The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1851-09-25
FREE TERRITORY LEAGUE.

A meeting was held at Bloomingyille, Erie
county, Ohio of which WILLIAM PARRISH was
chosen President, for the purpose Of forming a
League of all who are opposed to the abolition
of Freedom in New Mexico. The meeting re-
solved, that no fact is more clearly established
than the abolition of Slavery in New Mexico,
Utah, and California, before the acquisition of
those territories by the United States they are
consequently free territories. They appeal to
the following testimony:
l. Before the annexation of Texas Robert j
Walker of Mississippi, in his celebrated pamph-
let advocating that measure asserted the free
dom of the Mexican provinces west of the Rio
Grande in emphatic terms.
2 John Mclean, of the Supreme Court has
published an elaborate opinion, in which he
declares slavery to have no legal existence in
any of our Mexican acquisitions.
g. The same opinion has been repeatedly ex-
pressed by the leading jurists and statesmen of
the country.
4. Thomas II. Benton, of Missouri, has ex-
planned that "the North was queted, with re-
spect to the necessity of the Wilmot Proviso by
the production i'll the Senate of the United
| States of the Mexican laws, constitutional and
statute, in the original Mexican books showing
the total abolition of slavery in the Mexican
dominions, before we acquired the country and
the consequent non-existence Of slavery in New
Mexico, California, and Utah, at this time
Lewis Cass. James Buchanan, Henry Clay
Daniel Webster Thomas Corwin, Willard Fill.
more, and host of Others, are s0lemnly pledged
| q, bo hot tbo Ioxx unfI n1 nd
(soil, climate, and the will of the inhabitants
would unite to prevent the usurpation of those
territories by slavery; but notwithstanding this
declaration, information has been received which
constrains the belief that emssaries of the slave
trade are actively employed ut Santa Fe to abol
ish freedom and extend slavery, and that the
executive and judicial officers appointed by the
Administration are parties to this infamou,
scheme The Governor of New Mexico, James
s. Calhoun, is STAKEHOLDER from Georgia, and
recommends in his first message that the Pueblo
Indians should be deprived of the right of SUI:
frage secured to them by treaty, as to overcome
their hostility to slavery by public fraud, while
the Chief Justice of the Territory, lately from
Mississippi, is stationed at Santa Fe, and is an
other accomplish in the conspiracy. Our lateS
intelligence is that ministers of the Gospel are
prosecuted for urging the inhabitants to resis
the encroachments of the slavers
The crisis demands that something be done
at once to resist these encroachments and pre-
vent the subjugation of free territory to the do
minion of slavery The hope of the requisit,
action of Congress in the premises is too remot,
and contingent to content the friends of free
dom-consequently, the following resolution
were adopted;
Resoired, That this meeting propose to tn
Freedom Convention, now summoned ut Cleve
land on the cath of September to recommend
Free Territory League, membership of whcl
shall be constituted by the payment of one dol
lar That this association shall be composed q
citizens of all political parties and creeds, AM
the sole object OF the fund shall be to resist tn
extension of slavery by the following agencies
|. TO establish and support anti-slaver
newspapers at Santa Fe and San Francisco, $
edited MS to persuade the people of New Mexic
to insert the Jefferson Proyso in their territore
laws and State Constitution, and to dissuad
the people of California from dividing thei
State with the view to erect a slave territory O
State ON the Southern border.
,. To publish and circulate in the SPANS
and English languages IA series Of books an
tracts exhibiting the disastrous influence of sa
very upon the morals and industry of comm
nifty
3. To despatch TO Santa Fe the most emiuen
counsel, learned and skltul in the law, and,
possible masters of the Spanish language, wit
ample resources 10 commence prosecution
under the writ of hGbeas corpus of every slave
holder, and conduct the same TO final iudgmen
before the Territorial Judges
Resolved That our belief is that fund @
100000 could be accumulated for such pu,
pose before the meeting of Congress in Decen
Der; but, in order to inspire the requisite conf
dence in its fair application to the toregon
objects, and no Others We would further recon-
mend 10 the Cleveland Convention to appoip
Charles Francis Adams of Massachusetts Josh
ua Leayitt of New York, William Elder @
Pennsylvania, and Salmon Z, Chase of Ohio
Commissioners Of he Free Territory Fund
ReSOiped, That the abolition of the Britis
Corn Laws by the agency of u similar Leagu
encourages us Ia hope that the instrumentalit
would be no less ehectual here.
ResoIped That the President and Secretar
of this meeting be instructed to forward a cop
of these resolutions to the President Of tn
"cleyolqnd Freedom Convention" of the 2iti
inst, with "a request that they be submitted fo
the consideration of that body,
! Resolped, That the editors of the NatiOna