The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-08-02

Hon. ROBBERY TOOMBS, OF Georgia,
In the House Of Representatives., February "a
1850, in Committee of The Whole on The SLATE
of the Union, on the Presidents Message, COM
muricating the Constitution of California.
Mr. TOOMBS said:
Mr. CHAIRMAN: There is general discomfort
among the people Of fifteen States OF the Union
against this Government Popular discontents
are rarely ill-founded 1t is almost Impossible
in a free, popular government, for any consider.
able portion Of the people to become alienated
from the government of their own free choice
without substantial reason. i propose, as O
Representative of portion Of the people who
participate largely in this discomfort, to inquire
into its cause, and if it be well-founded, to ask
you to remove it. II is based upon a we'll
founded apprehension of a fixed purpose on the
part of the non-slavcholding States Of the Union
to destroy their political rights; to put their in
stitntions under the ban of the empire, by ex-
GLIDING them from an equal participation in the
common benefits of the Republic, and thereby
to bring the powers of their own Government in
direct hostility to fifteen hundred millions OF
their property. This brief statement suggests
the proprety of the investigation upon which
now propose to enter What is the true relation
of this Government to property in slaves! We
are now, sir, in transition state; heretofore
the distribution of political power, uader our
system, has made sectional aggression impossi-
Bile. think it would have been wise to have
secured permanency to such distribution by the
fundamental law. 1t was not done.
The course of events, the increase of popu-
lation in the northern portion of the republic,
and the addition of new States, are about TO
give, if they have not already given, the non
saveEolding States a majority in both branches
of Congress-, ard they have a large and ncreas-
ing majority of the population Of the Union.
These causes have brought us to the point
where we are to test the sutficiency of written
constitutions to protect the rights of a minority
against majority of the people. Upon the
detcrmn ton of this question will depend, and
ought to depend, the permanency of the Gov
ernment The union of these States had its
birth in the weakness Of it's separate members ::
without that single controlling element, its
early history amply demonstrates that its crea-
ton, in its present form, would have been an
impossibiity. 1t contained uncongenial ele-
ments, and perhaps discordant interests. Itleft
local, yet great and important interests, of what
was even then seen would be numerically the
weaker section of the confederacy, without any
security against the stronger, except from parch-
ment guarantees. Our fathers did not initiate
the wisdom of the great Grecian ambassador,
who declared, when entering into treaty with
the adversaries of his country: I" will accept
no other security but this--that you shall not
have the poacer to injure my country, if you wish
to do it," Our security, under the Constitution,
is based solely upon good faith. There is moth
ing in its structure which makes aggression per-
manently impossible. 1t requires neither skill,
nor genius, nor courage, TO perpetrate it it re-
quires only bad faith. / have studied the his
tories of nations and the characteristics of man
kind to but little purpose, IL that quality shall
be found wanting in the future administration
of our affairs. Our present Constitution was
not baptized in the blood of the revolution.
The old confederation, which was found
strong enough, under sense Of common dan
ger, to carry as triumphantly through the war
of the revolution, upon the return OF peace, was
supposed TO be insufficient for the wants of the
country. Delegates met in Convention at Phila-
delphia to amend it the present Constitution
was the result of their labors. The journals
and debates Of that convention attest the fact,
that the delegates from the saveholding States
saw the danger Of submitting their rights to
property in slaves to the hostile legislation of
the proposed new government. They then
foresaw that they would be 10 minority; a
strong hostility TO that interest was openly
manifested in the convention; they were wise
enough not to expect an abatement OF that SEN
timent, and therefore they demanded special