The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-10-15
ADDRESS OF HON. ROBERT roomBs
To The People Of The Eighth Congressional
District of Georgia.


towards the General Government by the late proc
lanaton of Governor Towns makes IL my duty 10
address you in relation 10 the recent legislation of
Congress, 10 which resistance Is proposed and adj
yocated. | am opposed TO such resistance aud in
vite your attention 10 my for that opposi-
ton, My own action upon that legislation has
been recklessy and yirulently assailed, and syste
matically misrepresented by some of those who
opposed TO il. l must therefore ask your indul-
gence for brief exposition of that action, before
proceeding TO the statement OF the measures refer
red to- the principles upon which they are based,
and my answer 10 the objections urged against
them. The policy of the last Legislature upon the
subject OF our Federal relations has deeply endan-
gerad the honor and perhaps the safety oil the State
The late proc amation OF the Governor, protesting
TO be in accordance with that policy, has placed
our State in "a deile where we can neither turn TO
the right hand nor TO tue left where 1t Is mpossi-
bic to advance with safety, and difficult to retreat
with honor In the present emergency, our true
policy is to select one OF two courses; we must
either repudate the action of the Legislature
and Governor Towns, or arm our people Tor
resistance to the laws of the land, and disco
luton Of the Union. am in favor OF the first, and
against the last alternative because believe there
is nothing in those laws which demands or would
Justify that resistance. AS am not unirequently
quoted as authority in favor OF such resistance,
will here estate my own position. When Con-
gress met last December, 4 found there was
strong, and nearly unanimous disposition on the
part Of the northern Wing members to interpolate
the old Wing creed with Free-soil opinions. The
same disposition strongly manifested itself also
among the northern Democrats, though not to the
same extent. Four years. experience in Congress
had taught me the Importance OF the organization
Of the House to the success or defeat OF public inca
sures. After free, full and unsatisfactory con
ference in caucus with the northern Wings, de-
termined not to cooperate with them in the cleo
ton of Speaker without some security upon the
slavery question. found them, with but few
ceptions, pledged and determined TO ingraft the
Wilmot provso upon territorial bills for the gov
ernment Of New Mexico and U tab, and to abolish
slavery in the District of Columbia. | therefore
submitted to the caucus the following resolution,
to witt
''Resolred, That Congress ought to pass no law
abolishing slavery in the District OF Columbia, or
any law prohibiting it in the Territories OF the
United States"
The resolution promptly rejected, and |, to-
gether with those who acted with me, rs promptly
withdrew from the caucus and resisted, by all
means in our power, the election OF its nominee,
Mr.. Winthrop. The struggle for the Speakership
resulted in the election of of your own Repre-
sentatives, Mr.. Cobb, whose able and efficient adj
ADMINISTRATION of its duties has been highly honorable
TO himself and beneficial to you The contest for
the organization of the House was marked by
strong sectional feelings and angry and excited de-
bates. In one OF these debates, which attracted
good deal Of public attention, declared myself III
favor of dissolution OF the Union If Congress APP
piled the proviso to the Territories, or abolished
slavery in the District Of Columbia, refused etii
Gent legislation for the recovery OF fugitive slaves
In March l received, through Governor Towns,
the resolutions passed by the Legislature OF Geor-
ga declaring il to be the duty OF the people to re-
sst the Federal Government upon the three grounds
Just mentioned and also for the additional one ofthe
admission of California into the Union as State.
Immediately replied to these resolutions adhered 10
my grounds of resistance, and refused to sane
ton the additional ground assumed by the Legisla-
ture, and declared my determination to oppose any
resistance by the State on account OF the admission
Of California On the 9th of February, Il delivered
speech in the House of Representatives in which
the relation of the Federal Government to slavery
carefully and deliberately examined, and in that
speech | distinctly laid down the principle that
''The first act of Legislature hostility is the proper
point Of southern resistance" urged the South
''to stand by the Constitution and the laws TO OBJ
in good faith all Of their requirements until
the wrong Is contaminated, until the act Of eTelu-
sion IS put upon the statute books" i held that
while non Intervention WAS not the measure OF our
rights, "hostile legislation was the point of resist
ance;" and maintained that, whenever this princi-
pie was violated, it was :" not only the right
but the duty of the slaveholding States TO resume
the powers which they have conferred upon this
Government, and TO seek new safeguards for their
future security" These are the principles upon
which acted throughout the session. CARRIED ex-
tracts from some speeches | made in support Of
them, distorted, interpolated inaccurate extracts
from Others have been iraudulently applied TO boil
ster up causes for resistance which openly repud
ated, and to convict me of inconsistency The past
is safe-thcre stands the record. in the Wing eau
Gus at the opening of Congress; in my speech In
December; in my speech in February; in my letter
toGov. Towns in March, affirmed my own ground Ids
of resistance TO the Government, of dsunion, TO be
these three: lst The abolition of slavery in the Dis
trlct oil Columbia. ne pohOitIOra OF by
Congress in the Territories. 3D. The refusal of a
fair for the delivery of fugitive slayes.
took other / advocated no other grounds Of re-
sistance; did not abandon or compromise one lOt
or title of them did not enlarge them 10 include
the and lolies OF southern men, or diminish
them TO conciliate the hostility Of northern men
stood by them, and they not violated by the le-
gislation which am about 10 review. The tugl-
tive slave bill, which demanded, was granted II
satisfactory 10 the whole South, and received
the votes OF every one oil the members IN both
n he laltt ala in
the District, and the prohibition OF il in the Terri
torics-thc two other measures which i stood
pledged TO resist-were defeated, crushed, and
abandoned. 4 series Of measure for the pacihcn-
ton OF our territorial difficulties adopted, the
basis of which ] proposed early al February,
and was ready at any time during the whole Con-
gress 10 accept; yet ] am reproached for not Civ
ing ''aid and comfort" to iactious, foolish, and
untenablo resistance TO the Government for lcgis-
lation which have uniformly held and publicly
declared 10 be neither a just nor sufficient cause
for such resistance have refused first, last, and
all the time 10 endorse this California rebellion II
has no claims upon me ] am and have ever been
it enemy, and shall give 1t nothing but the rights
OF
Congress passed four bills in relation to the terri.
tory acquired from Mexico bill TO admit Cali
fornia into the Union; bill to settle the boundary
between Texas and New Mexico; and bills establish
ing territorial governments both for New Mexico
and Utah. BY them, in my opinion, the govern
mcnt has not performed its whole duty 10 Us by
them the South may not have secured all Of her
and important principles, and she has compromised
no right surrendered no principle, lost not inch
OF ground in this great contest She stands IA free
and untrammeled TO assert any just right in rola'
tos 10 the common territories she did before thu
bills for the establishment OF governments over then
were passod-with the advantage al least OF hav
ing recovered the principle unwiscly surrendered
in 1870. The defeat OF these bills would have los
that advantage, and would IN no respect have LET
any right Of the South on any better footing thar
that upon which II now stands The memorable
controversy between the North and the South ir
1919 and lo20, although II resulted IN the eSercis'
Of the power TO prohibit slavery In a portion
of the territories Of tho United States did no
originate in question Of territorial government
Missouri presented 20 Congress constitution sane
uoning slavery, the North asserted the powci
only to prohibit slavery in the territoncs, bu
10 plant perpetual prohibition Of IL Ia the cons
tuition Of State regularly asking admission int
the Union. The South opposed the restriction enc
| based her opposition 70 II upon the true consutu
tional ground-that Congress had no other contro
over the constitution Of State seeking admission