Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1851-06-14

and the peace was made; and, much as / dis
liked the war, | disIkcd the peace more, be-
cause it brought in these territories. That
territory was unknown. | did not know what
it might be. The plan cane from the South.
| knew that certain Southern gentlemen wish
ed the acquisition Of California and New Mex
leo, and Utah. as 4 means OF extending slave
authority and slave population. ! did moi fall
mic their idea Mnch, but seeing Il quarrel. as
| conceived; seeing how much it would dis
tract the Union, | voted against the peace with
Mexico. | voted against the acquisition. |
wanted none Of her territory, California, New
Mexico, nor Utah. They were rather ultra
Amcrican. They were far from us, and saw
that they might lead to a political disturbance,
and | voted against them all--against the
treaty and against the peace, and | am glad of
it. Seeing that it would be an occasion OF
dispute, that by the controversy the whole
Union would be agitatpd, Messrs. Berricu,
Badger, and other respectable and distinguish
ed men Of the South, voted against the acGui-
sition, and the treaty which secured it: and if
the men of the North had voted the same way,
we would have been spared all the difficulties
that have grown out of it, (Applause) Now,
there is no sort OF doubt, gentlemen, that there
were some persons in the South, who supposed
that California, If it came in at all. yonld come
in as a slave State. You know the cXtraordi-
nary events that arose there. You know that
California received a rush from the Northern
people, and that an African slave could no
more live there than he could on the top of
Mount Hecla. Of necessity it became q free
State, and that no doubt was a source of much
disappointment to the South. And then there
was Mexico and Utah.; what was to be done
with them! Why, gentlemen, from the best
investigation | have given the subject, and the
reflection | have devoted to it, | was of the
opinion that the mountains of New Mexico
and Utah could no more sustain American sla-
very than the SHOWS of Canada. | saw it was
impossible. ! thought so then, and / think
SO now. Therefore, gentlemen, when it was
proposed in Congress to apply the Wilmot pro-
wise to New Mexico and Utah, it appeared to
me just rs absurd as to apply it here in
Western New York. | saw that the snow
hills, the eternal mountains, and the climate of
those countries, would never support slavery.
No man could carry a slave there with any ex-
p~cctation of profit. 1t could not be done; aud
asthe South thought that it was irritating and
disrespeettul, | was not willing to do it: and,
therefore, | saw no occasion for applying the
Wilmot proviso to New Mexico or Utah.
voted accordingly, and who doubts it now
The law admitting those territories passed
without any proviso. Is there a slave, oris it
likely there will be one there? Why, there is
not 4 man in the United States so stupid. as
not to sec at this moment, that such a thing
was wholly unnecessary, and that it was only
calculated to irritate and offend. And | am
not one who is disposed to create irritation, or
give offence to .ourbrothers, OF. to break. up
~traternal friendship, with out cause. The ques-
ton was open whether slavery should or should
not 60 to New Mexico or Utah. There is no ;
slavery. There is not the shining face of an s
African there. 1t is utterly impracticable, and
utterly ridiculous to supposeit, and no one who /,
does not mean to agitate will urge it.
Well, gentlemen, we have a race ofagitators
all over the country-some connected with the
press; some, / am sorry to say, connected with
the learned professions. They agitate-their
livelihood consists in agitating-ther freehold, |
their copyhold, their capital, their all and in all, !
depends on the excitement of the public mind. S
Gentlemen, these things went on at the COM
mencement of the year 1850. There were two
great questions before the public. There was 9
the question of the Texan boundary, and Of a .
government for Utah and New Mexico, which !
| consider as one question; and there was the
question of making asprovision for the resto- !
ration OF fugitive slaves. Gentlemen, on these IL
subjects / have something to say.S1Texas, as n
you know, established her independence of a
Mexico, by her revolution and the battle of
San Jacinto, which made her a sovereign poW-
er. | have already stated to you what ]. had
anticipated, from the movement, tlatshe would
ask to come into the Union as a slave State. !
We admitted her in 1916, and we admitted 4
her as a slave State. We admitted her in I845,
and we admitted her with her boundaries
-remember that. She claimed by conquest &
all that territory which was commonly called s
New Mexico, East of the Rio Grande. She :
claimed also by these limits what her consti- s
tuition had declared and established as the e
proper limits Of Texas. Thiiss was her claim. p
and when she was admitted in the United il
States, the United States did not define her {
territory. They admitted her as she was. We !
took her as she defined her limits, and !
with the power of making three additional !
slave States. | say"we," butt did not al
ways emember that Now, in this state of
things, let us go to- 1866. What was the f
state Of things in 1850! There was Texas u
claiming all that, or d great part Of that which, Il
the United States had acquired fromsMexico.I i
as New Mexico. sShestateds thatsit belonged
to her by conquest and by her admission sinto :
the United States, and she was 4readyato en- =
force her claims by the force ofarms. Recol- 4
iect that is not all. Atman mustgxbe ignorant =
OF the history Of the country who does not II
that at the commencement4ofsl85o, il
there was a great agitation throughout the
whole South. Who does notHknow that six
or seven of the largest States ofthe5 South had !,
taken measures for separation-were =
preparing for disunion ina somesw way! They Z
with Fexas, for Texasswas prepa- 81
ed or preparingsto enforeesher rights by force
of arms. Troops were enlisted. and don you
'emember, gentlemen, that at this state of ].
how many thousand persons in the ny
south were dlsaffected towards the Union, or ra
we're DESTROYS for breaking it up, or were co
eady TO JON Iexas-toJoin her ranks, and see ho
they could make in a wartozestablish the b
iGhts Of Iaxas To Nau4A Iar;a4 u 2 = Ill., ..ll. -.