The southern press., 1851-08-09


! county for many years TO flee from diff
culty--it was not her soul To hang like lag.
gard in the rear, or to be terrified by threats OF
, denunciation, but ii such spirit had come over
, her, then forever had PASSED away the same fe |.
! ings that dwelt in the breasts OF those whose
! glory and heroism had been the fame of the
State, cheers
I. Why was California admitted rs a State, and
what power had Congress to admit California
II there was no power to admit California, then
fraud had been committed; and ne asserted
that California at the time of her admission was
not State, but territory of the United States
their territory as we'll as any others, and that
there was not citizen upon it. The Mexican
inhabitants were not citizens, for the treaty re-
lative to the territory went to prevent the claim
OF citizenship being exercised, as they were not
sufficiently advanced to exercise the right of
suffrage. And who were the rest of the inhabit-
ants, AMI what were their claims None other
in the eve of the law than trespassers upon the
public domain-adventu.er from all parts of
the world--from China, and the Pacific coast
and isands,-nixtures Of all classes of society,
having but the object of gain in vew--to pro-
cure gold. No one ever dreamed that California
could be introduced as State, till Congress by
its act recognized the principle that but two
years before, during the presidential canvass
the principles advocated by Cass in his Nicho-
son letter, principles that were denounced in
every form bY the Wings, because Cass was said
to acknowledge "squatter sovereignty" In Cali
fornia, the Wing, might have found indians,
I IZambos, Chinese Europeans OF various nations,
Mexicans, Spaniards, and the outcasts of society
from all parts of the earth, all Joined together
for the purpose of searching the rich sands for
gold. What were all these human beings but
'squatters" upon the SOIL and if Congress ad.
mtted them to Union with the States, what
was this but recognition of 'squatter sover-
eignty?" Indeed it was a more full and explicit
adoption of the principle than the Nicholson
letter ever implied. Whence, therefore, this
change Of platform! At one time the Wings
denounced in unmeasured terms the very doc
trines that subsequently, when it served their
purpose to override the South they quietly
adopted He held that in the abstract Cass
was wrong, but he supported him because it
was merely a choice of evils and he preferred
the least. ..G......
/ Ii had been said that interest moved or
prompted many Of his party to take the bold
stand they had done; but such statements were
| the mere clap-trap OF party. What interest
could he have when he had sacrificed all the
ties of family and friendship. He had opp osed
the election of Gen. Taylor, which was source
Of pain, but to the altar cf freedom he deemed
it duty to make all sacrifices of domestic
or private character, and what was very strange,
for him, the press by which he had been so
often assaed in so malignant manner, raised
its voice in concentrations of his conduct,
whilst that same press now proceeded again
to assail him, anl attempted to bear him down
in every violent and possible shape.
A species Of evasive sophistry had often been
| mi red in 10 On VII fhat fha Of
fornia hada right TO form their own institutions
Who denied such right? But who were
those people in California! Had she any cti-
zens; he replied no she had not'-nhabitants
If they pleased, she might have had, but not cti-
zens. He asked them if they ever knew one
who went to California for the purpose of re-
manning to settle there! Whether those who
went, did not claim to belong to the State that
they had left, and whether, Immediately upon
their return, any one of them neglected to exer-
else in full his right and title of citizenship,
stating his reasons to be that his absence to
Calift rnia was merely on business? Would
any one say that there were others in California
than mere adventurers in search of gold? And
if such were really the case, what right had any
of them to exercise an interference with the
fundamental institutions of the country? If
there were no citizens, with what justice could
an admission to the Union be made? At any
rate, delay ought to have taken place, until
settlers upon the soil had acquired the right Of
acknowledgement
But further, there was not one In California
who could open the polls There was no Off
Ger who could sign the election returns There
was no suffrage in fact and when the question
came as to what was the population, no answer
could be given, for no census had been taken!
Thus their territory was wrested from them,
and transferred in a most unjust and unholy
manner to the anti.slavery people of the North;
the saveholding States, without any justifca.
ton, were excluded from rich territory, and
their balance and equoipoise of power lost, per.
haps, for all future time through unjust egis-
lation. Cooper, who might be taken as
shining light upon such matters, had said that
if the exclusion Of slavery did not result from
the Mexican law, California should have Ia
enacted to exclude slavery from the territory, so
that the principle of Southern exclusion was 10
be made at all hazards
There were two ways of creating the sover.
eigrty Of State. One was by grant of ter.
ritory to the people, the other was by revolution
No grant had ever been made Of California, nor
had il been wrested by force frcm the United
States, but by Jrdlm and injustice il had been
dedicated TO free. .soism, and by the same means
the institution Of slavery had been excluded
from the territory. [Cheers When the ones.
ton was before Congress, the South objected
TO the introduction of California, and asked for
one or two things either a territorial govern
ment, or a division of the country, but both
propositions were rejected, and Gwin. whom
they all had heard Of was called to the Senate
Enthusiastically, in the whole affair, the Souh
had been cheated and cajoled-defrauded, and
even nsulted and they ought therefore to adopt
such sentiments as would give unmistakeable
evidence of their determined stand for their JUS
tice and equality. Thus far had they been de.
ceived, but now he hoped that their eyes would
be opened and that for the honor Of Mississippi
they would determnedly stand or fall to the
last. lie did not appeal to those who were
transently resident amongst them, and who felt
no identity with Southern Institutions nor to
those vampires who fattened upon the Southern
wealth and Injuries who lived amongst them
| cor ,,bot thav aonld aba aud tLop nud In