The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-07-04
IMPORTANT FROM NEW MEXICO.

We find the following important telegraphic
despatch from ST. Louis in the newspapers dated
Santa Fe:
"A convention OF ueregstes has,been called and
held. which formed and promulg ited Constitu-
ton FOR; the government, Of fne Staieof NJ" Neg
leo The convention assembled at Santa Fe on the
5th of May and the session lasted eight or nine
days in which time the Constitution was formed,
which will go into operation about July. The
boundaries of the State are defined and slavery
prohibited In fifteen days from the time the
| Constitution adopted, an election is to take
| place for members of the Legislature Two Sen
ators and Representative in Congress will soon
| be elected, and efforts made to take their seats
| Mr.. St Vrain, Judge Otero, and Henry Connolly,
are among the most prominent candidates for Gov
ernor, and Captain A. w. Reynolds and Major
| r. H. Weightman for Senators Ii is supposed
! that Hugh n Smith the present delegate in Con-
gress will be elected to the House of Representa-
tivesn
This announcement has created some sensation
in Washington especially among the advocates of
compromise. They denounce the action of the
people of New Mexico as insulting, and can find
no epithets severe enough to apply TO the conduct
of the Administration, on which they charge the
responsibility of the movements in that country.
The Senate has adopted n resolution calling on
the President to say whether he has advised the
people of New Mexico to form State Govern
ment, and whether the call issued by Col Monroe
has been issued with his sanction
| Mr.. Foote last Thursday denounced, in a strain
of fierce Indignation, the policy Of the Executive,
and stated that Messrs Clay, Webster, and Cass,
had announced their purpose to vote against the
admission of New Mexico as a State, if she came
with a State Constitution in her hand. Those
gentlemen heard this statement, and by their
silence assented to its correctness How, under
all the circumstances, they could justify them
selves in such q course, We are unable to under
stand They are oil advocates Of the admission
of California, but New Mexico has simply fol-
lowed her example. She has done precisely what
California did, and for the Same reasons. New
Mexico was entitled to protection, to the benefits
of law and political order. She was left without
government without protection. On one side the
Indians devastated her borders; on the other,
Texas threatened to absorb her territory. Con-
gress failed to provide for her necessities the
people there organized Territorial Government,
and humbly asked that their delegate might be
recognised The request was refused seven
months of the present session of Congress have
gone by, and there is no more prospect now of the
organization of Territorial Government for
New Mexico than there was one year ago. Why
in view of these facts should we feel surprised at
the late movement for State Government IL
LAT air frnr
anarchy and ruin. Like the people of California,
they saw that conflict of sentiment between
Shareholders and non-slaveholders in Congress
prevented any agreement upon form of Terrific
rial Government, and they concluded that in
such an emergency it was the part of wisdom for
them to settle the question of slavery for them
selves They have done so in California and
New Mexico the people, acting for themselves,
have organized the forms of State Constitutions,
by which slavery is prohibited, and they now ask
admission into the Union. Every argument that
has been brought forward to sustain the applica-
ton of California, sustains with equal weight that
of New Mexico and to be consistent, they who
advocate the admission of the former must advo-
cate the admission Of the latter
Some predict bloody collision between Texas
and New Mexico they say that Texas will never
consent to be ousted from her claims in that
country that she will enforce them at the point
of the bayonet We have no fear of this. Let
New Mexico stand firm let the Federal Exccu-
tive do its duty let Congress act promptly; and
the fre-eaters of Texas will soon learn that they
must submit their pretensions to the competent
authority Other States, in questions of disputed
boundary, have appeared in the Supreme Court,
where their respective claims have been investi-
should be an exception-that she should presume
to Judge and decide absolutely in her own case, at
the risk of war with o sister State, and against
the Union7 God knows that she has cost this
country quite enough already The Territorial
controversy now agitating the nation, epgender-
ing bitter feelings between the two sections, and
preventing attention to the ordinary business Of
legislation, is the offspring of its annexation, and
modesty and patriotism, If she have any Of those
commodities, should restrain her from doing any
thing to aggravate its difficulties, and prevent its
adjustment New Mexico, in organizing the form
of State Constitution, has left the question Of
boundary undecided The way is then open for
safe and satisfactory settlement. The integrity
Of the Supreme Court is undoubted From its
constitution il is peculiarly exempt from the pre-
judice and passion growing out of party conflicts
and merely local interests. The majority of the
members are composed of citizens of slave States,
so that If we may suppose any bias to exist in the
least IL is on the side of slaveholding interests
II Texas believe her claims valid, she can there
fore, have not the slightest objection to submit
ting them TO such a tribunal tribunal whose
constitutional right and duty 1t is to try and de-
eide such cases Nothing but distrust OF her
title, or desire among her politicians to extort
from this Government ten millions Of dollars in
payment of a fraudulent claim, can make her re-
ject such an adjudication
IL is impossible to mistake the bearings Of this
important movement in New Mexico on the pro-
gress Of the Compromise bill. The Northern
doughfaces, through the cunning maneuvrss Of
General Houston and Major Neighbours had
been supplied with most plausible argument in
palllstiaD, II not Justification Of their mediatsd