Southern standard. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1851-1856, 1851-04-05
Failure of the Compromise.

Senate in February 1850, as basis of the com
promise, he undoubtedly undertook to conform to
the opinions of q majority of the people, whatever
he might have thought of conforming 10 justice
He wanted to obtain the adoption of his PROPOSE
tion. even if he did not want to be president, He
knew that the majority was in the North, and he
must have intended to the vote of the North
Accordingly his plan received with much ap-
probation, and little censure in that section, and
was denounced all the way from Richmond, in Vir-
ginia, to Texas
Yet Mr.. Claws resolutions proposed & suitable
boundaries for California. What was meant by
that Why according to all the ideas of '' suita-
ble which then prevailed it was inferred that the
boundary of the new State was to be like those of
other States. Mr.. Clay not then prepared to
make the experiment on the South, of proposing
the whole of seaboard California as one State But
time wore on. The South became more divided
and submissive than was imaGined-more than
anv body could have dreamed, after the resolu-
tons of her State legislatures Gen. Taylor was
in power, and spoken OF a candidate for re-elec
ton His policy as indicated as to California and
New Mexico was more Northern than Mr. Clay's
He recommended the admission of California with
the monstrous claim of limits made by her Con
vention, and also the admission of New Mexico
a State. Here were two Southern men bidding
against each other for Northern support, at the
expense of the South, and Nh Clay acceded to the
territorial prctensions Of the inhabitants Of Cali
fornia as suitable" And the thing was done
1t was expected by the compromisers that the
North, thus winning more than was expected or
promised, would not only acquiesce but rejoice.
And indeed bonfires and illuminat0nS celebrated
that victory of peridity and fraud all the way
from Washington along the Northern scaboard.
Two or three faint and feeble efforts of the same
kind in the South visited with popular con-
demnation, too promptly to be repeated.
E,,-I i Il, {
of the world taught us, that such a monstrous
scheme could not prosper. Our knowledge of the
moral infrn!ity of man assured that cupidity,
fanaticsm and ambition would never have the
moderation to pause and be satisfied with success
full aggression. We therefore said, at the time,
that this surrender to the North instead Of arrest
ing the agitation there, would augment it, and
bring down still further demands on the South
But we were assured by the victorious compro-
misers, that agitation TO be at end
that freesoSm was put down-that the WiImot
proviso was dead-and the Union saved.
Well not six months have elapsed and what is
the result ? Why five Northern States out of six
teen. not one-third of the number, have approved
the compromise: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, In
diana and Illinois, majority of whose Repre-
sentatives and Senators would have voted for
$3.50, if it had been insisted OH by the South.
But New \ ork Ohio, Massachusetts. Connecticut,
New Hampshire, Vermont, Wisconsin and Maine
have already pronounced against it, either in the
elections of the people, or of Senators, or in res
olutions. Even in Pennsylvania the attempt to
repeal the laws obstructing the recapture of fugi-
tive slaves has failed
Thus the Compromise is repudiated by an over
wheIming majority of the North and agitation is
still going Thus has the consideration failed,
thus have pershed the hopes of political prefer
ment that operated in its support.
1t is true, that the Southern opponents of the
Compromise have not been adequately sustained
1t is true, that the recommendations of the Nash
vile Convention have not been generally adopted.
Many of the Southern States have permitted
themselves to believe that peace at least had been
obtained from the North although at a runous
price-and the ais inertia of political, well as
physical bodies, the love of ease, the Difference
for power and the difficulty of redress, combined
to paralyze them.
But it is now obvious that the controversy will
proceed-and that the South, in consequence of
her indecision and inirnity viii have to contend
for the remnant as much as for the whole of her
rights, against power that now prepOnderates
than before. This is the result of submission.
Whilst, however, the necessity of maintaining
contest Is thus obvious-it is almost equally clear
that no contest is worthy of the South, unless it
be for her full rights. These alone can make her
safe. Anything less, bjects her to perpetual ag-
gresslon, and perpetual defeat
Let then those who assert the equality of the
South persist. Let them remain united and deter
mined, Those who were for the compromise will
soon be compelled by events to take one side or
the other. Let it be considered that the Southern
party is powerful in number, in talent in wealth.
and above all in its cause Let it be remembered
that all schemes of injustice, however apparently
successful at first, contain the moral elements of
self-destruction.
When we look back in the history of the world
and observe what mighty results have been accom-
plished by even few men, by perseverance, forti-
tude, talent and ZEAL and reflect that in great eff
forts all these qualities developed and exercised
and that the prizes of life are due only to those
VINO struggle for them, we have no reason to des-
par The North is powerful in numbers but
1t is weak from its factions and faacies. At all
events no people ever yet fell who worthy to
stand and if unhappily the infrmity of the South
should ultimately cause her overthrow history will
remain to attest that there were many who were
firm and faithful to the last, whose counsels were
unheeded, and whose efforts were unaided-,So.
Press.
when hear Northern man say the GLORIOUS
onion, methinks | hear the bugle blast of the
roooer band but when | hear Southern man
cry out the "Glorous Union - metbinks I snufT