Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1850-09-03

Another clause in the Constitution stimulated that persons
held to service labor in State escaping into another
shall be dctrercd up This exclusively for the benc
tit of the saveholding Sates and what ask has become
oih! Nearly all candid men admit that il has become in
eiiect nulily-and Northern gentlemen tell me- 1t
must remain So Yes, sir, right solennly guaranteed 10
Inc SOUTH and without which The Union would have
neen formed is 10 be practically enjoyed BY no onge
he constitution 10 this is 10 be nuled and slaves
escaping 10 onr SISTER States TO be withheld Instead o
being deirered up.
In addition 10 the two clauses about slavery already men,
oned one other inserted in the Federal Constitution
II is the known provision about taxation and
ation, containing in itself compromise which, though
sun carried out is the North, which she has
appeared long anxious get rid Of How bitterly they talk
OF slave representation!
Besides these nothing else was said in the Constitution
on the subject and think myself authorized infer,
from the proceedings of the Convention alone but from The
action of the Government for after the Constitution
went into operation that here supposed by ALL pow
er OF Congress the subject ceased In SS and 49, only
year after the Constitution framed Virginia and
MARYLAND cede to the United States ten miles su,are ON
the Potomac site for The General Government. The
district OF country thus cedcd peoped with their
feow-czens, holding slave property like themselves Does
any man imagine that they would have surrendered them
up TO the hazard of being stripped of their property
the option OF their representatives from other Sates Would
Virginia and Maryland have incurred the risk of their kind
ness beng turned into curse against themselves by having
this District converted ntoa den refuge fugitive slaves
"a magazine whence incendary publications. fire brands
and DEATH might be scattered broadcast over the Souh1
No sir ii is impossible Then why was nothing stipulated
on the subject Simply because il dreamed for long
years afterwards that Congress would claim the power
the only reasonable snpposition that occurs To ME.
We'll sir in ls03 the United States acquired from France
The territory OF Louisiana for the good OF the North well
as oi the South and by Northern well Southern.
VI the sixteen Senators from the Northern States eleven
voted Tor il and five against it, than two-thrds being
In lis favor 1t was large of country all of
which laws prevailed tolcating slavery. YET sir no
fort was made 10 abolish prohibit in the treaty the
laws establishing territorial governments in it. until 1919
when Missouri applied for admission into the Union Then
for the first time the claim asserted boldly stouty
roundy asserred' The patent had
time invented that soil received slave soil should remain
50, and that soil received as free soil should remain
free That nosrum did suit the stomach OF the mao-
MY then The most wise and sagacious statesman of
me country undertook then TO explain the OF
This claim ON the part Of the North, and do know
that ms hypothesis was discredited. This was his
colation The Federal party Ii, ng chiefly in the North had
been beaten by the Republican party of whom
the South in every pitched battle But though beaten they
had not been rou,ed though vunqushed they had been
annihilled.
Gathering new energy and courage from defeat they sez-
ed upon this ground and determined here 10 make last es
perae effort 10 gain that ascendancy which till they
haf been ever unable 10 obtain Well might this claim thus
asserted have fallen the of Jefferson, who
not too partial 10 the peculiar institution like The sound oa
hre-bei at night he saw in dangers unspcaklbc
of which have already fallen upon the country. 10 his eye
u hung over the future prospects of the country like dk
cloud whose baeful shade dangers Increased and multi
piled, and in the wild madness of approaching power danced
| and !ioted like witches on WalbnrgiS night.
But sir compromise intervcned and these dangers ap
peared 10 vanish and the cloud 10 roll gracefully away
The line o 80 deg 80 min. established the boundary
between slavcholng territory and soil And uany
BY This compromise the North took from the South nine
hundred and seventy thousand square miles nj iu
lion three hundred and fifty housand-nearly lhreeouhs
Of Louisiana territory acquired slave territory But
sir upon the altar of the country the South made the
render offering And though the compromise
thus injurious 10 her. when made she determined TO carry il
our, in all its spirit and 10 the letter When Texas
nexed laws allowing slavery prevailed over her whole ex
tent But the South agreed 10 the line Of 81 deg 80
min through her limits be- the boundary between the
slave States and free States which might be formed out Of
her territory
When Oregon TO be provided with territorial gov
ernmen the South agreed that the North might tnhel
without word if she would take it reasser
lion OF the Missouri Compromise line. And when the
of power many southern men-he President Of the
United States among ttmthought best themselves TO ad
give up, without serious contest.
