The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1836-1851, 1850-05-07

the question now stands before us in all its i'm
portance and magnitude.
New States are growing up all around us,
and the majority have declared in advance, that
slavery shall be excluded from them ALL This
tide of opulatiou-indoctrinate as it is with
hostility to the institutions of the South, by
lessons taught, from infancy to old age, in the
nurseries and primary schools, by fulmnations
from the forums of Abolition societies, by reli-
gious teachings from thousand pulpits, and
by the circulation of incendiary papers through
the mails-is pouring into the territories of Min
nesota, Nebraska, Oregon, Dcseret, California.
and New Mexico. Some of these districts are
now asking admission, and all will soon be in
corporatcd into the Union. And as each new
State is added, a reinforcement Of Senators and
Representatives will join the majority, making
the inequality which now exists between the
two sections, still greater, and placing It in the
power of the North to carry on the abolition
scheme, without check or hindrance.
come now to the bill on your table, for the
admission of California into the Union as a
State. This bill is designed to effect another
great step in the progress Of abolition, and if
passed, cuts off the South from the Pacific
ocean for ever 1t is here, without precedent
9T examb lie in the history Of this Government.
Why is thisl Why al this haste to bring this
remote province into the Union as State!
Why is this Government called upon to aban.
don the practice which has prevailed, without
material change, tor nearly seventy years!
1t will be remembered that when the Union
was formed, the United States, in their fedora
tive character, did not own foot of land upon
this continent. The public domain was owned
by individual States, under grants from the Brit
ish crown. In 1850, the Congress passed
resolution recommending to the several States
to cede their unappropriated lands to the United
States. In October of the same year the Con.
gress passed another resolution, in which it
was
Resolred, That the unappropriated lands that
may be ccded or relinquished to the United
States by any particular State, pursuant to the
recommendation of Congress, shall be disposed
of for the common benefit of the United
States.
Agrecably to this recommendation, Virginia,
in March, 1854, ceded to the United States the
territory northwest of the Ohio river. In April
following, resolutions for the government of
this territory were passed, which were superse-
ded by the ordinance of l7S7, which ordinance
continued of force until it was rendered inope-
rative by the admission into the Union of the
States formed out Of the Northwest Territory.
The State of Ohio was admitted in 1902,
having been governed As territory eighteen
years The State of Indiana was admitted in
1916, Illinois in 1918, Michigan in 1897, and
Wisconsin in 1916, having been governed as
territories thirtytwo, thirty -four, fifty three, and
sixty-onc years, respectively These dates re-
fer back to the resolutions Of 1854. At inter-
mediate periods, acts were passed by Congress,
granting them the power to form local legiSla-
tarcs 70: their goyernmcnt-the acts Of such
legislatures to be subject to the approval of
Congress. The States of Alabama and Mis-
sissippi are formed from territory ceded to the
United States by South Carolina and Georgia.
The State of Mississippi was admitted in 1877,
and Alabama in 1919, both having been long
governed as territories. Louisiana was pur-
chased Of France by the treaty of Paris, in
1903, and the State of Louisiana was admitted
in 1912, after nine years Of territorial pupiagc.
| deem it unnecessary to extend this examina-
ton. In what have presented. the practice
of the government, from 1854 until now, will
be clearly seen. In all the cases mentioned,
and in all other cases of the same kind, the
President appointed the governors and jud ges
of each territory, whose salaries were paid out
of the public treasury Of the United States.
Preparatory to the admission Of these terrific.
ries into the Union rs States, Congress passed
laws fixing their boundaries, directing census
of the inhabitants to be taken, authorizing each
to meet in convention to form State consttu.
ton, and prescribing the qualification of voters.
In the ease Of Michigan, this rule was slightly
varied, but which will not stop to consider,
for the reason that the case is not analogous to
that now presented by California.
Sir, why was this practice at first deemed ne.
cessary' Because the jurisdiction and soyer-
cignty, in and over all these territorial districts,
were conveyed to the United States, by the re-
spcctivc deeds of ccssion, and Congress WAS
therefore bound to exercise jurisdiction over
them, that they might be disposed of, for the
COMMON benefit OF the United States, and there
by fulfil the pledge made by Congress in the
resolution Of 10th October, 1850.
BY the treaty Of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the ter
ritories of California and new Mexico were
ccded to the United States; and Congress is
bound, for the same reason, to exercise lurisdic.
ton over them. BY what authority, then, have
the congregation of advcnturers, from all na-