Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1851-07-25
Letter from VIM. r.. King Esq.

YOUR friendly letter at an earlier day. hasten TO
return an answer. You doubtless attach to my
opinions much greater importance than they de-
serve but as one of your Senators in the councils
of the Nation, you have right to demand them on
all political questions and especially those affect
ing your personal security and rights of property
! shall proceed to lay them before you with the
frankness that becomes man. Concealments of
opinions deliberately formed, never has, and trust
will constitute any part OF my character, pub
lie or private. shall never be deferred from CIV
ing utterance, from the apprehension that they may
not be in accordance with those which others enter
tain or that, by making them known, | may effect
injuriously my standing as public man. This is
we'll understood by those who have known me long
est, and known me best. If | fall into error-to
which every man is liable-when convinced of it, |
promptly admit and retract it, but much as desire
to obtain the appreciation of the people have the
honor to represent should feel that was unworthy
of the position in which it has pleased them to place
me, if to gain it, were to trim my sails to every
popular breeze and violate the obligations to
our common country. condemn no man for hon.
estly differing with me in opinion, but have too
much self-respect and, | trust, independence, to
surrender mine to please any man or any set of
had supposed that my action on the so-called
compromise bill of the last Congress- together with
the reasons which governed it, had been plainly
marked by my public declarations and votes as to
preclude the possibility of misapprehension. From
the tenor of your letter this not to be the
brief statement will, trust put end to all
doubt or cavil for the future. was, as you know.
one of the committee of thirteen which reported the
compromise bill. Without going into detail, | will
only say, it did not receive my sanction in commit
tee nor 4roud l. uder amy circumstances, hare giren
1t ma support reported The parts to which prin-
cipally objected were, the admission of California
as a State with territory extensive than any
three States in the Union, and the clause which
emancipates slaves brought into the District for
sale could not fail to see that most of those who
advocated the admission of California with her ex-
travagant limits would, but fer the prohibition of
slavery contained in her constitution, have been
the most violent in opposition to her reception into
the Union. She owed her admission, then, to the
fact that the people of the slavehodng States
deprived of an equal participation in territory
which, of right equally belonged to the citizens of
all the States. Finding that there was fixed ma
ority determined to perpetrate this act of justice
if brought to the direct vote, | made effort to
curtail the limits of the State, that territorial
government might be established South of the Ser
ra Nevada. At one time the prospect fair that
my proposition. so proper in ITSELF would succeed
it however failed and California became State with
thousand miles of seacoast. No man could have
felt more indignant than did at this partial and
Just legislation, but am free to declare that have
not been able to see in the measure violation of
the Constitution as contended for by many did so
consider it, neither could would have express
sed the opinion that the people of the south could
with honor, and under the circumstances should
quiesce in what had been done. The Constitution
simply gives to Congress the power to admit new
States and the only restriction upon the exercise of
this power is, that the State Constitution shall be
republican, No territorial training is required no
assent of Congress to the formation Of the Const
tuition previously given, is to be found. The whole
matter rests with Congress to exercise sound dis
cretion.
AS respects the Bill for abolishing the slave trade
in the District of Columbia to which you particular
ly call my attention, wish to be distinctly under
stood. At early period of the first session of the
last Congress, declared in my place in the Senate,
that stood ready at any time to authorize the break
ing up of those slave marts in the midst of the city
offensive they to decency, prejudical to
health and in many respects shocking to humanity
1t my desire to clothe the corporate authorities
of the city with the power to abate them as nusan
ces whenever they conceived it proper to do so and
for such bill would unhesitatngly have given my
vote-having no fears that by such measure slavery
in the District would be affected injuriously. The
people directly interested entertained appre-
hension fthe kind--and think can say with GER
tainty that ninetenths of the citizens desired those
slave marts to be suppressed. /, however, voted
against the bill it passed. because the penalty for
violating the law was the emanc patton of the slave
and srould not under any circumstances, hare gire1
my sanction to emancipation an the District Of Columbia
hether as penalty for the Uioation of lar, ana
other IShould feel bounden duty ITO uote
for the repeal Of the emancpaing clause tcdeneUer pro-
posed. -.----
Permit me to advert for a moment to the other
provisions of the bill reported by the committee,
and for which, after undergoing several notifications
gave my vote--and first to the boundary of Tex
as l am fully satisfied that in giving my support
to the line agreed on, although | had contended
for different boundary, was promoting the true
interest of Texas and of the whole South The clamor
which has been raised against the measure, = that
slave territory had been surrendered to freesoil,
has no foundation in fact Many however. without
giving to the subject thorough examination, have
been made to believe that the boundary of Texas had
been established at the time of her annexation and
that her right to the whole territory east of the Rio
Grande from its mouth to its source unquestion-
ed. Nothing can be more erroneous. When Mr.
Calhoun as Secretary of State, negotiated treaty
with the Texas Commissioners he openly declared
that he considered her true Western boundary to be
a line to be drawn through what known as the
desert, lying between the Nuesces and Rio Grande
That treaty was rejected by the Senate. At sub
sequent session. the resolution which passed author
izing the admission of Texas, expressly reserved
the right of this government to fix by negotiation
with Mexico, her western boundary-nothing was
said about the Rio Grande-and thus Texas came
into the Union her western boundary unsettled
The effort to settle it by negotiation having failed
| Gen. Taylor directed to take position on the
East bank ofthe river--he removed from Point Isa-
| bel and eneamped opposite Matamoras. The battles
of Palo Alto and Resaca de Ia Palma followed
What was then said by Mr.. Calhoun, the bold fear
less and uncompromising advocate and defender Of
Southern rights and Southern interests He de-
nounced, in the most indignant terms, the admnstra-
ton of Col Polk for having involved the country in
unjust and unnecessary war, by the invasion of Mex
lean territory Texas then State of the Union,
IN - a