The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-09-28
For lhx Southern Pr,
For The Southern Press
THE RANDOLPH EPISTLES.
Facts and Refectins for the People of the
South.

No. g.
Ihsrerie,o Of the Compromise coniinusd-The Right
Of Equality Constitutional Righis--The Terra
boundary Bill The Gay awas cnried-Phe prin
eipie Of The Bill uacoass utiosaI- The false elanor
that raissd--the Compact bstrssn The States i,
the Senate ~hsn rasVying the Treaty Cooquy be
tceen the North and the Souih-the Tsras title
&c.
| FELLow-CuIzENs OF THE Souri,;
Papers dashed off cat single heat" as thes.
are,--woud necessarily bear OH their face tn,
traces of many impertections,--even were the au
thor capable, with pains, of impartlng to them any
| higher value, than usually attach TO the nuga
which sparkle adown the fleeing columns of q
daily journal, and are gone. My last Epise how.
ever, had far more than Its share OF huriy-bufis
haste in It's concoc,ion,- LAS is apparent enough in
the omission ] made, when discussing the consfi-
tutional objections to the proceedings of Congress
on the California and Territorial Bills,--in saying
not word, of the most palpable and ncontesti-
BILE of all the constitutional objections with which
they were chargeable Ito wit: their violation OF
the Rights # Equality Of the States. No one can
lay his finger on acause in the Constitution, which
declares IN so many words, that the States shall
be equal IN the Union yet no one can point to n
clause IN the instrument making reference to the
States, which Is not most obviously based upon
their equality and sameness in Federal rights and
restraints, in Federal privileges and duties.-There
is not aprincpe laid down in any ofis clauses, up
on which all men are more fully agreed than upon
this: Nobody denies it: Nobody doubts it: 1t must
therefore be regarded settled axiom Of the
Constitution, that, The EauALIrY OF THE STATES IN
FEDERAL RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES, AND IN FEDERAL
RESTRAINTS AND DUTIES, is EXPERIMENTAL AND I'M
MuTABLE PRINCIPLE OF THE UNIoN. All that is
needed then is to determine, whether that Equal
Ity Of the States has been observed and protected
in the proceedings of Congress upon the Califor-
MA and Territorial Bills: and this is readily ascer-
talned:--
OF the whole cession of territory made by Mex
ico,it is agreed on all hands, that ninety.fpe one
hundredths of il in value, is embraced within the
limits of California recognized in the act ofCon-
gress admitting her into the Union;-and il is GER
tain that the Southern States excluded forever
from every foot of 1t, and through the action of
Congress. Now the Constitution, Gas have sad)
guarantees the equal rights OF the States, -whe-
Their they be Free States Siape States, whether
those rights pertain to territory, to other property,
or to any thing else,--and demand to know
whether the Rights of Equality of the Slape States
have been protected or destroyed, by the action of
Congress in admitting California into the Union
with the boundaries assigned her, in the act of adj
mssoni But answer can be given: The
Rights of Equality have been destroyed by it!
As to the Territories Of Utah and New Mexico,
embracing but fpe one-httndredth's part i'm value
Of the whole cession) if both of them were ceded
over to the South in exclusiyeness and perpetuty,
it would not reach the cenme of a tythe towards
the restoration Of the equality destroyed, through
the admission of California. But far from sur
rendering either up to slavery,-t was the avowed
design of the majority lin giving them organize
ton, Of excluding the South perpetualy from both,
and the repeated refusals OF Congress TO repeal the
.Nerican Proviso interdictng Slavery are tanta-
4 Al
survived the cession and is now in force;--and |
again demand to know, whether the action of
Congress in the premises, has protected or de-
stroyed the equal rights Of the Siare States TO the
use andoccupancy of those Territories But one
answer can be given: The Equal Rights of the
Stare States, have been destroyed by it!
The money-price of California and the Terrific
ries, is the money-cost Of their acquisition and
reaches to an hundred million of dollars, of which
the South pays SIS 900 900 and the North $685.
900, 900; and | once more demand to know
whether theeaction Of Congress which has deprived
the Stare States of foot-hold in either, without
releasing the South from its obligatory pay three
fourths of their ney-cost,-has protected or de-
stroyed their equal rights as members of the
Union, to just apportonment of its blessings and
its burthens! But one answer can be given-The
Equal Rights of the Slave States, have been de-
stroyed by it!
| think may venture to say, that no man with
to the principle, and who takes conscience for his
monitor, will contest doubt, but that the pro-
ceedings of Congress in all the measures referred
to,--haye inflicted paIpable and fragrant breaches
upon the Rights of Equality of the Slave States;
and that in the case of California those Rights of
Equality have been utterly nnnhilaied! IL then
the Equal Rights of the Slave States, are Constitu-
tionaI rights, they incontestibly are;-if those
Rights have been utterly annihilated in California
through the action Of Congress, as is equally in
contesbe, -skeptcism itself must surrender its
doubts and join in the corrollury, that THE Acr
OF CoNGREss RECEIVING CALIFORNIA INTO THE
Union WAS AND Us, A PALPABLE AND FLAGRANT vIo-
LATIoN OF THE CONSTITUTION THE UNITED
STATES
Having brought the act admitting California into
the Union to the tests ofhe Constitution and traced
its agg. essions and influence, together with those
organizing the Territories of Utah and New Mex
leo, upon the rights and interest Of the Southern
States to their Consequences pass to rapid
review of the other measures Of that baeful and
omnous Compromise, and next in order is,
THE TEXAS BOUNDARY BILL.
Few subjects have ever been the sources of
more impairment and inconsequental debate,
than this. What had Congress to do with so an
| tiquarian problem, as the Eastern and Southern
boundary line of New Mexico, century and an
half ago. She came to us unorganized and the
| Treaty gave her inhabitants no voice in the Ter
rtorial limits to be assigned them by this Govern
ment; and as to Texas, her boundary title to the
Rio Grande, from its mouth to its source, had no
higher antiquity than the rout at San Jacinto, -
and her Treaty with Santa Anna which followed
| it. The validity Of the Texan title to these
Western limits, embraced the only question OF
right in the whole controversy All else, involved
questions Of erpedency nly,-but nevertheless, -
questions to the South of the gravest import
and full Of dangers. Through all the STRIFE ten
thousand Southern minds were mootvng the ques-
tons: If Texas had the right to the boundary
she claims, then all of New Mexico east of the
Rio Grande, was Stare Territory, land why
should she part with t,---and doom it to the hos
tile and aggressive dominion of Soiiism -
and upon her own borders i--Stranger still was
the question: why should Texas part with, be-
besides, so large portion of her own undisputed
territory, and consgn it to the same perous des-
tlnation' With yet profounder emotions, did
they ask themselves, whether the South would
have struggled for, even consented to the ad-
mission of Texas into the Union, but for inn
plicaton as solemn and binding as compact
could have made it,--that she would yield no
countenance or help to the planting and establish
| ing Of Free States out Of her slave Territory,
i - al Ax,I