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

Delhg hxed upon land granted and surveyed IN
Guiding improvements.
He swiftly reviewed the conduct of the North in
relation to the Northwestern Territory, IN exclud-
ing slavery, without the "least color of constitu-
tonal authority as declared by Mr.. Madison,
from that vast domain, by the. Ordinance of 1887
He compared the conduct of Virginia and the
South, with the late conduct of the North in rea-
ton to California and New Mexico. He showed
that when we emerged from the revolutionary
struggle the Northern States had only about Ca
900 square miles of territory, while the Southern
States possessed over 100000 square miles, de-
rived from charters and grants from the British
crown. That Virginia alone claimed territory
extending four hundred miles in width from the
Atlantic to the Pacific ocean That after the for
nation of the articles of Confederation, some of
the States claimed that Virginia ought not to ap-
proprate to herself such vast territory, the title
to which had been secured by the &c common blood
and treasure of all the States against a common
enemy and that the said territory ought to be re-
garded as a common fund-frst, to pay the ex-
penses of the war, and afterwards for the common
benefit of all the States. And some of the States
actually refused to come into the Union, unless
this arrangement was agreed to. Virginia, a
Southern State, magnanimously donated her terri
tory desired to Congress, trustee for all the
States. She did not appropriate it to her own use.
She did not rob her sister States of all interest
the common acquisition, although she had the legal
title. She did not, like the North, in the of
the late acquisition of New Mexico and California,
without the least color of constitutional right de-
prve her sister States of an equal participation in
the benefit of her territory, but she generously d
vided her inheritance with her sister States in the
spirit of true sisterhood.
He then took up the ordinance of 1887 by
which slavery was prohibited in the said territory,
and the South thereby excluded. He showed the
violations of the ordinance ITSELF as well as the
deeds of cession by Congress, in total disregard of
the rights of the Southern States, and of their
own pledges and compromises
He next took up the compromises and guar
antees of the Constitution, intended to pro-
tect and secure the South in the enjoyment
of slave property. He showed that after "a
greeing that taxation and representation should
go together, and that we should be taxed and re-
presented for three-ffths of our slaves, while the
North were represented in full for their free ne
groes-whereby we have but fourteen representa-
tives in Congress. They resorted to the impost
system of direct taxation, by which the South
have been compelled to pay much the greater por-
ton of the public revenue, and the proportion of
taxation corresponding with representation entirely
dsregarded.
They promised to Suppress Instructions" In
stead of this, for than thirty years there has
been steady and systematic effort on their part,
by societies and meetings-from the pulpit, in
their school and other books by petitions to Con-
gress, by their discussions in Congress hall, by
emissaries sent among us to ncite our slaves to
disobedience and instruction, and so to disturb
their quiet and tranquil existence as to endanger
our homes, and thereby destroy the value of our
property.
See the End sec. of the 4th art of the Constu-
ton they promsd to deliver up fugitive slaves on
claim of the owner. He showed that they have
not only omitted this positive duty, but that FIVE
States have actually passed laws, at different times,
intended to obstruct the delivery of fugitive slaves
He showed that after the acquisition of Louis
ltthd III 1oOo, LOT Plo,Ooo,OOO tney attempted 10
prevent Missouri from coming into the Union in
| 1890, unless she would consent to come in as
an ant-slavery State that out of this struggle a
! fierce and dangerous one, grew the Missouri com
promise, which the South has faithfully observed,
but which the North has repeatedly attempted tc
violate
He reviewed the injustice of the resolutions annex
ing Texas, whereby the South was excluded from the
territory north of 5000, while south of that line is
left open for free-soil operations.
| He reviewed the Oregon controversy, and showed
that they refused to recognise the Missouri compro
mise in that Territory.
resolutions, instructed their Senators and Representa-
tives to support the Wilmot provso
Mr.. Harris then came to the late acquisition and thu
Compromise bills. He called upon any person presen
to date whence the least benefit or advantage was Sc
cured to the State of Mississippi He offered to yel
coming forward) he stated that he had examined thu
compromise measures with all the care he was capa
BILE of, and he unable to discover the first benef
secured by it to the entire South. That secure thu
passage of the late bill for the recovery of fugitive
slaves "a duty imposed upon Congress by the expires
words of the Constitution itsef,) bill which con
Germs only the four border States had been reques
ted give up right to sell negroes in the Dis
trct of Columbia and to abandon all claim to carry on
slaves into the new territory. That by the Compro
, mise bills have been excluded, virtually, from tn