Now considerable Of territory has been acquired
Mexico larger Of which North OF 80 deg 81 nn
and some South of that line Does the North adhere the
line propose any division whatsoever of the crritoy No
sir she does Almost the entire North declare that they
are opposed slavery going any part OF that tcrror
And Of the various propositions pending either in this body
the Senate for settling the question: every one appears 10
be founded upon the idea that the Northis to get all
and the South nothing. NV examination of them must Se
brief There Is first the Wlmot Proviso scheme, which
proposes at once declare by of Congress- that slavery
Shall go part of this territory Ii proposes, at one
bold ruianke blow to take our heads OIL II Is rutan-
like but il open. There next, what Is called The e-
sdcnts plan announced in the California This
proposes admit California in all her length and breadth,
with "A prohibition of slavery contained in her Constitution
And the territories, II proposes to leave them Gnder
their present form Of government G form may be predlc
which form has none) until they shall make state
constitutions likewise.
This s called non- action policy" 1t is policy of nom
action on part Congress- but is il nonacon every
where? The government existing in New Mexico is based
mainly upon military rule the military governor receiving
his appointment and authority from the Executive OF the
United States who is the OF the whole struc-
ture. The Administration pocamsi through the secretary
OF State that the laws OF Mexico regulating the relations
of persons with each other still in force there Then this
is not policy non-acton but Executive anti-savery
prohibition proclaimed there which will as clectuay pre-
4
Proviso itself The State constitution, when formed wi
be formed by anti-savey settlers and OF course WIN oe
anti slavery The policy then, eectualy excludes the
South from all participation in these territories know
that have guilty of what may TO some almost
s sacrepe speaking thus freely OF the Presidents plan
and the Executive They say are exciting party
feeling by doing Well sir will they critlclse and II ne
cessaTy disappvc the conduct OF the President On NJ"
he is their President and they look him. perhaps, Tor
place and promotion. To their vision in his mouth is Tie
rift OF promising and in his right hand the horn Of plenty
Then they will not and examine into his con-
duc and however Injurious therefore, the interests OF our
may be his acts and recommendations ty are
70 be passed over in silence This doctrine will not do for
freemen or the representatives of eemen We claim the
right freely and mpartay to examine into the pubic ac
of our public servants however distinguished or exalted
| have not intended to do either more or less
Next we come the compromise its friends delight
10 call IT, rthc plan of adjustment reported to the Senate
nv the Committee of Thirteen This commences by provd-
ino for the admission of California State in all her
with the prohibition of slavery contained in
her constitution Thus far is Identical with the president
pan but in regard the Territories of New Mexico and
territorial governments without the proriSo But sir does
leave TO the South any chance whatsoever to ENJOY any
mart of these territories! The Mexican laws not repealed
and no whatever given that property shall
be secure The very distinguished Chairman o he COM
mec who reported this pan has repeatedly declared his
belief that those territories closed TO the admission OF
slaves; and closed must remain So In the report m
Producing compromise propositions 1t Is stated that
,here any occasion for e proviso to accom-
ulsh the proessed object with which originally ollcr-
cd" And again "The proviso is as to all these regions in
common a mere abstraction" And, sir really this view
seems to be carried the plan Of adjustment far as
relates the territories In odc 10 maintain their property
there would have first to meet the question OF the
continued existence of Mexican laws That being decided
in her favor-f it should be- and think it ousht-hen
would arise question whether slavery is the creature OF
positive municipal law. She would be told that there was
no positive law there toerang slavery and would insist on
her part that such necessary for its legal exist
ence Surprising this also be decided in her favor what
comes nextl We have struggled through these dhculis
with much ado and few slaves perhaps 60 there There
among many OF the citizens strong anislavery prejudice
They entice slaves away from their masters they aid them
in making their escape from the county they do thousand
hinrs to render by which they held insecure,
ond their value worthless 1t is not theft and under the
clause inserted in the territorial bills by the committee no