The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1850-03-27

1T r
wish Il 20 be understood. that ] do mo-
propose TO address The Senate often On
this subject. desire TO pour out all my
heart in as plain manner rs possible
and say. again. that il q proposition
were now here for Z Government Tor
New Mexico, and il was moved TO insert
a provision for prohibition Of slavery,
| would not vote for il.
Now, Mr.. President, | have establish
ed. SO far as | proposed 10 60 into any
line OF observation 10 establish. the pro-
position with which l set out, and upon
which | propose to stand or fall and that
is, that the whole territory Of the States
in the United States, or 10 the newly &C
qulred territory OF the United States, has
a fixed and settled character, now fixed
and seiiled by law, which cannot be re-
lpealed 10 the case Of Texas without a
violation oi public faith, and canno. be
repealed by any human power in regard
10 California or New Mexico; that, un-
der one or the other Of these laws, every
foot Of territory in the States or in the Ter
rilories has now received fixed aud de-
cided character.
i Sir, il we were now making Govern
ment for New Mexico, and any body
should propose Wilmoi proviso. | should
treat il exactly as MIR. Polk treated that
provision for excluding slavery from
Oregon. Mr.. Polk was known TO be in
opinion decidedly averse to the WiImoi
proviso; but he Eel, the necessity Of es.
tabIishing Government for The Terrific.
ry Of Oregon. and, though the proyisc
was there, he knew il would be entirely
nugatory, since il took away no right. ne
describable, no estimable, no weighable
or tangible right Of the South. he said hf
would sign the bill for the sake Of enact.
ing law 10 form Government in that
Territory, and let that entirely useless
and in that connexion entirely senseIess
proyiso remain. For myself. will say
that we hear much Of the annexation o
Canada and " there be any man, any
Of The Northern Democracy, or any one
Of the Free Soil party. who supposes il
necessary 10 insert Wilmoi provlso in
! a Territorial Government for New Mex.
leo, that man will Of course be Of opinion
that it is necessary to protect the ever,
lasting SHOWS Of Canada from the foot o.
slavery by the same oyerpowering wing
Of an &C, Of Congress. Sir, wherever
there is a particular good to be done
wherever there is foot OF land to be
staid back from becoming slave territory
am ready to assert the principle OF the
exclusion Of slavery. | am pledged to il
from the year 1887 !; | have been pledg-
ed to il again and again; and l viii per-
form those pledges; but will not do q
thing unnecessary, that wounds the feel
ings Of others, or that does disgrace to
my own understanding.
Mr.. President, in the excited times in
which we live, there is found to exist a
state Of elimination and recrimination be-
tween the North and South. There are
lists dgrievances produced by each; and
these grievances, real or supposed, all
enate the minds Of one portion of the
country from the other, exasperate The
feelings. subdued the sense Of fraternal
connexion and patriotic love and mutual
regard. | shall bestow little attention,
sir, upon these various grievances pro-
duced on the one side and on the other.
/ begin with the complaints Of the South.
/ will not answer, further than have,
the general statements of the honorable
Senator from South Carolina, that the
North has grown upon the South in con-
sequence Of the manner of administer
ing this Government, in the collecting of
its revenues and so.forlh. They are dis
puted topics, and | have no inclination
TO enter into them. But l will state
these complaints, especially one COM
plaint of the South, which has in my
opinion just foundation and that is, that
there has been found at the North, a
mong individuals and among the legisla-
tors Of the North, dlslnclination to per-
form fully their constitutional duties in
regard to the return Of persons bound to
service who have escaped into the free
States. In that respect, il is my judgment
that the South is right and the North is
wrong. Everymember ofevery Northern
Legislature is bound by oath to support
the constitution of the United States; and
this article ofthe constitution, which says
to these States they shall deliver up fu-
gltives from service, is as binding IN hon.
or and conscience as any other article.
No man fuIfls his duty in any Legisla-
ture who sets himself to find excusss,e-
vasions, escapes from this constitutional
duty. have always thought that the
addressed itselfto the Legls-
latures of the States themselves, or to the
States themselves. II is said that those
persons escaping into other States shall
be delivered up, and confess have al
ways been Of the opinion that il was an
injunction upon the States themselves.
When it is said that person escaping
into another State, and becoming there
fore within the jurisdiction of the State,
shall be delivered up, It seems to me