The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-07-24

whose agent was thus advising it, for their
i per diem and the means Of support daring
its session. 1t resulted from all this, that it
was bound to adopt an anti-slavery constitu-
i ton, and could adopt no other, anxious as
they were to come in, and knowing that in
order to do so they must offer some tempting
bait to the majority here. They were aware
too, that this majority was anti-slavsry 10
/ it's sentiments, and that the most tempting
bait which they could offer was an anti-sla-
very provision 10 their constitution, and they
knew, in point Of fact, that If they per-
mitted slavery they could never be admitted !;
Cor who belisvss that thsy would have re-
ceived twenty votes for admission il they
had come here with provision permitting
slavery in constitution made under such
circumstances as those under which ting one
was formed7 But this constitution, if it
may be so called was submitted, to the people
and received something like thirteen thou
sand votes. Now it is well known thatin a
population like that Of California, where the
men number more than all the women and
children put together, this would not repre-
sent so many as thirty thousand people. Yet,
If they had enough to have entitled them to
elect member of the House of Representa-
tives according to the present ratio, they
must have had at least seventy thousand peo-
pie, Of whom thirty thousand constitute
minority. That constitution, then, did not
receive the votes of a majority of the people.
If that be so, it cannot he said to have even
the sanction Of the people Of California, but
lis, in every sense Of the term, child Of
Executive creation refer to this last fact,
Mr. President, not as violation of the Con-
stituton, but as evidence to show that this
constitution, formed without the sanction Of
law, has not been helped, as come suppose,
to legal existence by the consent of a ma
jority OF the people Of California.
i But, sir, to crown the whole, the Execu-
tive undertook to withdraw the authority Of
the United States, and to resign it into the
hands Of the California government, which
was called into existence as have described,
And what is the consequence So far as
the Executive recognition can go, Califor-
MIA is now State, either in or out Of the
Union Suppose we grant her application !;
so far as the Executive recognition can 60,
it appears that she is already State; and,
if that be 50, how can she come into the
4 Union constitutionally, unless she comes in
as did Texas, by annexation--as an inde-
pendent State, a State achieving its indie
A pendence by sort Of bloodless revolution,
and, having thus achieved it, acknowledged
4 by the treaty-making power? And what il
to result from that Why, the loss to the
United States OF every foot of the public
lands within her limits; and you cannot, if
| this be true, impose any conditions upon her
in relation to those lands. But suppose she
were to withdraw her application to enter
the Union, in what relation should we then
stand to her? That portion of our Govern
ment which is mainly charged with our for
eign relations has acknowledged her to be .
State So far as the admissions of that De-
partment are concerned, our authority would
be gone. We thus must admit new States
formed out Of our territory when the Exec
utive says we shall, or we may run the risk
Of losing them altogether. Now ask, not
from any wish to apply harsh epithets to his
conduct, but merely in spirit Of historical
investigation, Of truthful inquiry, if there
could have been more fragrant system Of
violation Of the Constitution than that under
which this State would be thus brought into
the Union1 Is it not obvious that, owing to
this, they were constrained to adopt an anti
slavery constitution Is it not obvious that,
owing to the neglect of Congress to perform
its duty in relation to that territory, and ow-
ing to the course Of the Executive, that it
was impossible that slavery should not be
excluded, and that the South has not had a
fair chance to enjoy and settle it {? Now
we are called upon to vote for bill which
proposes to include State thus formed, and
thereby to sanction all this usurpation, and
say, as in effect we would by that vote, that
the object of excluding slavery is so high and
holy that it is above all the obligations of
compact, and that its accomplishment justi-
fes encroachmsnts, usurpations, and inva-
the way in which the precedent will read
hereafter So it will stand upon the page
of history and can l be asked to vote to
i let in California under such circumstances
to let her in; whether as part Of this omni-
bus bill, or whether she comes in alone.
cannot; for ! hold it to be my duty, not on
j ly by my speech, but by my vote, as far as
i can, to retuke the acts of interference on
the part of the Government, the effects of
which have been as certainly to exclude the
South from that territory as if the Wilmot
Proviso had been passed in terms by Con-
j gress. And what is the inducement held
out to me to vote to sanction such wrong
We are told that we gain something in the
other parts Of the BILL First, however, we
are told that we cannot help it; and that
may be so. 1t may be that a majority have
the power and the will to bring her in; but
let the wrong, if it be one, ard believe it
is, rest on other shoulders, and not on mine.
Do not ask me to sanction system such as
this. Do not ask me to give countenance
and authority to system Of usurpatlon such
as that to which have been referring.
It cannot be said that the present condi-
tiop IF thinUs in California constrains Con-