The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-07-22


nounced that Slavery must be established by law
west of the mississippi to the Pacific ocean
below the parallel Of 36 deg 80 min. Of north
Latitude. Those who have been willing to
Iemasculate the Government and declare it impo-
tent to repeat what it he's performed at short
intervals, ever since the passage OF the memoir
able Ordinance whose anniversary you celebrate
now find their theory of non-intervention DEEM
ed hostile by the Shareholder. Mississippi
Senator, who, within eighteen months, announced
! in open session TO member OF the same BODY
with himself from New Hampshire, that this adj
yocate of Freedom would be hanged in Misss-
sippi before he could penetrate ten miles into the
State, is now denounced by the leading presses
and public men of his party ut home as COM
promiser and bctrayer; and an editor who has
prostiuted his press and the organization OF his
party to every degrading sacrifice that Slavery
demanded, is cast out by sixty Southern members
of Congress as no longer tit organ for them
whilst they proceed to establish press of which
the virtues of Slavery shall be the sole theme
and party with which the extension of Slavery
shall be not only the paramount, but the sole
end. The process of emancipating this great
subject from party dominion is about completed:
and those Of us who have been accustomed to
regard the usages Of party as controlling almost
our very consciences, ought not TO regret that
neither of the two old national parties have any
| considerable number of members south of the
Potomac who would be bound, or who do intend
to support for Office any members Of the same
party north Of that river, protesting the faith Of
Freedom. These two national parties being
thus dissolved by the action of the SHAREHOLDERS
there is no danger or Inconvenience, or want
of party faith, in the expression by every man
north or south, Of his views upon the subject Of
Slavery, and in exertions to carry those views
into effect
My impression is, that the struggle upon this
question is to be somewhat more protracted than
is generally supposed. 1t is utterly incapable of
compromise 1t must be settled by the majority
of the People acting in conformity to the Consti-
tuition. Inmy judgment, you do right in making
| the admission Of CALIFORNIA the great and lead
ing object of effort at the present time. There
are comparatively few persons at the north or
south committed against that measure, and we
can combine in its support stronger array than
any other aspect of the eontroyersary would pre-
sent. CALIFORNIA is entitled to come into the
| Union alone, at once, and Internationally. Wig
orous movements of the People in her behalf
will ensure her admission. The other great
measures of Freedom will follow. The Union,
anchored in the affections of the People, will
not even seriously feel this struggle; and dis
tnct effort to resist the laws of the United States
will PROSTATE forever those who engage in it.
| Very truly, your friend,
JOHN VAN BUREN,.
Messrs Root, LOOMS and others, Committee.
Free-soil with Slavery.
Our Northern brethren profess to be very
practical people, regarding things more than
names-measures more than men-and have al
ways ridiculed the devotion Of the Southern peo-
pie to principles; distractions" as they term
them.
Well, the Northern people having set their
hearts on the exclusive possession of all our
new territories-party far the sake of their in
trinsic value, and partly for the political power
and consequent command Of the spoils," which
t would secure them, have pursued this project
with their usual pertinacity and adroitness.
Every engine that could be put in motion,
either in the territory or out of it, has bas been
used. Failing at first, in the attempt to excite
the prejudices of onr own people to a sufficient
degree, those of the Mexican population have
been successfully appealed to; their own condi-
ton, if color was to be made test, represented
and their minds artfully inflamed into hatred and
dread of the slaveholding Southerner. Their
action, therefore, has been precipitated-
shield of their sovereign will interposcd to shut
us out from that wide domain, and the solemn
farccs Of the Conventions of California and New
Mexico paraded as triumphant proofs of the ex-
cusion Of shareholders by the people them
selves-the sovereign squattcrs.
This is the latest development of the practi-
cal purpose Of these land-loving gentry. They
care not by what trump-card they make the odd
trick, their care is to win the game-that game
is the sole possession of the territory to the ex-
clusion Of the South.
The Wilmot, the Executive, the California
Proviso--all these, as we have shown before,
are but means to an end and should any other
means more efficacious be suggested, the others
would Immediately be abandoned,
The squabble among their different advocates
is only in regard to the superior potency of the
various nostrums and Mr. SEWARD does not
rely more confidently on the power of the Will
mot, than Mr.. WEBSTER and Mr. Clay do, the
first ON the operation of the laws of God, the
latter on the Mexican law, forever to exclude
slavery from every foot of soil, now free terri
tory, that is, with only white slaves Peons) on
it. Against this form of slavery, it seems, the
same conscientious scruples cannot weigh-the
odor of fraternity can only arise from a black
skin--much cry can only be made about that
slavery which is "dyed in the wool"
The first clause of the constitution recently
adopted in New Mexico, which is to be kept
Free-soil so carefully, and be guarded so strong
ly against the encroachment of slavery, is spe-
cifc declaration of the confirmation of the sys-
TEN of Peonagc, as the annexed clause will
shew:
ARTICLE /.
DECLARATION OF RIGHTS.
SEC. L. All men being born equally free and
ipdanapdaut and having certain nafurul inhari-