Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1850-03-09

and not before, laws are passed TO protect it.
| The Shareholders ask for no act OF Congress
authorizing them to carry their property into
the territories. All they ask is that no Prohib-
tuy laiC shall he passed, and then they will
carry their slaves where they please, and
keep them 10y their own strong hand without
Inv, till in their territorial legislatures they
shall pass such laws OH the subject as they
shall find needlul. Not word ~ Mr.. Clays
compromise contraN enes this legal theory,
or prevents its reduction to practice. Slave
ry did once exist by law in these territories
why does it not now? MIR. Clay answers
the question by telling us that Mexican law
abolished il. Now he perfectly well knows
that the Mexican law not only abolished but
prohibited slavery. II that law was repealed
| by the conquest, then the old law was roviv-
ed and slavery does now exist By lac. 1.-THE
law was not repealed by the conquest, then
the law is still in force, aud slavery is no'o pro-
hibiied bu lac. Why, then, does not MIR. Clay
fhirly and honestly declare that slavery Is
now prohibited by law ? Because this would
indeed be compromise, and would render
the proyiso nugntory, and would secure the
territories from the curse of slavery. Inc
very omission of such declaration implies
denial of an existing prohibition, ana III
such denial he well knows the whole south
concurs So far, then, is MIR. Cloy's lncon-
seatlential truism from being compromise,
that il surrenders to the south even more
than she has demanded, and throws open to
the shareholders the whole territory north rs
well as south of the Missouri line. But to
reconcile the north to this total surrender,
they are TO be favored by Congress with an
opinion that TT Is NOT LIKELY that slavery
will he introduced into any part of the con-
duered territory. What is only improba-
ble. is at least possible, and hence this lcgis-
lative opinion would, in fact, he n solemn and
official declarations that there is no legal pro-
Iibiion to the introduction of slavery. IL is
not pretended that this opinion which Con-
gress is to volunteer, is to have any legal
force whatsoever. But what if time shall
prove it TO have been erroneous, will il he any
consolation 10 the north for having hy their
act blghted immense regions with human
bondage, that they had been fooled by an
opinion? Mr. Downs, of Louisiana, in reply
10 MIR. Clay, asserted that there were already
in the territories some four or five hundred
slaves;" aud another member declared that
there would now have been plenty of slaves
there had not their masters been apprehen-
sive of the proviso. II Mr.. Clay is correct
strangely mistaken. Ii was openly avowed
during the war, that the territory to be con-
querod south of 80 . 30' would be- a slave
region. Before our army entered the city of
Mexico, we were offered oil Texas proper,
and the whole of New Mexico and California
north of thirty-seven degrees; an extent of
territory equal TO nine states of the size of
New York. The offer was rejected, and
thousands were slaughtered 10 obtain terri
tory south of 36o 30', TO be peopled by
slaves. From the first mention of the pro-
viso, our northern editors and politicians in
the slave interest opposed il as unnecessary,
because, as they assured us, the soil and cl-
mate of these territories were unsuitable to
slave labor. The Shareholders knew better,
and never endorsed the falsehood of their
allies. Mr.. Waddy Thompson, of South
Carolina, Minister to Mexico, announced to
his brethren, writing of California, "sugar,
rice and cotton find there their own congo
NAL clime."-RecoHectio Of .Merioo, p. 234.
Did the south make war upon Mexico only
TO acquire free territory. Is she now threat
ening dsunion and civil war for privilege
she is not likely" to exercise?
Upon what does MIR. Clay rest his strange,
unnatural opinion? Almost exclusively on
the exclusion of slavery from the Californian
constitution. lie does not pretend that this
exclusion was owing to the unftness of the
soil and climate for slave labor. We all
know that the unexpected discovery of gold
suddenly collected in California large north
eTn population, naturally averse TO slavery,
and jealous of the competition of slave labor
in digging gold But does gold exist in Des-
eret or New Mexico? or is there large
northern population in California, south Of
= l.. q l.. inf tlnfG
is not likely TO be introduced into these ter
ritorics, even with the sanction of Congress,
because under totally different circumstances
it has been excluded from California? New
Mexico is separated by an imaginary line
from Texas, and about half of il is claimed
by that slave state. Is it likely that Texan
shareholders will not cross the line with their
property, or occupy territory they claim us
| their own!
The settlers in Deseret have formed n con-
stiution virtually allowing slavery, by not
prohibiting il. The gold dggers in Calitor-
MIA are concentrated far north of 80 : 30 ;
the city of San Francisco is also north OF
that line, while south of it is n large area,
where there is little To obstruct the inlroduc-
| ton of slavery. Under these circumstances,
there are probably very few men in Congress
who would dare, on their oaths, TO affirm the
opinion expressed by Mr.. Clay. That opin-
ion is at best u calculation of chanceS-a cal
culaton OH which no man would hazard Il
thousand dollars yet this miserable calcula'
ton is offered TO the north as n compensation
for the surrender of all the political and mo-
raj blessings which the proyiso would secure
Mr.. Clay utterly demolises Gen. Cass's ar
gument against the consitutionality of the
proviso, and aflirms most positively the righI
of Congress to prohibit slavery in the terri
tories But how stands the question of duty
and moral consistency between these two
gentlemen? Undeniably in favor of tho
General. lie has not, indeed, undertaken tc
solve the nice and difficult question whethe
human bondage is n curse or a blessing
He is sensibly alive TO the atrocity of fog