Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1850-03-15


collision with the attitude assumed by her Senators and
Representatives Congress-and would not sustain them
in either their sentiments their purposes well knowing
the time but unfairly and mischevousy conceang IRON
the North that there some three hundred o.her
journals circulating through every section OF the oon
and that Of them were manfuy maintaining her rghts
and urging the meeting of the Nashville Convention az an
appropriate and eectua means 10 defend ana SECURE
and surer sources of intelligence than even even hes
they desired truly inform themselves truly 70 nfo
the North Of the real of public sentiment al the Souh
Any one of their numerous Southern friends in Congress
could have told them f they did not Know VIVA. aius
every body knew that scarcely mail has arrived from e
South for these three months past which did mol orhe
more than an hundred letters now amounting to many
thousands from every section Of IT, and from the most pro-
mnen and leading in all the South, atesting union
of parties accordance of sentiment and concurrence
of pupose-suc have never existed in the SCUM before
upon any political question whatever s'nce the cnoh
formed. With actual knowledge, derived rom tneil
Southern exchanges alone the Editors must have known
that the pay they cued from Southern Journals
vouchers the North of the state OF things al
the South how then could they reconcile II 10 tet con-
sciences as patriots or as just men, palm them oil upon
the North reliable indca OF Southern sentiments or
poses Such is just to neither section Nhe It's
tendencies are 10 exaspeate the South, il encourages
the North persist in its measures and count on me
Souhs submission 10 whatever II eXacts lhls elo,l
OF the lnteigencer will be foiled in its object if the North
but keeps reckoning of its efforts in the past for hs alter
all is but sereotyped arfce of the 1ntellgencer The
South wereembers that when the topics the BANK
and Texas and the Tariff &C.. severay before Inc
country the extracts proofs from
ed in the Inegencer, of predominant public sentiment
taying with its views quite as formidable ana
imposing as they seem 10 be now yet in every
public scntmen, was overwhelmingly otherwise and so il
will prove again, unhappiy the North by welding power
against right shall put it 10 the test
Recurring Mr. Cays resolutions and the speech which
accompanied them and must that they possessed one
merit which universally acknowledged and hat was OF
protesting TO Settle al and the same me al the issues
before the country involving the question OF slavery Inc
NH RI fhp paprino 0f
M being desirable for the peace concord and harmony OF
the Union of these States to settle and adjust amcan d
existing questions of controversy between te arising out
of the institution of slavery upon fair equitable ana JUST
bases-therefore, . :,
"sr Resolved That California tch suitable boundaries
&c.
And, in his speech, Mr.. Clay said:
'When TO consider this SUBJECT there were Two OF
three general purposes which seemed TO me most desirable
possible accomplish. The one was TO settle aH Inc con-
trover,ed questions growing out OF the subject OIL slavery
and seemed be doing but little ii we settled one
question and left other disturbing questions unadstea
seemed TO be doing but little if we stopped one leak
only in the ship State and left other leaks capable o pro-
ducing danger if not destruction to the vessel, &c
In days after the delivery of this speech one oi Inc
Senators and the two representatives of California reach
ed here with her Constitution, which was promptly trans
mtted by the President to the two Houses OF Congress-
was we'll known here long before this that the Calornans
had embraced within their State limits the entire racine
front of the whole territory acquired by the treaty oil Iaaa
upe Hidago and it seemed TO be almost nnversaly con
ceded her Limits be reduced by at least restricting
her Southern boundary by the parallel OF 50 deg 5O min
but then the impression generally prevailed that Cahor
had either provided for this in her Constitution or ha
instructed her Senators and representatives TO accept o suc
reduction of limits Congress should prescrioe l",
ed out however, that such power had been conferred and
the only alternative seemed to be 10 admit her WIN ner pre-
sent unwedy dimensions 10 remand her back ior re-
duction of limits. :,
The most formidable if insuperabe obstacles stand in
the way Of the admission OF California into c Ihoh a e
present time If admitted she must override all otner pre-
cedents and make her precedent Regularly Inc pre-
vious assent of Congress authorize the people OF Terri
tory TO form State Government condition precedent
10 being admitted had been deemed OF such necessity ina
nothing short of the cogen reasons could dispense WIN
