The Woodville Republican. [volume] (Woodville, Miss.) 1847-1853, 1850-09-17
CALIFORNIA AND SLAVERY

II has for the last twelve months becom,
fixed fact, that California is adapted tC
slavery. And no reasonable man can doub
that had it not been for the "silent and pas
slye jurisdiction" exercised by the Govern
ment over the territory, spoken Of IN the
resolutions Of our Legislature and for tho
wicked Vaccinations of the abolitionists
tens of thousands of slaves would now be
in that country.
\ This consideration alone apart from the
higher. .laIla.,o of principle, should impel the
South TO renewed resolves, never to consent
TO the admission OF California with her pre-.
sent so-called constitution which was con.
ceiyel in frand and brought forth in ini.
putty
! But we have heard even Southern men
affirm that if California is to be admitted with
her ant-savery Constitution at all, they
would prefer that she should come in with
her present boundaries, on the ground that
one anti-savery State is preferable to two or
more. But they should bear in mind, that
soon all of that territory would be popula-
ted under the anti-savery constitution and
would then be divided into States ofreason.
able dimensions But if on the contrary,
the territory be now divided as proposed by
| Southern members of Congress, it is almost
certain that the Southern regi> will be a
slave-holding country.
The following important developments
with reference to this matter, are made by
a reliable correspondent of the New York
Herald He is
Uniformed Ivy distinguished member OF
the State Senate of California, that there are
several thousand slaves in that country,
chiefly below &c 80; that one person esti.
mates the number OF slaves in the country at
from three to five thousand. One gentle.
man from Arkansas has eighty slaves en-.
gagged in the southern mines; others have
been named to us as having their slaves in
the diggins, taken out by the ella route
from Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana, and
other Southern States. The abolition Of
the system of peonage has thrown out o.
the possession Of many large landholders
and cattle raisers hundreds of poems. Under
this state of things some of these stockraiser'
are already providing to supply the loss Of
their poems with negro slaves. The aboli
ton Of peonage will also account for the
meetings which have been held in southern
California, for separate territorial govern
ment.
"But more than this. We understand
that the California Legislature having ad
Ijourned, the members from Southern coun
ties have gone home with the intention o
getting up convention for the division o
the State and the establishment in the
Southern part of said State, of separate
territory, and separate territorial govern
ment"
We also make the following extract from
an editorial in late Richmond Enquirer
which throws additional light on the sub
Iject. Let it be read and pondered If the
South be but true to herself, she will YET
obtain fooL-hold on the Pacific:
Last week gentleman Of high character
from one of the lower counties of Virginia
informed us that he had received a letter
from his nephew, now in California South
of 80 deg. 30 mn, stating, that from the
gatherings of the people aud other reliable
sources he entertained no doubt that large
majority ofthe people Cfthat portion of Cal.
ifornia were in favor of slave labor, and
against being overhrownin in their wishes by
the anti-slavery Constitution, which was
made 10 cover the whole country"
Y0zO0 Democrat.