Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1850-05-30
California, New Mexico and the
Slave Question.

Slave Question.
Strong as have been the prejudices Of Nor
thern anti-slavery men against President Taylor
aud the Cabinet and assiduously nurseG though
these prejudices may be by the organs of the
coalition JUS ice will yet he done 10 The conser-
vatiye and patriotc position OF the President
and his Cabinet. The Presidents views have
been given in his message; the Secretary OF
State, Mr.. Clayton the Attorney General, Mr..
Johnson) and the Post Master General, Judge
Collamer.) all frankly expressed their opinions
on the Slavery question, As meubc:s of the last
Congress; and all Of them took ground decided
" adverse to the extension OF Slavery Mr..
Ewing, the Secretary Of the Interior, Is decided
ly an.i-slavery. We have row to add the testI-
mony OF another member of the Cabinet-a
Southern man, tol-a Nlrginian. The Secretl-
ry OF War Mr. Crawford the only member
Of The Cabinet whose opinions have not been
declared. Certainly the Wings Of Vermont
have no cause as yet to regret the part they
took in Isis ia the establishment Of the present
administration The Hon. Wn.. b. Preston,
Secretary Of tic Navy, loo6 practical and fore
st.olo,,,+, ,.,, ot tho nresoui Territorial ones
ton in speech delivered 10 the last Congress.
In view Of tie cmbarrassmenis likely 10 grow
out Of the acquisitions OF Territory Mr. Preston
Introduced bill aothorising the citizens ofCal-
lfornIa to Go Just WI I they hive done Arm a
State Government. lie enforced his views by
such reasoning as this:
.,........,,.. .,;l NJ Pr
Az o-''7 ' ~
t'"' u''"e .''.,' -. ,-.t H..
tDt n AZ, jill " iiI atIi uuatc iiisies
the pe opc OF Calilorna. aud all fds them tie
iacllili.s Tor the creation OF government iOun-
del upon t4,if own viii. Il reaounces the ex-
crci-e II sour Territorial Authority and ,ur.sdlc-
ton Il recognises ;he great lrlucipe Of poDu-
lar $ p .eInac, and p0pa ar government Sin IN
that il but ac- d Nv .es The truth WI e. is seen
and ralt M III IS .nuIucnt all over the earth tie
treat truth That ponu.ar constitutional govern
.n,.nt Is The Greats lt-sustal,ng ac.4la,. Of tbs
aee-Doss s-l.tr within itself aD the .,i,tue. all
ne STRENGTH. all tie wisdom necessary for ,s+
creation. is preservation. as p-rpetuauon.
-. am a Y ir,riplan. and come here rsorosrnt-
ipc, 4 comm ms ultimately copnectc and deem
IL interested in the 'pecular nsttuiors' of me
So.fa: but flf, N what DO they rest, Shall I
keca tins tcrr.toria question mere. that. under
the cx rci.e OF this arbitrary and ;yranncal DOW
er-,his power OF making goyc.nmenis he e ios
rcople abroad nav carry my institutions
there? Whv. if there Is any thnr Great ana
yeu.r be ii. the past and IN tue rccoliectioas nt
Niroiniqns. II : mat a tore.rn government. NOT
furiar tr,-o ys ON that shore ilsn orr t,e,ds m
Caulornla ar. on the other. could not and ouuhl
not unon ey.ry nr,uc,,Ie 1Dou which onr On
r
and direct our LEGISLATION.
THE great merit of the bill which | present
is. that IL IS bill under which neither parlv Is
II iorlous and neither party overcome Il ~ M
compromise al aY and therefore it recommends
itself to NE above any other proposition that has
as vet been suggested. In all other suggestions
or D opositions winch have been Offered for dis
pos ing OF It, there Is question OF compromise.
and Tie goodness or badness Of the batgaIu, The
extent If the demand YOU make on the one side
the spirit with which you sand up 10 1t, and tine
coursre or sagacjtv with which YOU main'ain #.
are all questions to be weia he'd. considered. and
decided. How is il In this oil? Here are Il
people numbering two hundred thousand asking
Won 10 surrender the tfust, to give them The
rlohts ~uaranied to them, and for winch this ac-
GulsItiOu OF tern ory was ma ie; and ! ask YOU
does the point of honor forbid you giving 1t W
TO them
=. do not ask nv friends of the Moth to sur
render any thing 10 US. do not as Southern
man surrender apv thing to them The splrit
If ren,b icanisn. The splrlt OF popular sunrema-
cy cones at this fourth watch of the night
90 this tunultuous and tempesr,ous ocean
w,lxing mon the waters. and saying. in the Ian
nuage Of old. BE OF good cheer: It is |, be not
afr,5d, II /. but the spirit of the Revontion-l
!, is but the spirit OF our institutions that calls
- b,lI noi resist H. If there, Is dis
honor in not resisting ii, submit to the lmpeach
ment If there Is principle IN SUBMISSION TO II,
calm lor ~ "ien 'ii1 Dii. 1o'',t' ~,
o an ,,, I,,, to tbst before which
our fathers of old made tyrants and governments