The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-05-02
J. G. w.
PREPARING THE WAY FOR COMPROMISE
FACTS FOR THE PEOPLE.

one day striking for freedom, the next, putting
out a feeler for compromise. Here is q specimen
of its compromising proclvities
"And now let us, in conclusion, assure Mr.
Adams that the cause Of Freedom and Free Soil
is in no such desperate extremity as he imagnes
There is q compromise brewing, and it will GER
tainly pass the Senate il may pass the House
also but even IL il should, there nil be- slquTy
legali1sd nest Of The Rio Grande. We say there
will be none, meaning that there is not one
chance in twenty that there will be any. We
greatly prefer that there should be no chance at
all-not the ghost Of one-but the passage Of a
compromise will only create q pcssiblIy Of ex-
tending slavery westward Of the Rio del Norte.
There is just one part O. ssAhxhole Union in
which slavery has now no iegalized existence yet
-hi-h = f'@-;egSlv tb-ast@eS to i1vaS -snd that
I is New Mexico east Of the Rio Grsnde del Norte.
Such is the sober truth and il Texas shall be
shut out of that region there is little danger that
slavery will gain another inch Of territory within
the present limits Of our Union"
This is simply preparing the hearts Of the
| People to excuse the abandonment by their rep
resentatives of the Wimot Proviso.
| In the same number of the Tribune we find
copied the following from the New York EreniHg
Post:
CAN SLAVERY GO INTO CALIFORNIA
Two men were seen at San Jose, according to
the Alta California in sharp contest The white
beat the black and cries of shame were heard,
when the master was taken in custody.
Soon the parties were brought before the AL
calde.
The white-man, at first, set the court at def
ance But he was sobered down, when he made
the following statement:
"-THdt negro is my SLAVE; ! brought him from
home NTH me. He has been among The free negroes
of the to,rn getting drunk and dong as he pleased.
made up my mind to Leave town this euenig and de-
isrmined 10 take him along nth me. met him in
the street, and told him he must 60. This he re-
fused to do. then leaned down 90 take up q
stick to chastise him, when he seized me and flung
me down then broke stick over his head, which
| had right to do. He is my property, and IN
tend 10 hare him, and give him a good tho hundred
lashes IN tie bargain
The court yielded The slave had been brought
into California before the Constitution was FORM
ed, and upon that ground he was ordered to Jail
10 await his mastvrs erders. In the u,oan sinae,
| he was ordered TO be publicly scourged.
A writ Of habeas corpus was granted afterward,
| by Judge Bennett, but it was ascertaimed that the
negro had been delivered to his master and there
the matter ended. -.
This man is now slave, and is likely to re-
main So Notwithstanding the Mexican laws, about
the omnipotence of which Mr. Benton speaks
with such confidence, and notwithstanding the
law of God in favor of freedom in California,
which Mr. Webster thinks it would be mere tri-
fling for Congress to reenact
| Should California be denied admission to the
Union this summer, and the slavery interest be
permitted to triumph in consequence Of the anti
slavery clause in her Constitution, the Pacific
territory would swarm with cases just like this.
A slave is induced to accompany his master
from the States, by promises OF enfranchisement
after brief period of service. Encouraged by
this promise, and relying upon its being kept in
good faith, they 60 with him and remain faithful
to his service. If public sentiment and the law
make it necessary, the master will, in turn, be
faithful to his promise; but if not, if there is
any encouragement to hope that his tyranny will
20 unwhipped of justice, in nine out of ten,
the fate of the slave will be just as inexorable
upon the shores of the Yuba, as among the cane
brakes Of Louisiana, or in the cotton bottoms of
Acknowledging Post.
There is too much reason 70 believe that sla-
very is insidiously stealing into California. The
Havana correspondent of the Cincinnati Enqui-
rer in late number of that paper, says:
"On our vessel are quite number from Ken
lucky, several taking with them slaves under an
agreement to give them their freedom for two
years services in the mines"
Facts are constantly coming to light, showing
that slaves have been introduced into California,
and will multiply there, unless the State he
speedily recognised, aud also adopt stringent reg
ulations to carry out its constitutional provision
The Natehez Free Trader announces that
"a gentleman from Adams county had two
slaves with him there and having been truly
successful and secured as much of the precious
dust as he wanted, he brought the slaves back
with him So well had they done for him, that
he was offered two hundred dollars month for
each Of them if he would leave them behindD
We have before US number of the Cherokee
Adpocaie of February 4th, containing letter
from Jeter l.. Thompson, one Of a company Of
California emigrants from the South, who had
taken slaves out with them. The letter is dated
November l4th, ls49, after the adoption Of the
State Constitution The following is the account
he gives of slavery In California After an.
nouncing their purpose to spare portion of their
force this summer for farming purposes, he pro-
| ceeds
| 1.-THE boys, generally, have been healthy, and
appear to be we'll satisfied When we get
cleverly started, we design giving them half Of
every Saturdays labor, in order that they may
purchase their liberty. We have already init
mated to them, that if they be industrious and
faithful one year, they may then have their
freedom. Men who like more to NEEDLE in
other peoples business, have been tampering
with them, but, think, to but little purpose, as
they all seem well attached to us, and are anxious
to get home again. The Constitution lately
formed, as you doubtless have observed in the pa
pers, has declared this free State; bat 4 do not
think IL miH uu,erfere muh our arrangements. Ohevs,
rho haze brought thsrs on, do NOT feel under any o-
prehtnsion day or two since, gentleman from
Arkansas had some difficulty with one Of his ser
wants II appeared that some aboltionists put
it into the negro's head, that he was AS free as
his master, and persuaded the boy to demand Of
his master something to start upon, and that
they would see him out in it, No sooner how
ever, than the boy made the demand, than his
master tied him up and called ont 10 the men who had
promised 10 andup to ham, TO come on, as he Intended
TO gre him a aoggDg; no ow appeared The poor
bop--the riotiw Of aboiuiomsm--iook ms mhippmg
aud returned 10 his work
@Your affectionate son,
"JErKR l.. Tnoxrsosp
Is il any wonder in view Of these facts that
the slavery propagandists should be medtating
schemes of wholesale slave expectation to the
shores Of the Pacific The newspapers Of the
South are furnishing sufficient evidence of this
internal purpose, while such men as Clay Web
ster, and Cass, are talking about slavery being
prohibited by an irrspealabls law Of God In