The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-06-20

tuition. Several Of them, lest false infer
ences might be drawn as to their position,
have taken care lately TO reiterate in the
most offensive forms, their former declara-
tons against our rights; and when great
Senator representing one OF them, anxious
for the perpetuation Of the Union, has VEN
tured to advocate something Of Justice to the
! South, he has been rebuked by the Legisla-
4 iure Of the State he represents, and virtually
denounced for his fidelity to the Constitution.
This resource, then, under the ordinary ope-
rations of the Constitution, is OF no avail.
(, And how is il with the present Congress,
the only other source. Of redress in the usual
administration Of the Constitution For six
months it has been in session, and during
this whole period Of time slavery has been
the absorbing topic Of discussion and agita-
ton Yet nothing has been done to heal
the discontents which so justly exist in the
South or restore bleeding Constitution. All
we have received has been bitter denurcia-
tons of our institutions by many members
Of Congress, and threats to coerce Us into
submission. Although nothing has been
done, report has been made in the Senate
By committee Of thirteen members, which
is now pending in that body; and, as the
measures it proposes have been pressed upon
the South as worthy of her acceptance, we
deem il proper to lay before you brief con-
sderation of the matters it contains.
] This report embraces four distinct mea-
sures: lst, the admission of California as
State, with the exclusion Of slavery in her
constitution; 2nd, territorial governments to
be erected over the Territories of Utah and
New Mexico, with nearly one half of Texas
to be added to the latter Sd, the prohibi-
ton of the slave trade in the District Of Co.
lumbia; and, 4th, provisions for the recap
ture of fugitive slaves in the non-savehold-
ing States. To understand whether these
measures are consistent with our rights and
worthy Of our acceptance, each Of them
must be considered separately.
The South is excluded by the bill from the
whole of that part Of California lying on
the Pacific, including one hundred and fifty
thousand square miles Of territory; and, if
this be done by the Legislation of Congress,
the mode in which it is done is of no mpor-
lance. California belongs to the United
States, and all action by the individuals in
that territory, whether from the United
States or from the rest of the world, appro-
priating the soil to themselves or erecting
government over it, is Of no validity. They
constitute a people in no proper sense OF the
term; but are citizens OF the States or
countries from which they have come, and
|. to which they still owe their allegiance
When, therefore, Congress attempts to carry
out and confirm the acts of these individuals,
erecting California into a State and exclud-
ing slavery tberefrom, it is the same thing
as il Congress had originally passed a law
to this effect, without the Intervention Of these
individuals The exclusion of slavery from
California is done by the act of Congress,
and by no other authority. The constitution
of California becomes the act of Congress :;
and the Wimot proviso it contains is the
Wilmot provlso passed and enforced by the
legislation Of Congress. ...s .......E a.
\ Here, then, is that exclusion from this ter
ritory by the act of Congress which almost
every Southern State in the Union has de-
clared she would not submit! to, plainly and
practically enforced by this bill. A free
people cannot be satisfied with the mode in
which they are deprived of their rights. A
sovereign State will disdain to inquire in
what manner she is stripped Of her property,
and degraded from an equality with her sis
ter States 1t is enough that the outrage is
done. The mode is of little consequence.
There is therefore in the mode of extending
the Wilmot proviso over the territory Of Cali
. fornia presented by the bill nothing to mti-
gate the Indignation of the Southern States,
or to battle their determination to redress the
wrong, if inflicted. They are excluded
from the whole territory of California, ter
ritory extensive enough to contain four large
States ,."a@
II the constitution proposed by California
contained nothing about slavery, would the
| North allow her to enter the Union Such
were the territorial bills proposed for Cali
fornia at the last Congress, but they rejected
them, because the South was not excluded
from this territory in express terms. The
inhabitants of this territory have been left
without any civil government, solely because
| the South would not consent to be legislated
out Of them with her institutions and, now
that this object is accomplished by the con-
stitutlon presented by California, these con-
servatves-tbese advocates of law and or
der-are eager to admit her, without right
or precedent, into the Union. We are
aware of the inconvenience the inhabitants
of California may have suffered for want OF
a civil government established by Congress,
and therefore, are prepared to yield much on
account of the circumstances in which they
have been placed. In the resolutions we
have adopted and submit for your approba-
ton you will perceive that we recommend
you to assent to the admission of California
as a State on certain conditions.
The next measure is in perfect keeping
with the first feature Of " the report" 1t
takes from Texas territory sufficient for two
large States, and adds them to New Mexi-
co. What the bill contains with respect to
slavery will be of little consequence fort is
designed that next winter New Mexico, thus