The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1836-1851, 1850-08-20

tain the true sense. of a people. 1t will admit,
too, that Congress having refused to provide
government, except upon the condition of ex
Guiding slavery by law, the Executive branch
of this Government may, at its own discretion,
invite such inhabitants 10 meet in convention,
under such rules rs it or its agents may pre-
scribe, and to form constitution affecting not
only their own rights but those also of fifteen
States of the Contederacy, by excluding terri
tory with the purpose of excluding those States
from its enjoyment, and without regard to- the
natural fitness of boundary, or any of the con-
sideratons which should properly determine the
limits of a State. 1t will also admit that the
convention, thus called into existence by the
Executive, may he paid by him out of the funds
nf the United States without the sanction of
Congress, in violation not only of the plain pro-
visions Of the Constitution, but of those princi-
pies of obvious propriety which would forbid
any act calculated to make that convention de-
pendent upon it; and last, but not least in the
series of measures which this Government must
adopt and sanction in passing this bill, is the re-
lease OF the authority Of the United States by
the Executive alone to a government thus form
ed and not presenting even sufficient evidence
Of its having the assent of majority of the peo.
pie for whom il was designed. With view Of
all these considerations, the undersigned are
constrained to believe that this Government
could never be brought to admit State pre-
sentng itself under such circumstances, if it
were not for the purpose Of excluding the peo.
pie OF the. slavehodng States from all opportu-
nifty of settling with their property in that Ter
ritory.
Because to vote for bill passed under such
circumstances would be to agree to a principle
which may exclude forever hereafter, as it does
now, the States we represent from all enjoy.
meut of the common territory of the Union; a
principle which destroys the equal rights of their
constituents, the equality of their States in the
Confederacy, the equal dignity OF those whom
they represent as men and as citizens in the eye
of the law, and their equal title to the protec-
ton of the Government and the Constitution
Because all the propositions have been reject
ed which have been made to obtain either re.
cognition Of the right of the slaveholding States
to common enjoyment of all the territory of
the United States, or to a fair division of that
territory between the slaveholdng and non
saveholling States of the Union; every effort
having failed which has been made to obtain
fair division of the territory proposed to be
brought in, as the State of California.
But, lastly, we dissent from this bill, and SOL
emnly protest against its passage, because, in
sanctloning measures so contrary to former
precedent, to obvious policy, to the spirit and
intent of the Constitution of the United States,
for the purpose of excluding the slaveholding
States from the territory to be erected into
State, this government in effect declares that
the exclusion ofslavery from the territory of the
United States is an object so high and impor.
tant as to justify disregard, not only of all the
principles of sound policy, but also of the Con-
stituton itself. Against this conclusion we
must now and forever protest, as it is destruc-
tive of the safety and liberties of those whose
rights have been committed to our care-fatal
to the peace and equality of the States which
we represenl-and must lead, if persisted in, to
the dissolution of that Contederacy in which the
saveholding States have never sought more
than equality, and in which they will not be con.
tent to remain with less.
J. VI. Mason,
R. NJ. T. HUNTER, Virginia.
A. P. BUTLER,
K. B. BARNwELL South Carolina.
Fl. L. TURNEy, Tennessee.
p. SouLE, Louisiana.
J. DAVIS, Mississippi.
d. X. ArcH1soN, Missouri.
J. MoRroN,
d. L. YULEE, Florida.
Senate Chamber, 18th Aug, 1850.
From the South Carolinian.