The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-06-21

} may have been the abuse have drawn upon nv
own head; and il the fact is not now apparent,
feel abiding conviction that plain and frank dis
cussion will prove 1t.
4 From the Columbus (Ga.) Times
The Three Plans.
! We engaged, last week, to contrast the three
leading measures, each having their advocates, for
the settlement Of the slavery question, in
ton with the conquered territories. They are the
Wi!mot Proviso, '-the non-acton plan of
the administration; and the adjustment" of the
committee of thirteen. We shall show wherein
they agree, and wherein they differ, and then at
tempt to strike fair balance of their relative ben
efts and disadvantages TO the South.
i LIST. They all agree in substance, if not in form,
in practically excluding the South from the newly
acquired Territories of New Mexico, Utah and
California. The Wilmot Proviso does this by its
express terms; and, SO fur, is the most honest of
the trio.
i Cd. The Presidents plan does this in effect; by
its letalone policy and by the mere lapse Of time.
1t proposes to admit California as she is, with
a Southern boundary south of 36o 3O, and to
leave New Mexico and Deseret without civil ter
rtorial governments, but under their present mill
tary organizations; and to the mercy of the same
causes and events, which, in California, have
worked to the practical and perpetual exclusion of
Southern property. II comes to the same con-
clusion, with the Wilmot Proviso, but by an indi-
rect and less manly course. Its sole advantage,
Gf it be an advantage,) over the "Wilmot, is,
that il will save Gen. Taylor from the alternative
Of having to sign or veto the Wilmot Proviso..
Sd. The Clay compromise, or the plan of the
Committee of thirteen, marches up the some point
of practical exclusion of the South but it does
not stop there 1t admits California she is, in
violation Of the Missouri line, just as the Presi-
dents plan does and while it says nothing about
prohibiting slavery in New Mexico and Desefet /;
that silence in the bills, is accompanied by the de-
claration of Mr.. Clay that this boon to the South,
amounts to nOthing-a mere rattle to pacify grown
up chdren-for slavery is e6sctualIy prohibited BY
the Merican iac Of The territories. So that, the
Clay plan equally with the Presidents, and the
Wimot" shuts out all slavery sinners from the
territories, which the lives and the money of those
same sinners were freely paid to purchase So
J far, they all stand on dead equality Of wrong,
neither doing nor less than the other, but all
meeting on the common ground Of Southern ex-
cusion. So far then there is no choice between
: them. But the Clay plan goes further, and does
: not stop, like the others, at exclusion.
lst. II cuts off of Texas, 100000 square miles
of territory THAT is, four and half degrees south
{, of the Missouri line. This vast slice of territory
is equal in extent to two States of the size of Vr-
gina. So that this famous compromise not only
deprves the South of all her share in the new ter
ritory in dispute between the North and the South
but it actually invades slave State, partitions off
fromsit an immense domain, now belonging to the
, South, and makes a free gift of it to free soil
e Not :. free gift' either, for Mr.. Clay proposes
to put his hands into the Federal Treasury, chiefly
filled by the South, and take from it, l0000, 900
e as douceur to Texas, for consenting to this
, mighty treason to the cause of her Southern sis
: ters Can more monstro,s proposition be made
to people with brains IN their heads? And
how, we ask, can the Washington Union, y
protesting to be Southern and denouncing the
. administration plan as monstrOus--and how
can the Columbus Enquirer, which almost went
: into spasms, because Mr.. Polk signed the Oregon
! l. al
! a region, whose Southern boundary was 400 miles
north of the Missouri line, hold up their heads and
pronounce this compromise Just to the South!
This, then, is one monstrosty of which the
, Wilmot Proviso and the Presidents plan are
! guiltless.
But the Clay compromise goes farther yet. 1t
proposes
4 Cd. To abolish the SLAVE trade in the District of
Columbia We have heretofore shown the danger
Of conserving to this arrangement, in the present
state of the abolition question. The South is act
ing under duress. She is not at liberty to exer-
else liberality in the ameloraton of the African
condition, which she might in state of peace, be
i, disposed to do Twenty years ago, public opinion
! IN Virginia was forming rapidly on emancipation
> views. The abolition crusade stopped the pro-
cess short Assailed the South is, she is forced,
in selfdefence, to tighten the cords, which her
natural impulses, left to themselves would incline
her to loosen All such experiments have become
dangerous and the duty and policy of self-defence
compel her to view with alarm, and meet with re-
sstance, the first step of Congressional interfer-
ence with the subject. 1t is no answer to say,
that the people of the District of Columbia desire
this thing. They are few, the Southern people
millions; the wishes of the handful must yield
to the imperative demands for safety Of the great
est number We may commisserate the anoma-
lous position in which the District Of Columbia
stands, by her peculiar relations to the Federal
Government and the States but we cannot sur
!, render vital principle to change her position.
: 3. The Clay plan has one other feature, right
y in ITSELF but by no means entitled to the dignfed
e appellation of a compromise. 1t is to pass more
stringent acts of Congress to compel the delivery
of fugitives into the free States. Congress ought
to pass such laws, if they worth passing in the
face of the "higher law" and ''conscience'' law
7 party, headed by Seward in the Northern States.
But as the Constitution expressly guarantees this
right of reclamation and delivery, Mr.. Clay cam
not humbug the South with the notion that these
proposed acts have any of the features Of new
concession compromise. In that, "we thank
: you for nothing we have already got what you
offer to give u.s. and we are asked to beverly CRATE
full to the North for condescending to respect
clause Of the Constitution.
Now, if there is anything unfair in this running
analysis Of the three plens, on our conscience we
cannot detect it. Clay's plan does the South all
the harm that the other two do and great deal more
And, just far it differs from the other two,
il differs disadvantage and inuriously to the
: against us. 1t is compromise, all on one side,
e and one, which if accepted by the South, will
e have been extorted from her cowardice and weak
ness; and will make the names Of Southern honor,
e spirit, independence and chivary by-words of
/ reproach and opprobrium throughout the world.
These our views of the three measures; and
we challenge Mr. Richie of the "Union," or Mr..
s Flournoy, of the columbus Enquirer" (from
whom he quotes,) or Mr.. Any-body-else, to COM
n bat the proposition, that the Clay compromise
+ plan is for the South, the worst measure of the
J three.
/ Tia CorroN CRop.--We have conversed with
e several of farmers lately, who inform that
the lice are rapidly completing the destruction OF
n their cotton plants. We know of number who
are blowing up their fields at this late day for the
! purpose of replantng .-Koseiusko (hiss.) Chroni-
! Gle, 3lst uh.
!. CRoPs IN NORTH ALApAMA.-The rice bird has
$ made its appearance in North Alabama and is
y IL 49,