Southern standard. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1851-1856, 1851-08-23
From he Ptc.ens l.4lo) Repuliraa.
Letter Ct Han. YIN. r. King.
PINE HlLLs, Dallas CO., June Is, 1851.


Ny DEAR SIR: l very much regret that nv
absence from home deprived me of the pleasure Of
receiving your friendly letter at earlier day.
hasten to return an answer. You doubtless attach
to nv opinions much greater importance than
they deserve; but, as one of your Senator's in the
councils of the nation, you have a right to de-
mand them all political questions, and especial
" on those affecting your personal security and
rights of property. 1 shall proceed to lay them
before YOU with the trankness that becomes man.
Concealment of opinions, deliberately formed, new
or has and | trust will, constitute any part
of my character, public or private | shall never
be deferred from giving utterance from the appre-
hension that they may not be in accordance with
those which others entertain, that by making
them known | may affect injuriously my standing
as public man. This is well understood by those
who have known me longest and know me BEST
If fall into error to which every man is liable,
when convinced of it, promptly admit and re-
tract it; but much desire TO obtain the appro-
baton 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 | owe to our
common country. l condemn no man for honest
" differing with me in opinion; but l have too
much self-respect, and trust, too much indepen-
dcnce, to surrender my own to please any man OF
any set of men.
| had supposed that my action on the so-called
compromise bill of the last Congress, together
with the reasons which governed it, has been so
marked by my public declarations and votes as to
preclude the possibility ofmisapprehension. From
the tenor of your letter this seems not to be the
case 4 brief statement will, l trust put an 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 in
TO detail l will only say that it DID NOT RECEIVE
MY SANCTION IN COMMITTEE, NOR WOULD L UNDER
ANY CIRCUMSTANCES HAVE GIVEN 1T MY SUPPORT
AS REPORTED. The parts to which prncally OBJ
iected were the ADMISSION OF CALIFORNIA as d
State WITH A TERRITORY MORE EXTENSIVE THAN
ANY THREE STATES OF THE UNION, AND THE CLAUSE
WHICH EMANCIPATEs SLAVES BROUGHT INTO THE
D1sTRICr FOR SALE. l could not fail to see that
most of those who advocated the admission of
California with her eXtraYagant limits would, but
for the prohibition of slavery contained IN her con-
stitution have been the most violent IN opposItlon
TO her reception into the Union. SHE OWED HER
ADMISSION, THEN, TO THE FACT THAT THE PEOPLE
OF THE sLAvEHoLDING STATES WERE DEPRIVED OF
AN EorAL PARTICIPATION IN A TERRITORY WHICH
OF RIGHT EQUALLY BELONGED TO THE CITIZENS OF
ALL THEsLAvEHoLDING STATES. Finding that there
was FIXED MAJORITY DETERMINED TO PERPETU-
ATE THIS ACT OF INJUSTICE, if brought to the di-
rect vote | made an effort to curtall the limits OF
the State SO that territorial government might be
time the prospect was fair that my proposition, SO
proper IN itself, would succeed. 1t, however fail
cd and California became State, with thousand
miles of seacoast NO ONE COULD HAVE
FELT MORE INDIGNANT THAN DID AT
THIS PARTIAL AND UNJUST LEGlSLA-
TON; but [ am free to declare that l have not
been able to see in the measure violation of the
constitution as contended for by many. Did SO
consider it, | neither could nor would have ex-
pressed the opinion that the people of the South
could with honor, and under the circumstances
should, acquiesce 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 con-
stitution shall be republican No territorial train
ing is required no assent OF Congress to the for
nation of the constitution previously given is to
be found. The whole matter rests with Congress
to exercise sound discretion
As respects the bill for aboIishing the slave trade
in the District of Columbia, to which you particu-
larly call my attention. wish to be distinctly un-
derstood At an early period of the first session
of the last Congress declared, in my place in the
Senate that | stood ready at any time to author
ize the breaking up of those slave marts in the
midst of the city-offensive as they were to de-
cency, prejudicial to health, and, in many res
poets, shocking to humanity. 1t was my desire
to cothe the corporate authorities of the city with
the power to abate them as nuisances, whenever
they conceived it proper to do so; and for such a
bill would unhesitatingy have given my vote
having no fears that by such measure, slavery
in the District would be affected iniurousy The
people more directly interested entertained no APP
prehension of the kind, and l think can say with
certainty that ninetenths of the citizens desired
those slave marts to be suppressed. l, HOWEVER,
VOTED AGAINST THE BILL AS IT PASSED BECAUSE
THE PENALTY FOR VIOLATING THE LAW WAS THE
EMANCIPATION OF THE SLAVE; AND | WOULD NOT,
UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, HAVE GIVEN MY Sane
TON TO EMANCIPATION THE DISTRICT OF CoLUM-
BIA, WHETHER AS PENALTY FOR THE VIOLATION OF
A LAW, OR IN ANY OTHER MANNER; and | SHOULD
FEEL IT A BOUNDEN DUTY TO VOTE FOR
THE REPEAL OF THE EMANCIPATING
CLAUSE WHENEVER PROPOSED.
My only reason for voting in favor of the prop
osition to repeal the Mexican law when made al
the last session was, that | know property to be
sensitive, and feared that many persons might
be deferred from removing with their slaves to
these territories should the discovery of val
liable mines render their labor proftable after the
opinions of such men Clay and Webster were
given in favor of the validity of the Mexican law
abolishing slavery. For THAT REASON, AND THAT
ALONE, WOULD AGAIN VOTE FOR IT'S
REPEAL.
You say that l claimed by the Union sub
mission party of your county. If the claim set up
rests upon the supposition, that l am an advocate
for the formation of third party, either State or
federal IT MOST Erroneous. When attempted