Southern standard. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1851-1856, 1851-10-04


prohibition of slavery, obviously relying upon
the threat to enact such prohibition would have on
the migration of Shareholders, and equally per-
haps upon the knowledge that slave property, more
/ than any other require the protection OF law. At
this session. as at the one which preceded it, the
Committee ON Territories introduced bills for Ter
rtoria Governments, and for the admission of Cal
ifornia as State into the Union. They met with
little favor from Southern Senators. The position
generally held by them that the power to admit
new States did not confer the power to create a
State, this being the objection which had been so
ably presented by the Committee on the Judiciary,
in their report OF the preceding session. on the bill
to admit California as State
On the 29th of January, 1850, Mr. Clay in
troduced a series of resolutions declaring that
California, with suitable boundaries, ought, upon
her application to be admitted as Of the States
of this Union, and that as slavery did not exist by
law in any of the territory acquired from Mexi-
co, it was inexpedient for Congress TO provide BY
law either for its introduction or exclusion, and
that territorial governments ought to be establish
ed for all of said territory not included within the
limits of California, without any restriction or con
dition on the subject of slavery. Thai the ives
tern boundary of the State of Texas ought to be
fixed on the Rio del Norte up to the southern line
of New Mexico, and thence with that line east
wardy excluding any portion of New Mexico
District of Columbia, whilst that institution ex-
listed in the State of Maryland, without the con-
sent of that State, without the consent of the
people of the District, and without just compen-
sation to the owners of slaves within The District
That il was expedient to prohibit. within the Dis
trct the trade in slaves brought into 1t from States
or places beyond the limits of the District either
to be sold there as merchandise, or to be trans
ported to other markets without the District of
/ eff. al
to be made for the restitution and delivery of per
sons bound to service or labor in any State who
may escape into any other State territory in the
Union. That Congress had no power to prohibit
or obsruct the trade in slaves between the slave
holding States, the admission exclusion depen-
ding exclusively upon their own particular laws.
With more than ordinary unanimity, and with far
more than ordinary severity, these resolutions
were opposed by the Senators of the Southern
States. They were attacked soon as read, and
most fercely, by some who have since been the
open advocates-the champions of that "compro-
mise" scheme between which, and this series of
resolutions, there is striking resemblance that
their author has said there was no material differ
Ience.
1t was evident that the power existed to bring
California as a State into the Union, notwithstand-
inc the gross defects and irregularities of the case
and we had little to expect for the protection OF
/
would probably pass the two houses of Congress.
In this condition of affairs, it was proposed to
raise special committee, to which should beTe-
fcrred the whole subject in controversy, in relation
to slave property and the territories. l expected
that a committee would be formed, equally repre-
senting the two great divisions of interest and OF
opinion. From such a committee, alone, could
any beneficial result have been expected. The
committee as organized, was composed of six
To- l. l. 1 \,
saveholdng States of the latter, one, Mr..
Bell of Tennessee had introduced resolutions
which committed him to the admission of Califor-
MIA as a State and to the partition of Texas, The
Chairman who had the members been equally
divided. would have held the balance of power,
was Mr. CLAW. Of Kentucky whose resolutions
sufficiently indicated what his course would be.
In addition to the bills reported by the committee
on territories, the committee on the Judiciary had
reported a bin 20 provide more eifectualiy for the
re-capture of fugitive slaves, and Mr. Benton, o
Missouri, had broughtin a bill to reduce the i'm
rs of Texas below those claimed by her when, a.
an ndependent State, she was annexed to The
Union. This last bill was strongly opposed at The
lime OF It's introduction, and arrsigned by my
colleague, rs one which would g Completely an
seule the question OF slavery III all the vast do
main which it propose, purchase from The State
OF Texas
The special committee OF thirteen united tht
bills from the committee territories for ;
Stale OF California, for governments lor he Terri
tories OF Utah and New Mexico, and ior the es
adjustment OF the boundary Of Texas, he Ii ste
with inconsderable variation and reported
them to the Senate as one proposition. The houn
DIARIES OF California had not been reduced to suit
able limits as was proposed in Mr.. Ciay's resoiu
TONS but still embraced the whole sea coast w
had acquired on the Pacific, and retained their i'm
mense extent and unnatural form on the south ant
east. No objection as it existed against the bill
+ when it came from the committee on terrltorie
! had, to my mind, been removed yet, strange t
$ saw Southern Senators who had most prompt
e opposed those resolutions and that BILL were tn
advocates of this proposition from the ''compro
mise committee. | opposed them onjointly, a
had singly. My judgment assured me that Their
were radical defects in the case of California.
: could not believe they cured by attaching t
the bill territorial governments, in which the yaun
\ ted merit was, that they did not contain the Wi
f mot proyiso because it unnecessary; because
f according to the report of the committee, ether
was never any occasion for it to accomplish tn
protested object with which it was originally Offer
r ed;'' the action of the people of California bein
i cited to establish this position. 1t poor sal
r isfaction to me be told that Congress would al
stain from legislation and that such non ctio
i would work the exclusion of the South Still les
d were the defects to be cured by taking territor
! from under the jurisdiction of slaveholding Stat
to transfer it to the custody of Congress and til
s control of population who had already NANTES