The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-01-31
SPIRIT OF THE PRESS.

birthday nine months before his death.
SPIRIT OF THE PRESS.
From The Madison Comfy a. ~ Journal Whig
papa.
| HON. WILLIAM DUER.
| On our first page will be found the vote in the
House of Representatives on the resolution offered
| by Mr. Root an Ohio Free .Soiler providing for
| Territorial Government over New Mexico,
with the Wimot prnviso alsn Mr. Duer's card
| explaining MS vote We are free TO cay that the
.;pas --Li-1 A.. T. ecs xz1-c3:cc3 he resolu-
ton appears to us to have been unfortunate, and
is calculated to give the impression that he was
prompted rather by party policy, than real de-
! sire to subserye the interests Of Freedom Its
effect must be to embarrass the speedy admission
of California as State, by throwing in the way
of bill for that purpose, long and embttered dis
cussion on his resolution. Yet we find the South
ern members voting m0Sse to lay it on the table,
and the Northern members, with few eXcep-
tons, opposing that motion. These exceptions,
we are sorry to say comprise, beside the invaria-
BILE doughfaces, three members from this State,
among whom Is the Representative from our own
district.
We feel called upon to say that we believe this
vote was given in opposition TO the views and
wishes of the great mass of his Wing consttu-
| ents.
Mr. Duer has doubtless access to far better
and more extensive sources Of knowledge with
regard to the wishes of the people of New Mex
| leo, than the public at large. But from the in
formation as yet laid before the people, it would
appear that the Conren,ioa Of New Mexico, by
an almost unanimous vote, decided in favor Of a
Territorial Government and accordingly elected
their Delegate to Congress. As we have before
remarked, the resolution of Mr. Root msy have
been ill.timed, ss regards the admission Of Cali
fornia, yet q portion Of the card of Mr.. Duer,
which seems to hint that the question should be
left to the people Of New Mexico themselves,
bears too close a resemblance to the doctrines of
Cass's Nicholson Letter. against which We
have too long and too earnestly ccntended, to
yield the least concession at this late hour. 1t
| has been the settled principle of the Wings of
this State reiterated in the canvass of ls4s and
| iS49 and enunciated with an esrnestness and a
dstincsaess too forcirle 10 be misunderstood that
it was the urgent duty Of Congress to prohibit
slavery in the Territories by positive enactment
at the earliest possible moment. Danger now
| stares us in the face from New Mexico.
IL il the last stronghold of the Slavery pcrpet-
ualsts and if by any management action in
Congress on the subject may he postponed or
STAYED of, it viii be done. And the acquiescence
| of single Wing member from this State in such
q course, seems to give to the South an earnest
| that they may receive aid and comfort from
| the Wings Of New York. IL is under these cir
cumstances and from the additional fact that
Mr. Duer represents the strongest Anti-Slavery
district in the North, that we feel it our duty to
express our deep regret that he has placed him
self in his present position
From the Cincinnati Daily Enyyirer-A Conserve
tire Democratic paper.
THE SOUTH AND TIE NORTH.
The recent outpourings of the Southern mem.
beers of Congress, while the balotings for Speaker
were progressing, aud the still more recent de-
bates in the Senate, will attract the attention of
every thinking man in the Union The speeches
themselves will accomplish more for the progress
Of Free-Soism, than all that has bel said or
done by the peculiar friends of that growing
principle in the politics Of the free States Hard
words and threats arouse opposition and every
citizen Of free State will be induced TO believe
that there Is more in this question of Slavery,
politically considered, than IN, cts the eye. They
will be led to do what, otherwise, they probably
would not have done--to think, reflect
The Representatives Of the South, lfor n
Southerner always takes especial care TO let you
know that he is member from the South lose
no opportunity Of Extensively thrustipg the ques-
ton Of the rights Of the South into every de-
bate that can be distorted into such An issue.
They generally wind up their spe ches with
windy threats about the dissolution of the Union.
Such threats are worse than idle; their own con-
sttnents would repudiate them, If they attempt
ed TO reduce them to practice. They do no good,
unless TO procure momeDtary triumph in Con-
gress, through a compromise, by which the South
will get Speaker, and thus secure the ascenden-
cy in Committees. But for this small and tran
hat icnun sucrifce Ia mazda ~
the kind feelings Of the North for the South
We speak in sober earnest when we say, that
the speeches Of hot-beaded and injudicious mem
bers from the South, on the floor Of Congress,
have made more abolitioBists than all the aboli-
ton lecturers of the land Their constant threats
Of disunion; their arrogant demands on the good
nature Of the North; their unreasonable assump-
ton Of rights which do not belong to them, that
they may procure favorable compromise, have
weakened the affection Of their friends in the
North, and changed their sympathy into coolness
il not disgust II Is a bad cause that requires
such advocacy and by the declarations OF its
counsel the South is losing ground rapidly in the
judgment Of the great jury, the American People,
now sitting In inquest.
The Democracy acting under the Constitution,
and with sincere desire to carry out its sacred
injunctious, have on more than one occasion,
placed themselves in the breaches which fanat-
uism had made in the guarantees of that insfru-
ment They were willing and determined that
the true rightsp Of the South should be pro-
tected from aggression, and have suffered sorely
for their generous aid 20 their Southern brethren.
And how have these disinterested acts been re-
ceiyed7 Has the South looked with friendly
eve on these sacrifices Of the Democracy on the
altar of their common country Has II sppre-
cated and measured these acts, as brother, or as
n taskmnster7 Most certainly the latter. IL
has cried. give give! until there Is no more TO
give It has exhausted the friendship and pa
tience of those who have, hitherto, stood by IL
with answering devotion Their generosity has
been repaid by ingratitude. Their best men
have been sacrificed without hesitation by the
heartless sel6shness Of the South and the "pe-
culiar institution can now boast OF AS many VIC
tins as any heather altar. IL has inundated Its
| friends. without -remorse or reflection Those
who bore the olive branch have been driven away
with revilings, and moments triumph has been
considered by the South rs better than an age OF
security.
We regret to speak thus harshly OF those whom
we should delight to call brethren but ingrsti-
tude has keen edge, and will make us feel The
Democracy have endured the seedlings and extor-
tons of the South until their stock OF patience
| Ia completely exhausted The exactions OF their
would-bs tsskmssters have become too great TO