The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-02-14

thew are to be favored oy congress Win the
opinion, that IT Is NOT LIKELY that slavery will
be introduced into any part of the conquered ter
ritory What is only improbable is at least pos
sbis and hence this legislative opinion would, in
fact, be a solemn and official declaration, that
there is no legal prohibition to the introduction
of slavery. 1t is not pretended that this opinion
which Congress is to volunteer, is to have any
legal force whatsoever But what, if time shall
prove the opinion to have been erroneous will il
be any consolation to the North for having by
their act blighted immense regions with human
bondage, that they had been fooled by an opinion
Mr.. Downs, of Louisiana, in reply to Mr.. Clay,
asserted that there already in the territories
some four or FIVE hundred slaves !" and another
member declared that there would now have been
plenty of slaves there had not their masters been
apprehensive OF the Proviso. II Mr.. Clay is cor
rect in his opinion, the Shareholders have been
strangely mistaken. 1t was openly avowed dur
ing the war, that the territory to be conquered
south of $3.50 would be slave region. Before
our army entered the city of Mexico, we were
offered all Texas proper and the whole of New
Mexico and California north OF thirty-seven de-
grees; an extent of territory equal to nine States
of the size of New-York. The offer was rejected,
and thousands were slaughtered to obtain terri
tory south of $3.50, to be peopled with slaves.
From the first mention of the Proviso, our North
ern editors and politicians in the slave interest
opposed it as unnecessary, because, as they as
sured us the soil and climate of these territories
IL Il LII bolJ
knew better, and never Endorsed the falsehood of
their allies Mr. Waddy Thompson, of South
Carolina, Minister to Mexico, announced to his
BRETHREN writing of California, "Sugar, rice and
cotton find there their own congenial clime."-
Rseollections Of Merieo, p. 234.
Did the South make war upon Mexico only to
acquire free territory? Is she now threatening
disunion and civil war for privilege she ais not
likely" TO exercise?
Upon what does Mr. Clay rest his strange I'M
natural opinions Almost exclusively on the ex-
cluson of slavery from the California constitu-
ton. He does not pretend that this exclusion
was owing to the unftness of the soil and climate
for slave labor We all know that the unex-
pected discovery of gold suddenly collected in
California large Northern population, naturally
averse to slavery and jealous of the competition
of slave labor in digging gold. But does gold
large Northern population in California, south of
$3.50? Is it logical to infer that slavery is not
likelyt to be introduced into these territories even
with the sanction of Congress- because under
totally different circumstances it has been exclu-
ded from California? New-Mexico is separated
by an imaginary line from Texas and about half
of it is claimed by that slave State. Is it likely
that Texan Shareholders will not cross the line
with their property, or occupy territory they
claim as their own
The settlers in Deseret have formed Consti-
tuition virtually allowing slavery, by not prohib-
iting it. The gold diggers in California are con-
centrated far north of $780, the city of San
of it is large area where there is little to OBJ
struct the introduction OF slavery. Under these
circumstances, there are probably very few men
in Congress who would dare, on their oaths, to
affirm the opinion expressed by Mr.. Clay. That
opinion is at best calculation of chances cal
culation on which no man would hazard a
thousand dollars yet this miserable calculation
is offered 10 the North as compensation for the
surrender of all the political aud moral blessings
which the Provfso would SECURE.
MIR. Clay utterly demolishes Gen Cass's argu-
ment against the consttutionality of the Proviso,
and afhrms most positively the right of Congress
to prohibit slavery in the territories. But how
stands the question of duty and moral consistency
between these two gentlemen? Undeniably in
favor OF the General. He has not, indeed under
taken 10 solve the nice and difficult question
whether human bondage is a curse or blessing.
He is sensibly alive to the atrocity of fogging
two or three Hungarian women, but makes no
comment on laws which subject thousands and
tens OF thousands of American women TO the lash
He calls upon the nation TO express It's indgna-
ton al the execution of few Hungarian insur-
gents taken with arms in their hands, but gives
no opinion how far it would be right or wrong TO
shoot certain of his own countrymen, if taken in
revolt against worse than Austrian oppression.
But he contends that whatever may be the moral
character of slavery, Congress has no constitu-
tonal right to prohibit it. and therefore ought not
to prohibit it, On the other hand, Mr.. Clay
frankly declares that slavery is wrong, "a griev-
Gus wrong" that to propagate slavery is to pro-
pagate WRONG He afirms the constitutional
power of Congress to prohibit this propagation of
wrong, and then calls upon Congress to permit
Shareholders to propagate this wrong when and
where they please over the whole wide extent OF
our conquered territory, with the single exception
of what may be included within the State of Cali
fornia. Before God and man, Gen Cass's con-
cluson from his premises is justified, while the
conclusion drawn by Mr.. Clay from his premises
is condemned as hostile to morality and humanity.
8. This resolution merely gives to Texas more
territory than she is entitled to, and less than
she demands, ard is so far compromise of ter
ritorial Claims but in no degree compromise
between the friends and enemies of human rights
since what is to be taken from Texas is to be i'm
mediately thrown open to the shareholders.
A. Texas had, before annexation, pledged her
duties on foreign commerce as security to certain
creditors. These duties, by annexation, were
sure ndered to the United States. Mr. Clay pro-
poses that the United States shall assume the
debts due to these creditors if Texas will relin'
quish her claims on New Mexico. II justice re-
oures the nation to assume these debts, their as
sumption ought not to depend on the cession OF
territory by Texas II in justice we do not owe
these debts, their payment by us will in fact be
gratuity to Texas for the REIMBURSEMENT of one
Ii. L.,