The Madisonian. (Canton, Miss.) 1850-1855, 1850-11-28

tSiAA'Ni y US IThHSlGHL Huu
ioating population which had poured
into the country, were instigated and
encouraged to usurp the sovereign do
main of the best and most valuable por.
Lions oi.that country. cnt off the South
srn States from all participation there
in, and to demand from Congress the
sanction Of thei, illegal proceedings, |
and admission into the Union as
State. Encouraged by the Federal
administration, in the way Of whose po-
litical schemes these questions lay as
stumbling blocks, this stupendous plot |
to defraud the Southern States by an a.
buse ofthe power to admit new States,
notwithstanding its monstr6us inius-
tice, was beginning to develop its pros
gress during your last session Of the
Legislature. So palpable did its real
purpose appear to those who had close
ly watched its progress, that both our
Senators in Congress, and all our rep
resentatives, in an official communica>
ton addressed to me, to be laid before
the Legislature and the people, de-
clared, that they regarded this meas
nre, the admission of California, as the
Wllmot Proviso, in an other form. 1t
was too grossly unjust to be urged as a
measure by itself It's deformlly was
too apparent. Even its principal spon
sors did not in the commencement,
venture to advocate the proposition a.
lone. To break the force of the blow,
and to palliale its effects, they connect
ed it with other measures, some of
them Objectionable, and others prac
tically useless and immaterial. 1t was
called compromise, an adjustment,
and many patriotic men in the South,
were, no doubt. misled by the false
hollow, and deceptive appliances
which wore, without scruple, resorted
TO, to bolster up and sustain it.
Such was the state Of the controversy al
the period of the adjournment of ouI
Legislature. 1t was still hoped that
the outrage would not be consumma-
ted at any rate, the Legislature did
mot think fit to anticipate so important
a contingency, but deemed the precau'
tion sufficient TO leave it, with otlel
causes of complaint, to the considera'
ton of the Southern Convention, ther
shortly expected to assemble at Nash
Vile. The Legislature indicated nc
disposition to fall back from the posi'
ton which had been assumed by the
October Convention, advocated by
both great political parties in the State
canvass, and maintained with great ap'
parent unanimity in numerous Popu'
lar meetings. Those positions were
that we were entitled to just partici
patton in the use and enjoyment of the
Territory conquered from Mexico, and
that we could not, without dishonor
submit to be excluded from it. The
Nashville convention, whose determin'
ations were by anticipation, adopted
by our Legislature, had most formally
insisted upon these territorial rights
and had only, for the sake of peace
and union, agreed to acquieSce in a
division of the territory by the line ot
So deg. 80 min. with the express dec
laration that this was to be the extreme
concession Of the States therein rep
resented.
All these protests and determine
tions were before Congress, and would
probably have commanded respect, and
secured the rights ofthe South, had the
same hrmness and unanimity beer
maintained, which marked the com
mencement of the contest. But IN
fortunately for the peace of the coun
try, defections from our franks occurred
the attitude of the South ceasedto com
mand respect, and the obnoxious meas
ures, which had been debated by con
Lgress for nine months, became laws.
By these means, the sIayeholdin{
States have been absolutely excluded
from the greater portion, ahd. oy Ia
the most valuable part, Of all the Serrl
tory acquired from Mexico, compre
hended within the limits ofSCalifornia
and comprising the whole coast Of th'
Il Pacific, the gold mines, and an are,
large enough for ten States Of medium
size; and although the less imPortan
territories Of Utah and New wMexico
have been organized without the VIII
mot Proviso, yet in both these case
j the majority in Congress expressly re
fused to repeal or suspend the Mex
can laws, which were supposed to IN
] terdlct the introduction of slavery int
these regions. The doubt and danger
therefore, which surround its introduc
! tlon into these territories, amount te
an actual prohibition, and 80 # was
considered by the majority in Con-
gress, who stood ready, had the emer-
gency required it. to stop the exten'
sion Of slavery by positive Prohlbl'
4 tions.