The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-06-18

u
suppose the existence of rights to the South, ar
always to be reprobaed; but free-soil, the mos
inveterate abstraction ever conceived of, is per
fecdy legitimate. Sir, had always supposed al
abstraction to mean the assertion of a principle
without the necessary power TO enforce 1t. III tn
amendment had been adopted, it would have EN-
gagged the good faith Of the Government to hav
complied with its spirit and its meaning. II
says that it is too late to apply the Missouri Com
promise line, for this would dismember California
that such "a measure would defeat the admission
| OF California, because it would unstate her. Ha
he forgotten the universal practice Of the Govern
ment to fix and alter boundaries on application o
States for admission Has he forgotten that Cali
fornia herself, in her application for admission
placed herself, at the discretion of Congress In TIM
matter? He says that the Constitution unan
imously adopted, although there was some oppo
sition by those residing in South Carolina,
| Mr.. ASIIE. Will my colleague give way'
| Mr.. VENABLE. Certainly.
Mr.. AsHE here read a statement of DR.. Gwyn
one Of the Senator'S elect Of California, in which
he said, that in the convention the members who
represented that portion Of California which wai
south of $50 30, preferred territorial to State
| government
Mr.. VENABLE. | again refer to the astound
| ing fact of how nice gentlemen are in their per-
ceptions as to foregone conclusions and questions
settled against the South, and how deaf they are
to the voice of and of justice If the same
| or similar reasons sustain our claims.
The Missouri compromise considered by
Mr.. CLAY as adjusting, once and forever, the line
Of settlement TO territory between the Northern
and Southern sections Of this Union. refer to a
speech delivered in 1887. Sir, gentleman nom
illinois, [Mr. BAKER, when speaking of the pos
sibility Of disunion from the action Of Congress
asked, with u sneer, where would those who with
drew from the Union go? / will tell him that
they win go nowhere, but stand by their fresides,
| their affairs and their homes. They will not go
where the gentleman came from-they are native
born citizens of the South, who mean to occupy
the land which belongs to them, and take care OF
their own honor They will never ask of those
who would usurp the inheritance, or brand them
with inequality, for home or a refuge. In the
language of gentleman from Georgia in the early
part of this session, they would rather see tins
lovely land another Hungary, overwhelmed afler
honorable and gallant resistance, trodden down by
the heel of power after gallant struggle, than to
be first cheated, then subjugated and dishonored.
Sir, we have been charged with making threats-l
make none unless honestly declaring the conse-
quences of an unjust policy be threat. We have
power to receive reject California to alter her
boundaries, or to remand her to territorial con-
dition-to make conditions of admission, and, as
we did with other States, wait until these condi-
tons are complied with The gentleman from
Pennsylvania, Mr.. TnoMpsoN,] cannot have for.
gotten that he voted last session for the alteration
| of the boundaries of Wisconsin.
He withdrew the Amendment.
| Mr.. BAKER renewed the amendment. ! am
much more obliged, said he, to the gentleman fol
the courtesy which enables me to renew the
amendment, than for the remarks of the gentleman
which were personal to myself. And little as
| am i'm the habit of regarding these personalities
which do more to deract from, than they do to
elevate the course of proceedings of this body,
may be allowed to say one or two things in
answer to what suppose the honorable gentle
man intended fling at me, personally. 1t is
my fortune, or misfortune, as he says, to have
been born in another country but, sir, if eXpe.
| rence has enabled me TO determine anything, il
has taught me to know the value Of this Union
and l do not wish that it shall be broken up
And while the honorable gentleman says that HI
and his friends do not threaten, beg leavero say
| to him that they do threaten, and have threatened
from beginning to end (; and threatened, too, will
the worst sort of temper, INDUCING in all sorts
miserable personalities, that are unworthy to bt
permitted in debate here, or anywhere else. Sc
far the gentleman personalities towards me
are concerned-so far as the fling that he has
thought proper to indulge in against me is con.
cerned, have only to say that do not feel it to
be any disgrace to be born in Il foreign country
nor do conceive that it renders me less worthy to
| occupy the position that do. l esteem it to b.
more to the praise, and honor, and credit Of tn,
people whom represent, to say of them, that they
at least have discarded prejudices that are unwor
| thy of them, as they ought to have been unworthy
of the gentleman from North Carolina. But tel
the gentleman another thAg, if he means to init
mate that it is great disgrace to have been borr
| in a foreign country; tell him in return that
imagine the disgrace to be infinitely greater wher
| u man desires to make one portion Of his country
| foreign to another portion. .
Though born in foreign land, have, at least
done something to show my devotion to this, the
country of my adoption; in which is the grave OF
my father the birthplace of my wife, the birth.
place and the place Of burial of my children. l.
at least, am not conscious that ever entertained
a foreign wish, that have ever attempted tc
| ALLEVIATE and divide those whom God has intended
should remain together forever; and dsown any
other intention than to reply to the gentleman ii
the spirit and temper in which he has referred tc
me.
An honorable gentleman before me, asks mt
from what authority speak Of Gods intention
The remark itself is irreverent. He says h,
wants to see the evidence. There is record
which, perhaps it would be well for the gentle
man, and for all of us, to read with more attention
But, my purpose was merely to say that do not
regard the threats OF gentlemen about dissolu-
ton of the Union as seriously deserving reply.
repeat what have said on a former occasion,
gentlemen will find that their constituents are not
in earnest, if they are themselves, about dissolu-
ton; they do not represent one single fact truly,
it occurs in history. They do not vindicate
it's truth. / do not believe that Mr.. CLAY ever
said that the Missouri line, at the time it was
adopted, had reference to territories not then be-
longing to the United States. No gentleman viii
dare to say that such was Mr.. CLAY's assertion
and it would certainly not contribute much to tn,
high esteem in which his sense and Judgment i.
held if he had said So
Another word, in reply to the gentleman, and i
is in relation to material point in this discussion
| we understand the Missouri compromise fine tc
apply to all the Territories be extended to the
Pacific. Mr.. Clay never said so; to attribute tc
him such language is preposterous; he never
could have intended to say so. 1t is thrown in as
a male-weght; it is brought in to support that
which is not reasonable in itself.
He withdrew the amendment.
Mr.. MEADE renewed the amendment for the
purpose of stating that he was inclined to accept
the apology, if offered in honesty and sincerity,
of those who stated that they had not voted foi
the amendment, because they did not wish to place
their votes on the record in favor of a mere alb
straction. But how is it that they are not now
disposed to record their votes in favor of an alb
straction' Have not Northern gentlemen, during
the last five years, on every question touching
slavery, introduced here by the utras Of the