
Taking the four years ending June 30, lSi5,
and the gross amount of duties collected at the
1 customs, amounted to 500, 1875 ,349. Ofths amount
| upon the ratio of their exports, the South paid
S76 70l 900, and the North $lg ,425 ,349-whereas,
If the same gross amount of revenue had been col
lected through direct taxation, and on the primer,
\ Die of Federal numbers the South would have paid
i less than half that it paid through the customs,
say but S37, 649, 1856, while the North would have
| paid treble to wit: 50,275,993, showing a DIFF
ference against the South through the mode OF col
lection, Of Just $50, $50, 644, which was both in
quitous and oppressive; yet Mr.. Webster was SC
disngenuous and nsincere, to lavish his praises
on the free States some years ago, for their Tor
bearance and liberality in not taxing three-ftths
Of the slaves, well knowing the time, that tina
4 forbearance and hberality were rewarded, by
wing Of more than thiriy-three and third pei
centun, to the North, by taxing the South through
/ the customs instead of her slaves III
i The PUBLIC DOMAIN AND GOLD MINES EscnEATEI
ai TO CALIFORNIA. F9ek
! But through remarkable piece Of good fortune
i the discovery, of extensive and seemingly mex
haustible deposits in gold dust and other forms O
bullion, it was apparently Of but triaing conse
4 ouence. upon which section the payment of thu
war-debt chiefly devolved, for in the depths o.
| these UNEMPLOYED treasures, not only did rapid
/ and thorough reimbursement's seem sure and near
| but the dav seemed hard by, when the citizens OF
| ali the States were to be dispensed with their con
/ tributions in support Of Government, and have q
4 large superfux from the placefs and the mines,
to meet all the reasonable wants of the States, fol-
public education, general improvements, &C.; but
now, alas through preciptate and bunglins iegis-
llation both the domain and the treasure are ire
trevabv lost to the States and California takes
all! For more than century past, has the pub
lie code of the world proclaimed as the law, that
Il when sovereignty was conferred upon any peo-
4 pie, all the rights Of eminent and useful somair
4. passed with it as its imminent, unless the same
i had been reserved, through public Act to which
such people had acceded, before they were seized
of the sovereignty which proclaimed them a State
i This il more emphatcally the case with q new
II State entering into our Federation,for the Con
stitution while recognizing the right Of this Gov
eminent to hold public domain for all purposes
within Territory, specially restricts the holding
II AZ ted Of ~ fOrfa
magazines, arsenals, dock-yards, and other need
i fuI buildings and hence if Congress admits
4 State into the Union, before disposng of the pub
lie domain within its borders, or without obtain
/ ing an ordinance Of REIMBURSEMENT from her
/ pyior to her admission, the domain passes with
The sovereignty, and not even right Of sufferanct
4 over it remains. Such was the opinion Of oul
4 fathers before the Union was formed, for spe
I ciaf clause in the Ordinance of 1887, expressly
/ protected the public domain in the North Western
i Territory from escheat, by constituting the Ordi
nance a compact TO which the States that were tc
be formed out Of it, must assent before their ad
4 mission into the Union, and thus relinquisl
all title or claim to the public lands within theil
borders; and upon this principle, and with this pre-
cautions has every Congress that has been convened
since the foundation of the Government until noac
4 affirmed the necessity OF exacting from the new
States formed out of the public domains, ordin
ances of reIinquishm mt, prior to admitting then
into the Union, and schy? No reason can be as
si ned for it-but that in the opinions of all thes
Il Congresses, by the conversion of Federal Terri
foru into Sovereign State, without such compact
the title TO the useful well the eminent domain
Il would pass as imminent Of the sovereignty con
i ferred by the act Of admission, for the Federal it'll
Il Iapsing for want Of reservation,-the useful do
i main would necessarily escheat to the Commons
I wealth Of a State for the wart Of an owner. TIL,
present Congress was seasonably warned, ant
! through the most unanswerable demonstration
4 from Senator Soule and others. that such would
be the inevitable consequences; and that the do
\ main and treasures Of California would be ire
revabIy lost to us, unless she sent back to he
4 Convention, to execute the Ordinance, before he
admission into the Union; but, alas for the coun
try an memorable majority, fred with ravins
i lust of dominion, land fearing, that through re
turning sense of justice, there might be reduc-
tion Of her limits, giving access to the South be
low the line Of 80 n desperate haste, 1t rushet
i madly on,-and risking all, has lost all
4 CALIFoRNIA ENTERS THE UNION uNcoNpIrIoNALLY
AND IS SEIZED OF THE Public DOMAIN AS OF
4 RIGHT. isE pa 81
4 As to the iejune and imrotent attempt to i'm
pose a condition Of admission upon California, t.
,.yh;cL oha has never assenfed and Of which slt