The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1850-03-21


use of such prohibition would be idle respects
take pains rea ordinance Of Nature nor % reen
the will OF Col And would put In no Wmot Provise
for the purpose ofa taunt a reproach."
Well sir, would suppose that "the slave interest
must feel itself under eternal obligation to the northern
democracy Tor having brought such country into this
Union, in opposition to the combined forces OF northern
and southern whigery rs shown by the votes on Mr.
BERREs's resolution The northern democracy can
hardly hope for forgiveness for such sin against iree-
dom, and such service TO the slave power.
But Mr. President, am exceedingly gratiiled that the
senator from Massachusetts has discovered that prohi
that il would be as dle' so far as any ef
feet upon slavery concerned, t0 earm ordinance
of nature, or ITO re enact the will OF God" But re-
member we-and the senator reminded us OF it the other
day, lest the important TACT might be fogottenthaa at or
before whig convention, al Springfield, Massachusetts.
in September 1S47 he made speech in favor OF the
Wilmot Proviso az applicable to these very Territories
On that occasion he claimed the Proviso his own n-
yen0n asserted priority OF discovery, by period OF
nine years I'll Others and filed his eaDeaf against
Judgements OF his patent by Mr. Wilmot and all other
the ground that il was "not their thunder" From that
moment the whg party throughout the free States OF the
Union seem to have taken i for granted that the ex-
worthy and distinguished champion had Injured to
them. II was forthwith introduced into successful
operation in all their town meetings and caucuses,
and county and State conventions, wonderful
intellectual machine whereby mems Judgments could
be convinced, political opinions moulded. and cleo
tions controlled to elevate but wings to Office
l. worked like charm and produced the mos! extraor
a and artificial thunder Notwithstanding the patent may
have been violated by the two exsenat0rs oi whom the
senator from Massachusetts, has complained and few
members ofthe House Of Representatives II has wrought
miracles in the political world-rev0luonized whole
Stateschanged the moral intellectual and political ca;
paces Of experienced politicians, and has even created
the wsest and most profound statesmen out OF who
"had not given vote IN forty years.. These are few
Of the ncomprehensble blessings conferred upon this go
rious republic BY the saving grace OF that understandable
invention OF the senator from Massachusetts, called the
Wilmo Proviso But sir, fear that the distinguished
from Massachusetts has shared the fate OF other
great inventors and beneactors who have preceded him.
has usually been the unfortunate lot OF such men to
others enjoying the fruits OF their labor.
The senator has recently made another discovery, how
ever, which, think, is destined to give him quite as
much substantial reputation the Wilmot Proviso al
though may not contain many OF the elements OF pot
ca thunder" He has discovered that the prohibition of
slavery in the Oregon bill, as adopted in the House, on
the motion OF MIR. WINTHROP, and incorporated in the
the territorial bill of ls4s, 'entirey useless
and, in that connexion entirely senseless proviso"
He has also discovered thar 'such prohibition
in territorial bills for California and New Mexico
woud be idle, as il respects any effect would have
upon the territory" that "slavery is excluded from
those Territories by law even superior TO that
which admits and sanctions it in Texas-the law
Of nature, of physical .geography-the law of the
formation of the earth that law settles forever, with
strength beyond all terms of human enactment that
slavery cannot exist in California and New Mexico; !;
" would to reatrm ordinance OF nature" or to
enact the will OF God" Yes sir these things have been
discovered by the distinguished senator within the last
few daysdurng the present session OF Congress-snce
the accession Of the whg party to the power and patron
age OF the federal government They have Suddenly be-
great truths, upon which is deemed entirely safe
for free people to act and rely with perfect security.
Well induced TO think the senator rghtin all this;
indeed, have no doubt upon the subject His positions
sustained by the observation and experience of all
familiar with those countries, by all the information
we possess that could be collected My only regret s
that he did not make this discovery prior the last pres
dental election IL is well that he has made il now but
il would have been better If made and proclaimed then
not that the law of nature-o physical seog.
raphythe law of the formation OF the earh has changed
since the election OF General Taylor TO the
presidency but II has occurred TO that the ordinance
of nature and the will OF God have become much more
potent in mpressing certain great truths upon the minds
Of men than before that important event occurred
The startling fact SO clearly illustrated and demonstra.
ted by the distinguished senator in his late Speech that the
Territories Of California and New Mexico made free
by the law OF nature, distinctly stated and elaborated
by Mr. Buchanan in his Harvest Home letter." and
adopted and incorporated into the Nicholson letter by Gen.
CAss do not recollect OF having heard that the
senator from Massachusetts then agreed with Mr. Bu
chanan and Gen CAss upon this point, or that he united
with the northern democracy in the effort 10 place states
man in the presidential chair who held and openly avowed
the precise sentiments which he ably advocates
in our legislation for the Territories acquired from Mex
ico may have been IN error, and, If would be hap
py be corrected but always supposed that the SEN
ator from Massachusetts joined with the universal whig
party Of the North in decryng and deriding the doc
trine OF nneryenton, borne upon the ordinances oil
nature and the will OF God the worst form OF loco
foco subserviency 10 the slave power, whereby il was
designed TO open the door for the admission o slavery in
10 territory now free. III such not his opinions
thenif the powerful influence of his and intellect
were not exerted to the utmost to Impress this opinion
upon the popular mind, confess that great injustice has
been done him. not only by me, but 'the rest of
kind" II he and the party OF which he is the great
northern leader had then TO the support OF those
elevated noble and patriotic doctrines which now
80 boldly proclaimed and ably vindicated by him, the
question would have been settled at once and forever
quietly peaceably and satisfactorily to all portions OF
the Union But sir, such settlement at that time would
not have suited the purposes Of the whg party They
were in a woful, pitiful minority. Having rendered
themselves odous 10 the people by taking sides with the
public enemy in state OF war, they anxious re.
power This could not be done by open and direct
II required cquivocaton and indrecon The first step
was to select man who had endcared himself 10 the
people by his services IN prosecuting the the
presidential candidate Of the anti.war party. Thus
the slavery agitation TO be kept up and iomencd and
Gen Taylor was to withhold his opniens and maintain
deathlike silence upon il, while his partisans 10
represent him 10 the people in each section Of the Union
as holding opinions in accordance with the prevailing
sentiment in that section. At the North he was repre-
scented being sufficiently orthodox upon free esosm,
10 the Wlmo Proviso while at the South be was repre-
sented being devoedy attached to their peculiar inst
tulions By all the ties of nativity, OF habit association
and interest Thus the friends OF General Taylor sue
ceeded in making the people believe in each section
that his opinions and principles harnonized with their
own
And here | will notice remark OF the senator from
New York, Mr. SEWARD, in his speech delivered few
days he went Of his way 10 ret an opporun
ty oil bearing bis individual testimony 70 the fidelity Of