The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-07-11

repeat, who believes that this country has been
brought to alarming crisis by prctracted strug-
gle Of four years for mere abstraction" will tell
him what the opinions entertained by South
ern men are who oppose this slavery restriction.
read from the speech Of Mr.. Seldom, Of Vir-
GINA
We Of the South Mr.. Speaker, are not strug-
Cling against name, nor are we to be deluded
by shadows We are claiming substance and
q reality. We demand fair participation in our
common acquisitions, or at least equal opportunity
Of enjoying them. know some think the nature
of these countries and the necessities OF their
cline and productions must exclude slavery. SO
do not l. In all new countries where labor is
dear, and domestic servants particularly are not
to be obtained If law allows, the conveniences and
desires Of men will, in my opinion, demand slaves
In mining operations they would confessedly be
most valuable, and at this very moment, did the
South enjoy her rights, her whole slave property
would already have felt the appreciation Of a
large demand for emigration to California
"All sensible men know that in relation to
California, the agitation and threat Of the Will
mot Proviso has been very nearly tantamount to
its enforcement for our exclusion. Slaves are in
the nature of capital, which is proverbially timid
and could not be carried in while there was the
impending threat and danger of compulsory
abolition.
"But the discovery of the wonderful mines and
the consequent amazing enhancement of the value
of labor in California, increased daily the likel-
hood that slaves would be needed and introduced
in nprSSeys saiieient 10 aelermAne tne cnolce oS
the people as to their institutions From realizing
this strong probability, we are effectuslly precu
ded by the State Constitution Of California.
Evasion of the just responsibility Of encoun-
tering the perncious free-soil doctrines, has in
volved 10 lie wsconstitutional usurpations plung-
ed it into innunersble embarrasements, and in
hcted ON the South foul wrong And are these
things to be cloaked under the specious PLAUSIBLE
tiles of respect for the people of the Territories
and non-intervention Respect for the rights
of the people 10 thousands of miles of vacant ter
ritory where in fact thereare no people, is to JUS
tify the utter disregard of the rights of the PEG
pie Of half the States of this Union the sole pro-
prietors and sovereigns of the whole! Non
Intervention with the supporters of this Admin
istration was not wont to be advocated or defend
ed. But let that pass. Properly understood, it
could only contemplate that the citizens Of all the
States of the Union should be equally free to en-
ter and settle with their property on the common
territories of the Union-slaveholder and nom
Shareholders to be on precisely the same footing
of equality and right and to be equally protected
by the law and policy of the Government
The following are extracts from the speech and
address of TIE Hon. Mr. Brown, Of Mississippi:
"As could respect the reckless and bold rob-
Der who, unmarked, presents his pistol and de-
inands my money or Hy life, above the petty, bat
expert pickpocket, who looks compaisantly in my
face while he steals my purse-so Can I respect
the dashing and daredevil impudence Of the Will
mot Proviso, which robs the South, and takes the
responsibility, above the little, low, cunning,
slightofhand scheme, which robs just as effect
ually, and leaves US wondering how the trick
was performed
my own opinion is this that we should resist
the introduction of California as a State and re-
sist Il SUCCESSFULLY resist it by our votes first, and
lastly by other means We can, at least, force an
qdlounmen wuhom her admission This being
DONE we are safe. The Southern States in Con- |
vention at Nashville, will devise means for vind-
eating their rights. | do not know what these
means mill be, but know what they MAY be, and |
with propriety and safety. They may be to car
~ slaves into all of southern California, as the |
property of sovereign States, and there hold |
hem, as we have right to do; and, if molested,
defend them, as is both our right and duty.
ave ask you to give US our rights by NON.
if you refuse | am for taking
hem by ARMED OCCUPATION
The following remarks were made by the Hon
Mr. Clingman, of North Carolina:
III may remark further, that b,a for The anti
SLAVERY agitation, shareholders would haUe carried
heir negroes iao the mines of California in such |
numbers, that hare no DON'T bm that the majority
here wonld have made Il a Sldpeholding SQte. We |
hare bean deprived Of all chance Of this by The North
I'm movements and by The action of this House, whch
has By Northern uotes repeatedly, from time TO time,
passed the Wlmot Prouiso, IN effect to exclude
our ,"sti'.'ssN TahAa iAs Hs'u0l passage Of lao
fortha purpose"
! mig ht 70 on, Mr. Chairman, with extracts
like these to an indefinite extent, but will only
add a single one from a speech delivered in the
Senate by the Hon. Mr.. Mason, of Virginia
"Sir, the point of division between the States
where slavery exists, and the States where sla-
very does not exist, is this We claim, under the
Constitution, right in law, for all or any Of our
citizens to 20 into any territory belonging to the
United States, with all or any Of their prop
erty, and 10 reside there, and to enjoy it as
their property, without moestation or hindrance,
under the protection Of the Constitution, so long
as it remains Territory. We hold that Ter
ritory is, in the terms OF the Constitution, the
property of all the United States and 80 long
as the Southern States, where slavery exists, are
constituents of these United States, they have
the right to 20 into that Territory, to reside
there with their property, and to enjoy it under
the protection of the Constitution. That is the
right, clearly, and | hope distinctly defined
upon the part of the South, so far as ! under
stand it.