The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-08-19

ton Of The Civil and Diplomatic Appropriation
bill and adjourned at two O'Clock
The South and the Territorial Question.
What ought the South to dot Ought she a.
acquiesce 10 the measures which have passed
the senate, and are now before The House 81
Representatives. in the event of their adoption
by the latter; or will she, ia that &eA. b,
called upon, by her honor and her dearest 10
teres,s 10 dissolve the llnionl These are The
only alternatives before her. Between acqui-
eacencc and disuniOn, immediate or ultimate
there il no middle ground which the South can
assume without. in the end fprieiiing her own
self respect, and placing herself in most awk
ward position. This truth the peopie the South
should not, for moment. lose sight Of They
are IN danger Of losing sight of II, however.
They ARE in imminent danger Of being led Oh
step by step, 10 point from which they will
be told, and many Of them will feel, they can
not reccdc with honor, and beyond which, il
they 20 single step, they may plunge the whole
country into an abyss OF woes lnnumcrabe and
unspeakable.
We know il il denied that the adoption Of
the line Of 3G deg 30 min, extending TO the Pa
ciic ocean, was presented 10 Congress by the
Nashville convention AZ an utiDlalum.
We are aware that the convention Of Gcor
gia, when it shall assemble, will not be cam
niittcd 10 accession.
But both these bodies, it is presumed, will
meet to do something. They will not march
up the hill simply for the purpose Of marching
down again. The "extrcne concession" Of the
former will not have been accepted by Con
gross, and the contingency upon which the lat
ter was to be- called together will have hap
pened. The Missouri Compromise will have
been rejected California, with the limits pre-
scrbcd IN her constitution, will have been ad
United into the Union az State and no pro
vision viii have been made by Congress which
will enable the people Of the South to exercise
the right asserted aud claimed by them of re-
moving with their property Of every description
into the Territories acquired from Mexico.
Practically, siarery wiH hare been erclnied from
mr. ,chole IF these 1orilmie1
. What, then, will these conventions do
What is il expected and intended that they
shall do2 Nothng2 No. But something.
Make declaration of their grievances, publish
manifesto Of their violated rights, and then
adjmrW Why, they demonstrated IN language
almost amounting TO menace before the acts
complained of were consummated. VIII they
meet in the imposing form Of conventions,
whether of one or Of several States, simply TO
denouncc, in language however strong and in
dignnnt, those acts after they shall have
been consummatedl Surely not. VIII they re
commend immediate secessi0nl "N0, say the
advocates of these movements, with rare ex
ceptous 1--WE have no such purpose in view. -
What, then. do you propose 10 do :" Break
or all commercial intercourse with the North.
aud lay n tax on all the products imported from
thence" suggests a leading Democratic paper
IN Georgia. And what would that be- but the
frst step towards dsunion2
let moi the people Of the South be- deceived.
Those who advise resort 10 these measures.
DO ~, expecting knowing. and intending That
diunon will b. The inevitable consequence Of
their adoption IN any event. they would IN
qncslonably prove AS injurious 10 the South as
Ia the North, Il not more 80. Their adoption,
moreover, would not open the Territories 10 the
introduction of slaves; u would not divide the
State Of California by the line Of Sc deg. 81
min; nor would il, in any manner, vindicatc
the rights claimed by the South in respect "a
those Territories.
Nothing, in fact, that the South can do-no.
thing. in our opinion. which il is in the power
Of Congress 10 do. were that body 10 acccdc "a
al the demands Of the South. could ever make
a slaveholdng State ont Of any portion Of the
territory acquired from Mexico
We have said that, practically, slavery
will have been excluded from these Terrific
RIGS" but how. and by whom, will this OK
clusion have been effected Not by Congress,
certainly Were the application Of California
Tor admission into the Union 10 be- now refused
aud she rcmanded 10 n territorial condition, Il
Is absolutely certain that she would never be-.
come q slave holding Stnto-nevor.
Were she severed by the line Of rs degrees
30 minutes the inevitable effect would be Ia
make out Of her territory t,ro non saveholding
States instead Of onci
Il will moi be- pretended that hitherto the
citizens Of the South have been prevented. by
any net IF Congress, from removing with their
slaves Ia California. Why. then. have thoy
not done sol Not from any apprehension that
the Wilmot proyiso ,oouh be enacted by Con
grcss because the whole South has known per
fccily we'll that that measure could by no pos
sibllity pass the Senate. They did not take
their slaves 10 California before the discovery
Of the gold mines because there was no ade
quato iuduccment for them to do 50. Since the
discovery they have been prevented:
I BY the expense Of removing them ththcr
2. by the extreme probability. if not Ger
tainty. that, from the rapid and immense immi
grafton into California Of free aborcrs from the
non slavehodng States, she would at an carly
day apply Tor admission into the Union. with a
constitution prohibiting slavery
Il L a..