Daily Richmond times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1849-1850, 1850-04-02

y
Estate of great wealth and power. One short year,
shad given herr commercial importance but littles
sinferior to that of the most powerful of the odf
Estates. She had passed her minority at singleE
sbound, and might Justly be regarded IS fully ent-I
atled to take her place as equal among her Sis
sters of the Union.
When, therefore, the reality became known tol
Athe people of that Territory that the Government
had done nothing to relieve them from the evils andi
'zsembarrassmens under which they were suffering, /
s.and seeing no probability of any change on thel
#subject which divided Congress, they adoped,I
with most unexampled unanimity and prompttude,I
zsthe only course which lay open to them-the i'm
Immediate formation of State government.
"a They were induced to take this step not only fort
the reason that it promised the most speedy rene
3dy for present difficulties, but because the great
Szand rapidly growing interests of the Territory de-
manded it, and all rejecting men saw, at glance
#hat it ought not to be any longer and could not
Nunder any circumstances, be much longer post-E
s2poned
n They not only considered themselves best quail
lifted, but that they had the right to decide, as far)
Sas they were concerned the embarrassing ques-s
Ation which was shaking the Union to its centre,I
Wand had thus far deprived them of regularly Or!
Sganized civil government They believed that, in|
Morning constitution, they had right to esab-
ish or prohibit slavery, and that in their action as
a State, they would be sustained by the North andI
E|aathe South.
3 They were not unmindful of the fact that, whie|
|HNorthern statesmen had contended that Congress-
|ahas power to prohibit slavery in the Territories
&they had always admitted that the States Of the
3Union had the right to abolish or establish it att
#peasure.
"a On the other hand, Southern statesmen had almost
unanmousy commended that Congress has not the con
Institutional power to prohibit slavery in the Territories
#because they have not the power to establish it, but that
sHthe people, in forming government for themselves,
shave the right to do either 1t Congress rghtully
asdo one, they can certainly do the other.
M This is the doctrine put forth by Mr. Calhoun in his
celebraed resolutions Of S47 introduced into the Sc
nate of the United States, among which is the follow
ling:
Hpotica creed, that people, in forming constitution,
#have the unconditional right to form and adopt the go
Mvernment which they may think best calculated TO Sc
cure their liberty prosperity and happiness and in con-
ormity thereto other condition is imposed by the Fe
dera Constitution, in order to be admitted into this I'm
ZION, except that its constitution shall be republican,; and
3that the imposition OF any other by Congress would mott
confict with the principle on which our political sys
#tem rests
President Polk, in his annualmessage, dated Deem
4 ber 5, 194S, uses the following language:
"The question is believed to be rather abstract thant
practcal, whether slavery would exist inE
any portion of the acquired territory if left
From the nature OF the climate and productions, inE
much the larger portion OF it, it is certain that it neverf
eoud exist and in the remainder the probabilities it'll
&would not.
"But however thisnay be- the question involving as i'll
does principle OF equality OF rights of the separate and
severa States as equal coparners in the conederacy
#should not be disregarded.
n Gin organizing governments over these Terrtoresl
4no duty imposed on Congress by the constitution re-
qures that they should egae on the subject of slave
ry while their powerto do sois nW only seriously CUES
&oned but denied by many the soundest expounders
Hot that instrument
whether Congress shall egislate or not the peo-
&pe OF the acquired Territories when assembled in con
venton to form Stale constitutions will possess the sole
= and exclusive power to determine for themselves
whether slavery shall Or shall not exist within their lin
ats.
The people OF California therefore acting in conform
&ty with the views thus expressed and what seemed
be the generally admitted opinion in the States had
every to suppose, and did suppose that by form
8ng constitution tor themselves, and deciding thss
3queston in accordace with their views and in
4erests they would be received with open by all
HpartieS
i In taking this step they proceeded with all the
Regularity which has ever characterized the American
people in discharging the great and important duties
Not set-government.
AS already stated arrived at San Francisco on the
morning ofthe 18th of June
The steamer in which was passenger did not stopf
lat Monterey; therefore did not Gen. Riley nor
had any communication with him until about the mid
die OF the month, when he came to San Francisco All
3Convenon to form State constitution, dated the thir
lot June, was received.
The people acted in compliance with what they be- 1
4leved to be the views of Congress- and commemorative
to the recommendations of the proclamation; and pro-
ceeded, on the day appointed, to elect members to al
convention tor the purpose of forming constitution tss
be regularly submitted to tho people for their ratification
rejection and it approved, to be presented Con-
gress with prayer tor the admission OF California as
a State, into the Union.
desire here to make brief and emphatic reply toH
and insinuations which have been made respecting the
movements OF the people OF California in forming their
- State Government.
had secret Instructions verbal or written from
the President or any else, what to say the people
5o California on the subject OF slavery it
limited or ntimaed to me that was expected to at
tempt to INFLUENCE their action in the slightest degree on
that subject That never did the people OF California;
will bear Witness In that Territory there none
OF the machinery OF party or OF the press and it ISL
even more absurd to suppose secret Influences
for against slavery, could have been used there than
III would be to believe that they could be successfully
8employed in Maryland or Georgia
therefore declare all assertions and insnuatons that
was secretly instructed to, or that / did in any way
attempt to influence the people of California to excude
slavery from their territory to be without foundation.
The election OF delegates to the convention proceed
led regularly in pursuance OF the proposed mode of hold
ing it, and as far as am informed no questions wereS
sasked whether candidate Wing or a Democrat h
or whether he was from the North or the South TheE
only object seemed to be- to find competent men who
were willing to make the sacrifice of time which pro-
per discharge Of Their duties would require a
As soon after my arrival at San Francisco as the ar
arrangements OF General Smith would permit proceed
ed with him to the interior Of the country for the pur
purpose of examining the gold region and other nte
8resting and important portions of it. did not reurne
until the 10th OF August. The elections had taken
pace when was in the mountains. was taken ill onE
4the Goth OF that month"; and confined to my bed andE
= my room more than two months. The convention met
on the lst of September. Sol will be seen that wasE
anot present where any election was held had anvil
taS
and my illness is sufficient proof that did not andE
5couldnot had been disposed, exercise any influence
Hin the Convention, which sitting hundred andE
7thirty miles from where was
Some intlmations assertions, l am informed T.
zhave been thrown out that the South iairyE
Represented in the Convention. told by two OF the
members of Congress elect from California who were
members of the Convention that of the hirtyseven
adeegates designated in General RileYs proclamation