The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-05-04

adjourned until Monday.
The Question OF the Day-The Richmond
Times.
We have carefully examined the sew
eral counts in the indictment which the
Richmond Times brings against us. The
first relates to an article in which we ven
tured to question the policy of involving
the admission Of California with matters
requiring the consent of any State to give
completion and effect to law for that pur-
pose.
Now, we repeat what we have said on
this point. If the Congress of the United
States deem the admission of California
advisable, why should it give any one
State veto upon law admitting her into
the Confederacy! 1t would be novel
proceeding, truly, for Congress to pass a
law admitting California, provided Texas
consented to matter totally irrelevant to
that question. 1t is giving Texas right
to veto an act relating to another State.
We are told, and are happy to believe,
that if the committee of thirteen bring in
bill embracing the admission of Califor-
MIA and the Texas boundary question, that
portion of it pertaining to the admission
will not be made nugatory by the refusal
of Texas to agree to the terms of arrang-
ing her boundaries. If we are not mis-
taken in our information, we shall plead
the action of the committee to this count
of the indictment.
The next accusation amounts to COM
plant of our having reproduced MIR. PRES
TONS speech, and the propositions which
that gentleman presented to the last House
of Representatives in relation to the terrific
ries acquired by the treaty of Guadalupe Hi
dalgo, and which receiued the unanimous
pOte of every Southern delegate, in Commit
tee of the Whole. We plead guilty of
having revived that speech; indeed, we
plead guilty of having imagined that pro-
position of settlement, so recently intro
duced by Southern member of Congress
and sustained by every Southern colleague,
might be brought to the notice of the pub
lie without doing violence to the sensibil-
tiles Of the gentleman who made it or
those who supported it.
The next count consists in a charge
that, in review of the proceedings of the
present session of Congress, we counseled
better organization and understanding
amongst the Wings, and closer sympa-
thy and cooperation between the Wings
of the several branches of government.
This, the Times thinks, would have been
unexceptionable, if it were not for some
thing else which, being found in a suisse
quent article, may be said to constitute
the fourth and last count.
This something else is our having sug-
gested to the representatives of the people
some decent respect for the will of their
constituents. AT time when Congress
is composed of members from both Sec
tons of the Union who have committed
themselves to propositions which will not
bear the test of scrutiny, they should, in
as far as possible, respect the dilemma in
which each finds the other. The compro-
mise of differences should be mutual. No
one side should yield all. We would not
have the South succumb TO Abolitionists,
nor the North Frustrated before Disunion-
lists. The middle men of both sections
should take matters in hand and settle the
controversy upon broad national grounds.
As the Times has republished portion
of the articles upon which it bases its
structures, we shall leave our defence
against its surmises and disparaging de-
auctions to what is written.
Upon the general question we would
add, that as an abstract proposition, Califor-
MIA should not be held accountable for
what Abolitionists of other States may do.
But we do not say that such political ne
cessity may not arise which would Justify
partial and temporary injustice to any
State or Territory. Whether there be
such a necessity subsisting, is question
upon which older heads are now ponder
ing. The peace, the quiet, the harmony,
and the stability of the Union are matters
in comparison with which triAing incon-
venience to any member of the Confede.
racy, or any Territory seeking member
ship, is small matter. Indeed, if Cali
fornia can be made to contribute to the per-
petuity and peace Of Confederacy Of
which she desires to become an integral
part, she has ample consolation for any
seeming, transient injustice to herself, in
! the reflection that in her small wound the