its being done but even If essential condition should oe
waived how. upon other essential points, can oaliiorh"
bring herself within the scope of tie exceptions Terrific
es which have heretofore taken the initiative ormeo oat
Constitutions and been admitted into the Union without inc
previous sanction of Congress- have without exception pos
sessed three important and fundamental qualifications
st Territorial Governments, organized under the auto
v OF Congress- and where It's prior sanction Tor change
was departed FROM II through their agency that II was
done. -,
I'd previous enumeration census of all the Inhabitants
under the authority of Congress
3D. Laws establishing and defining the right OF suffrage
and fixing the qualifications Of and designating who shall be
voters
California Without prior government or authorized
enumeration of the people electoral laws how posi-
BILE for Congress determine under any rule which would
be safe for its future guidance how many people there were
in California when the members OF the convention were
chosen who Of them residents and who were tran
sient persons who American citizens, and VINO were
oreignersl who entitled vote, and who were not
who actually voted, and who were excluded3 DC
4h. Agan-Congress has in no instance admitted new
State into the Union without previous official
derived duly authorized agent that the Territory pos
sessed sufficient population under the existing ratio OF ap
portonment enitle il representative in Congress-
Under the existing ratio each member must represent bSu
Does Congress any reliable knowledge tha,
California possessed that number in August last wien hei
members Of Convention were chosen or even IN october
when they sat in Convention in November when
her Constitution ratified and her State officers and Con.
gessmen chosen2 Official evidence OF the fact there
nonecertan evidence OF the fact there ~ noneana
hence Congress has nought TO rely upon in the OF
that highest of its unctionsof recognizing and admitting
sovereign State the Conederacy-bu the mersst hear
say and the loosest conlectures.
If however, Congress could act upon any SUCH unauhen'
tc data what were probable either OF the
RODS ndicated One of the most careful and accurate COM
patons of national statistics have computes the num-
hers in July last as follows In July l99 according to the
account of Thomas o. Larkn formerly .. S Consul at
Monterey and good authority was between 5ooU ano
10000 of ,ehom less than half are Anericans See
American almanac and Repository OF useful knowledge
for 1880"
aton distinctive from foreigners and transient persons
of say OOO0 That this estimate was rather above than
below the mark Is made convincingly probable by the only
authentic data We have OF the Amerlcan nunoerso VII,
the vote poled important an election as ever can oe
holden in the State Of Caornao decide upon the ra-
cation of the Consutionthe choice OF two members Of
Governor and Lieutenant Governor and OF oil
The other State unconares elected BY the peopeot the
Senators and Representatives Of State Legislature whose
important function would be TO choose two u
q
yernncn into operation Now with all these powerful in
cenves TO attend the pos where perhaps there was scarcely
voter who did take personal interest In pro-
monp the advancement of personal friends Ito say nothing
of the strife between the two great parties for political as
cendancy yet but cast in the election :
1t said the day was stony.yes but the voters were
hardy adventures who had faced all weather at the
mines and of the whole population there not being, it
said 1000 women and chldrcn if we allow twenty
per cent for those whom the OF rain prevented from
attending the polls say 5oOo it would still be convincing
proof that there than of American num-
sers there election in November If we more than ian
double Mr. Larkns estimate in July and make them ooO
in November as every American Of age however brle ms
residence allowed TO yote we can only DO so upon ne
eytrayagan presumption that fully tnords OF the voters
were absent from the polls If we are YET more liberal and
that the increasing population had more than
be,ween july and November and risen TO 650Oo we will
have 10 assume the marvellous and incredible hypothesis
that in an election in which every man in California mad
manifested personal interest, no less than rs,s,ths
of the voters kept away from the polls But after making
spposi,ion that passes all belief yet California would still
M short of population of o6SO at the time OF her election
for members OF Congress; without which she was without he
qualification be represented in the lower mouse OF 10 o'h
la State Government or be admitted INTO the Cnon-
There being no evidence then that California had half thai
number of citizens the time abe chose her representatives.