The southern press., 1851-09-02
Mr.. Cobb's Reply to the Macon Committee.

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many wild assertions made
Mr.. Cobb's Reply to the Macon Committee.
ATHENS. August IL, 1851.
GENTLEMEN: | did not receive your letter
until my return from the lower part OF the State,
about The first Of the present month, and have
not, therefore, replied to it at an earlier day.
AS have received Communications from other
parts of the State on the same and kindred
subjects, have determined in this reply to con-
slider the questions involved at some length, as
| desire that it may be considered as responsive
to the various communications to which have
referred.
Your letter propounds the two following in
terrogatores: rH
lst DO you believe that State by virtue
of her sovereignty, has the right peaceably to
secede from the Union or is it your opinion
that the general government has constitutional
authority to coerce her to remain in the Union!
And should call be made upon the military to
aid in attempting to coerce seceding State
would you, if in the executive Office, obey such
requisition 81 e
I'd. DO you believe that the late acts of Con-
gress, termed the Compromise, were constitu-
tioral, jnst, and equitable 2"
shall consider these questions in the inverse
order in which you have proposed them.
In order that may be dstincly understood
in reference to the late acts of Congress termed
the Compromise" consider it proper to make
brief reference to each of the six bills which
composed that compromise, and shall, in that
way be enabled to give the most satisfactory
answer to your second nterrogatory.
The bills establishing territorial governments
for Utah and New Mexico rest upon great
constitutional principle, which has always re-
ceved the warm and cordial support of Sonth-
ern men, and by none advocated with more
zeal than those now politically associated with
yourselves. That principle is, the right of the
people TO determine for themselves whether or
not slavery shall constitute part of their social
system" In these bills on the slavery question
is found this provision: sand said territories
shall be received into the Union with or with
out slavery, as their constitution may prescribe
at the time of their admission" II this import
ant principle, so long contended for by the
South, and so long resisted by the North, be
repudiated by the South, then these bills are
} obnoxious to the objections urged against them
by the disunionists but if the South be content
to abide the operation of her own cherished
doctrines on this subject, then these bills are in
strict conformity with the requirements of the
: South, and should be entirely satisfactory to u.s.
{ 1t is too late to talk about the repeal of the
Mexican lqSs, after the almost unanimous sup
port by It'd. representatives of the South of the
Clayton compromise bill, which no more re.
peals those laws than the bills we are now con-
sldering nor were our representatives in their
advocacy of the Ciayton-compromise bill more
united than were their constituents in their ap-
proval of the votes of these representatives
The eight Southern representatives who voted
against that bill, on the ground that they re-
quired the repeal of the Mexican laws, were de-
nounced at traitors to the South for making the
demand, by those who are now most noisy in
their complaints against Southern representa-.
tives for not requiring the repeal ofthe Mexican
laws. | voted for the Clayton n-compromise bill
and was universally sustained in Georgia in
that vote. Why is it that am now condemned
for my support of those bills by the men who
then approved of my course!
The Clayton-compromse bill contained nc
express guarantees for the admission of slave
States, If the people desired il; whilst these
bills pledge the faith of the government TO ad
init these territories as States, with or without
slavery, AS the people may determine when they
come to organize their State constitution.
These bills received the support of n majority
of the representatives of the South. Your
own representatives from Georgia were unani
nous upon the subject The only violent and
decided opposition made to them proceeded
from the abolitionists and free-soilers, who saw,
in the provisions to which have referred, the
reputation of their favorite doctrine of con
gressional nterdiction Of slavery in the terrific
ries, and the recognition of our own favorite
doctrine of leaving to the people the decision of
the question whether or not they would have
slavery among them.
"The bill TO settle L e disputed boundary be-
/ turaan fb, IT,,,oI a,,I
equally sound and constitutional principles Its
provisions simply contain proposition from
the general government to the State of Texas,
to settle the boundary between the territory of
the United States and the State of Texas, by
adopting certain line as that boundary; and, in
| consideration that Texas will Weld the claim
which she had made TO the seeded territory, the
United States agrees 10 pay her the sum of ten
millions of dollars. There was no threat, no
coercion, on the part of Congress, to compel ac-
quescence in their proposition. 1t was mat
ter for tho calm and patriotic judgment Of the
people of Texas TO determine; and the terms
were agreed to by her with unparalleled una
uimty. 1t is equally untrue and unjust to the
brave and patriotic people of Texas, to impute
their action on this subject to the fear of federal
power, or the equally offensive consideration Of
bribery and corruption. AS would not tolerate
aUcn an lmputaton upon the cltZeHs OF our own
States, under similar circumstances, will not
indulge in the ungenerous and unfounded re-
Election upon the honesty and integrity Of our
oung and prosperous sister"
This disputed boundary was thus settled be-
tween the United States and Texas in the only
mode, in my Judgment in which such an issue
could be determined between the government
and sovereign State of this Union. ] am
aware that the charge is sometimes made that
this bill seized on the slave territory of Texas,
aud appropriated it TO free-soil. Nothing could
be further from the truth. The only direct ef-
/ feet resulting from this measure upon the slavery
question was TO remove the prohibition upon
slavery in that portion of the ceded territory be-
ing above 36 deg. 30 min which was put upon
I II In the articles of annexation, when Texas was
admitted into the Union. The bill removes that
| prohibition, and submits to the decision of the
people of the territory, when they come 10 or
I ganize their State government, the question
whether or not slavery shall constitute part Of
their social system. This bill, like the others
which have considered, received the warm and
cordial support Of a mgjc'up Of Souihern repre-
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