The southern press., 1850-09-09

"Be u enacted, &c., &c., That all that part Of ih,
\ territory Of the United States included within th,
following limits, to wit: bounded on the west by
the State of California, on the north by the Terri
tory Of Oregon, and on the east by the summit o
| the Rocky mountains, and on the south by the
thirty-seventh parallel Of north latitude, be and
| the same is hereby created into a temporary GOV
ernment, by the name Of the Territory of Utah
aud ,ohen admitted State, the said Territory,
any portion Of the same, shall be received into the
Union, tcih Uithout sarery, their constitution
may prescribe at The time Of their admission Truly
a gratuitous permission to have or not that which
| 1t is admitted, every State in the Union may con.
stitutionally adopt or not at pleasure.l Provided
That nothing in this act contained shall be con.
strued to inhibit the Government Of the United
States from dividing said Territory into two OF
more Territories, in such manner and at such times
as Congress shall deem convenient and proper, OF
from attaching any portion Of said Territory to
any other State or Territory Of the United States.
+ Mr.. WENTWORTH, of H., moved as an ad-
ditlonal proviso, that neither slavery nvolun.
tary servitude except for crime, &c, should exis,
in any of the territory acquired from Mexico.
The CHAIRMAN ruled it out OF order, mas
much it related to territory not involved in the
bill.
Mr.. WENTWORTH then modified his amend
ment accordingly. And the question being taken
by teIlers, 1.-THE ayes and nays not being obtana-
BILE in committee, it was disagreed to-4lyes CO
nays 7S.
Mr.. MEADE, Of Va, offered an amendment to
come in at the end of the first section of the bill,
carrying out the principle of non-intervention.
! The amendment read, as follows:
Z" That all laws heretofore passed by Congress
prohibiting African slavery in any Territory ly-
ing west of the Mississippi river, be- and the same
are hereby repealed"
The CHAIRMAN ruled it out of order
Mr.. MEADE appealed from the decision, but
the committee affirmed the derision Of the Chair.
| Mr.. seldom, of Va, moved the following
amendment, to come in Immediately after the pro-
vision that the Territories when formed into States
should be admitted with or without slavery, as the
people should in their constitutions declare
"And that prior to the formation Of State con-
stitu,ions there shall he no prohibition by reason
ofany law or usage existing in said Te ritory or by
the action OF the territorial legislature, Of the emf
grafton of all citizens Of the United States with
any kind of property recognized us such IN any
Of the States Of the Union
Mr.. S. said offer this amendment, Mr.. Chair
man, for purpose Of mere delay obstruction,
but in good faith, to obtain expression of the
| sense Of the committee. 1t Is not my purpose TO
comment upon the details or character of the mea-
sures which, by its action on yesterday and to-
day, it is clear this House has resolved to consum-
mate and pass. | feel too strongly and deeply the
gross wrong and outrage they nfct on my section
and State, to characterize them in terms at once
just and betting the decorum OF this place. This,
the last in the series, indeed tn least objection
able, because il il based on the sembance OF non
nterv ention, and may be considered as holding
out the profession of not excluding from the poor
remnant of the magnificent acquisitions obtained
| from Mexico, covered by it's provisions, the clti-
zens Of slaveholding States with their properly.
From all the residue, fear, the Southerner, with
his property, must be held forever excluded
from the wide domains and exhaustless treasures
Of California by positive prohibition, now con-
summated and ratified by the legislative sanction
| nf III; opIP Pron, tha ,,hn
well Of the territory purchased from Texas as OF
that included under the designation Of new Mexi-
CO, both by the supposed operation Of Mexican
law, and the well known determination re-
Gently evinced by the people on whom present
power is conferred to exclude the institutions OF
the South. The only chance remaining to the
South is in that isolated desert portion Of the Great
Basin, which has been abandoned, from its worth
! Iessness, to the Mormons: and even IN regard Ia
that, wish now to test whether there is really to
be, on the part Of the South, the privilege Of par
| ticpaton in its enjoyment. | wish, sir, to see If
| the principle of non-intervention is really to he
adopted, and carried out in relation to il. What
benefit to us that States to be admitted from
this territory, with or without slavery, as the
people forming State constitutions may prefer, II
| in the intermediate time the stakeholder with his
property is to be excluded by the pretext Of Mexi-
can law, by the territorial legislation OF the III
significant communities now occupying iii BY
| the vote Of the committee my amendment, we
can determine whether this alleged intervention he
a substance--a reality, or a mere shadow of q
| name-a pretence and a cover for our exclusion
under the supposed operation Of Mexican laws
or by hostile squatter legislation Let us see
whether our rights, ar Southerners and slavehod
ers, to participation in our common territories VIII
be acknowledged and secured, even as to this pItI
ful waste Of desert land.
| The question was taken on the amendment by
teers, and resulted in the negative. Ayes So
| noes SJ
Mr.. STEVENS, of Pennsylvania, said that as
it was an nvowed intention Of some to form Ter
ritoria Governments on the principle of non-in
| terventon, he would test that point by moving Ia
strike out that clause which provided for her ad-
mission State " with or without slavery, &c
! He thought we ought to should er our own re-
sponsbilites, and not attempt to bind future Con.
crosses to which she would apply for adm ission.
| He knew that many Northern members. in vio-
lation of rhe will Of their constituents and the ex-
press Instructions Of their Legislatures, were
ready for these bills, and leave the question
respecting slavery to he determined by the in
habants Of the Territories. Others Of us (said
he) have made up our minds never to vote for the
admission Of a new slave State. He knew that
these pledges were not binding on future Con-
crosses, but he knew also that many are apt to
take these pledges being really n part OF the
Constitution itself. Those bastard compromisers
on the Missouri and Tariff questions, became
was legisIated into existence by mere majority
of single Congress.
The question was taken by teliers and rejected
ayes 5S nays IS.
Mr. FITCH, Of indiana, moved the following
as an additional proviso to the bill:
Provided, That the Mexican law prohibiting
slavery be and remain in full force in said Terri
tory"
Mr.. MILLSON, Of Virginia, moved to substi'
| tute as follows:
Proriicd That no law or usage existing in the
said territory, at or before the time when the same
was acquired by the United States, shall be held
to destroy or impair, within the SAID territory
any rights of property or relations ofpersons that
may be now recognized and allowed in any of the
| United States"
Mr.. NJ. said | do not propose to exhaust the
time and patience Of the committee by length
ened discussion Of the merits of the question. My
| object is TO test the strength of the doctrine OF
non n-intervention, the true doctrine of non-inter'
vention, which leaves the rights of the citizens o
the South where the Constitution has placed them
and removes every obstruction which has been
| mt in their vav hv n foreign Government as well