North Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1850-1852, 1851-07-19
EErrER FROM THE HON. VIM. R. KING.

from home deprived me of the pleasure of receiving
YOUR friendly letter at an earlier day. hasten TO re-
Il turn an answer. You doubtless attach to my opin-
ions mnch greater importance than they deserve,
but as one of your Senators in the councils of the
Nation, you have right TO demand them on all po-
lilical questions, and especially on those affecting
your personal security and rights of property shall
proceed 10 lay them before you with the frdnkness
that becomes man. Concealments of opinions de-
Iiberatey formed, never has, and trust never will
constitute any part of my character public or private.
shall be deferred from giving utteance, from
the apprehension that they may not be in accordance
with those which others entertan or that by making
them known, L may affect injuriously my standing
as public man. This is well understood by those
who have known me longest, and know me best. 1t
Il fall into error-to which every man is lable-when
convinced of it, promptly admit and retract 1t, but
much desire to obtain the appreciation of the peo-
pie have The honor to represent, should feel that
l was unworthy of the position in which 1t has
pleased them 10 place me, if, to gain it, were to
trim my sails TO every popular breeze and violate the
obligations owe 10 our common country. con-
denim man for honestly differing with inc in opin-
ion, but have too much selfrespect, and, trust,
! independence, to surrender my to please any
man 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, had been so plainly
marked by my public declarations and votes TO pre-
clude the possibility of misapprehenson. From the
tenor of your letter, this to be the case
brief statement will, trust, put end to all doubt
or cavil for the future. / was, you know, one OF
the committee of thirteen, which reported the COM
promise bill. Without going into detail, will only
say, it did not receive my sanction in committee, nor
,U0uld under any circumstances, haze gioen ii my
support reported. The parts TO which principal
ly objected were, the admission of California as
State with territory more extensive than any three
States in the Union, and the clause which enamel
pates slaves brought into the District for sale. L
could fail to that most of those who advocat-
ed the admission of California with her exravagant
limits. would, but for the prohibition of slavery con-
tanned in her constitution, have been the most violent
/ in 10
owed her admission, Them to the fact that the people
of the saveholding States were deprived of an equal
participation in territory which, of right, equally
belonged TO the citizens of all the States Finding
that there fixed majority determined to perpe-
rate this of injustice, if brought to the direct vote
made effort to curtail the limits of the State, so
that territorial government might be established
South of the Sierra Nevada. At time the pros
pect fair that my proposition, proper in ITSELF
would succeed it however. failed, and California be-
came State with thousand miles of seacoast. No
man could have felt indignant than did at this
partial and unjust Legislation, but am free declare
that have been able to in the measure yo-
laton of the Constitution commended for by many
did SO consider it, neither could nor would have
expressed the opinion that the people of the South
cOaH, with honor, and under the circumstances should
acquesce 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
publican. No territorial training is required, no as
sent of Congress 10 the formation of the Constitution,
previously given, is to be fourd The whole matter
rests with Congress 20 exercise sound discretion.
AS respects the Bill for aboshing 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 as they TO decency, prejudicial 10
health and in many respects shocking to humanity
Ii was my desire to clothe the corporate authorities
of the city with the power abate them as nuisances
tn do nd fnrt
such bill would unhesitatingly have given nv
vote-having fears that by such measure slavery
in the District would be affected injuriouslY. The
people more directly interested entertained appre-
hension of the kind-and think / can say with GER
tainy that nine-tenths of the citizens desired those
slave marts to be suppressed. !, however voted
against the bill as it passed, because The penalty for
violating the law was the emancipation of the slave
and ucouM not under any circumstances hare given
my sanction TO emancipation in the District Of Colun1-
ina, 0hether as penalty FIR The UiOlation Of a,c
an any other n'anner-ar.d should feel ii bounden
duty to cOte for the repeal Of the cmancipating clause
,UheneUer proposed.
Permit to advert for a moment to the other pro-
visions OF the bill reported by the committees and
for which, after undergoing several notifications, |
gave my vote-and first as to the boundary of Texas.
am fully satisfied that in giving my support to the
line agreed on, although had contended for diff
erent boundary was promoting the true interest of
Texas and of the whole South. The clamor which
has been raised against the measure, that slave
ritory had been surrendered reesoil, has no foun-
dation in fact Many, however, without giving 10
the subject thorough examination, have been made
to believe that the boundary of Texas had been es-
abllshed at The time OF her an1exation and that her
right to the whole territory of the Rio Grande,
from its mouth to its source, unquestioned. No
thing can be more erroneous. When Mr.. Calhoun,
as Secretary of State, negotiated treaty with the
Texas Commissioners, he openly declared that he
considered her Western boundary he line to
be drawn through what was known the DESERT ly-
ing between the Nueces and Rio Grande. That treaty
rejected by the Senate. Ata subsequent session,
the resolution which passed, authorizing the admis-
sion of Texas, expressly reserved the right of this
government to fix, by negotiation with Mexico, her
western boundary-nothing said about the Rio
Grande-and thus Texas into the Union, her
western boundary unsettled. The effort to settle il
by negotiation having failed, Gen. Taylor was direct
ed TO take position the east bank of the river-he
removed fiom Point Isabel and eEcamped opposite
Matamoras. The battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de
la Palma followed. What then said by Mr..
Calhoun, the bold, fearless and uncompromisng adj
vocate and defender Of Southern rights and Southern
He denounced, in most indignant terms,
The administration of Col. Polk for having involved
the country in unjust and unnecessary war, by the
invasion of Mexican territory. Texas then a Stat =
Of the Union. had not, in The OPINION OF that dstin-
yuished man, any well-founded claim TO any territory
bordering the Rio Grande, and in that opinion he
was sustained by many who now denounce, faith y
less to the South, all those aided in securing to
Texas the undispued possession of territory large
enough for States, The right to which they had
strongly denied to her. No territory has been q
rendered freesoil, unless the people of Utah and
New Mexico, when they form constitution, and ap-
ply for admission States, think proper prohibit
slavery-and for the unrestricted exercise Of this