The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1851-09-03
Mr. Cos5's Reply Co the Macon
Committee.

1ftiff nalii ny return from The lu1rf part
ii the Stair. ahoul the lissi oI The present
month. and hare nai. iherria.e. replied 10
il u an earlier dry.
As ! Lave rreeivrd communication
from other paris &c lLr \ a.r on me same
and kindred subjects, hase determined
IN lhis reply 10 ron~id the questions in-
sHlyed II some lrng.h. - desire lllal il
may BE- considered n responsive 10 lhs
sa,Ious communications 10 whIfl hase
referred.
Your ietier prnpounds The Two follow
M iniermgalnfies
IL. . DO you believe that State. BY
sirne of her sovereignty. has the rigll;
praeeabIy 10 serr,le from lhe Union, or is
il yuur opinion thai The general govern
mrni has The constitutional authority TO
roene her 10 rrmain In The Union! Aud
sllun'd call be made ppon the militia
10 sid IN attempting 10 caerce a seceding
State. would you. il in The executive office,
obey surh reqnisi iani
2d. DO you believe that the late acls
af Congress. iernei .he Compromise
aere constitutional. jus'. and equi,ablrl"
shall ronsiller these questions In ilIe
inverse order IN which you have proposed
Them.
In order that may be distinctly under.
slond in reference 10 The late acts nf Con.
gress termed The . tompromise," con-
slider il proper 10 make blier reference 10
each of The sis bills which composed that
Compromise, and shall, in That way, he
enabled 10 give the most satisfactory an.
sMcr 10 ycnr second Inieuogaiory.
The bills establishing territorial gov
ernmenis for Utah and New Mexico rest
upon greal constitutional principle, which
has always received the warm and cuidial
support ol southern men. and by none
al, ocaled with more zeal than those now
politically associated with yourselves.
Tint principle l., ..he tight Of The pco-
pie 10 determine for themselves whether
or not slavery shall constitute part o
ihei, social sy.tem." In these bills OF
The slavery question is found this prpsis
ion !. And said Territories shalI be re
ceived into The Union with or withou
slavery, as their constitution may pre-
scribe al The Time Of their admissiun."
this important principle. so long contend
ell for by lhe South, and SO long resisie,
by The North, be now repudiaIed BY III,
South, then these bills are obnoxious Il
The affections urged against them by III
sllsnnionists; bnl l the Suulh be conlcn
10 abide The operation &C her own cherish
ell doctrines on this subject, then these
bills ire in strict conformity with The re-
quiremenls Of the South. and should be
entirely satisfac ory 10 Us. Il is too late
to talk about The repeal Of The Mexican
laws, after The almost unanimous support
by The representatives Of the South Of The
Clayton compromise bill. which no more
repeals those laws than The bills We arc
now considering; nor were our represen-
taiives in their advocacy Of the Clayton.
compromise bill mo united Than were
their constituents IN their approval OF The
VOTES OF these representatives. The eight
southern representatives who po'cd against
that bill, on The ground that they required
The repeal of The Msxicin laws, were
denounced as traitors ta The South for
making The demand, by those who are
now most noisy in their complaints against
southern representatives for mol requiring
lhc repeal of The Mexican laws. voled
for The las ayion-eompromise bill, and was
universally sustained in Georgia IN thai
vote. Why is j, that ! am now condemn.
cd for my support Of those bills by the
men who then approved Of my course!
The Clayion>compromise bill contain.
ell no cypress guarantee fr The admission
OF slave States. il The people desired i;
whilst these bills pledge the faith uf the
government to admit these territories as
States. with or wihnnt slavery, as the
people may determine when they conc 10
organize their Slaie constitution. These
bills received The support Of MAJORITY ol
lhe representatives Of The South. Your
own representatives from Georgia were
unanimous upon The subject. The only
violent and decided opposition made ~
them proceeded from The abolilIonisls and
1 free soiers, WIN saw. in the provisions 70
which have referred, The reputation ol
their Iavorite doctrine Of congressional
/ in,erdir,ion Of slavery in The territories
and iIle recognition Of our own favoriis
doctrine Of leaving 10 the people The de-
rision Of The question whether or no, They
wonld have slavery among them.
The bill 10 settle the disputed boundary
between the United States and Texas
rests upon equally sound and constitution
al principles. Its provisions simply con
tain proposition from the general gov
ernmenl 10 The State Of Texas 10 settle ,h'
boundary between The territory of ih
United STATES and The Stale Of Texas b,
adopting a.certaln line rs that boundary
and, in consideration that Texas will yiel
The claim which she had made 10 the SC
ceded territory, the United States agree
10 nav her The sum Of ten millions ol do
liars. There was m .hreal, no coercior