The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-05-20

approved and signed it. The prohibition of
Slavery in the Oregon Territorial bill is inn
portant mainly in the assertion and mante-
nance of the constitutional power of Congress-
to prohibit Slavery in the Territories. for the
people of Oregon like the people Of the Terri
tories acquired from Mexico, were opposed to
the introduction Of Slavery among them. and
desired only that in some form its introduction
should be prevented by law President Polk
was personally opposed to inserting the pro-
hibitory clause against Slavery in the OREGON
bill but no constitutional objection existing.
he deferred to the known public sentiment Of
the country, and signed it. All the other meas
ures have been passed under the present Wbip
Administration. One of these is the admission
of California into the Union as State with a
Constitution containing an express prohibition
of Slavery With the application Of California
for admission as State their Constitution.
containing the provision against Slavery. was
submitted to Congress, was approved as consist
ent with the Constitution of the United States.
and California was admitted free State into
the Union, by act of Congress Another meas
ure is the organization of separate Territorial
Governments for the two Territories of New
Mexico and Utah
The people of New Mexico were known to
be opposed TO the introduction of Slavery
among them, by their own express declaration
in a Constitution, which they formed with a
view to their admission into the Union as n
State.
The people of Utah, who are chiefly if not
entirely Mormons, whose difficulties with the
people of the States in which they attempted
| to settle induced them to emigrate to the place
they now inhabit have not that ! am aware,
| ever distinctly expressed their opinion for or
| against Slavery, unless an effort which they
made TO be included in the State of California,
whose Constitution prohibits Slavery, may be
| regarded as expressive of their opinions upon
this subject The acts of Congress creating
these two Territorial Governments declare that
they may hereafter be admitted into the Union
as States, with or without Slavery, as the
people of these Territories may determine,
| when they come to be admitted as States; but
| these acts do not decide or declare the law in
these Territories for the time during which
| they remain under Territorial Governments
| When this measure was before Congress- the
| friends of Slavery denied the validity of the
| Mexican law abolshing Slavery but demand
| ed that this law should be repealed, and that
the Territories be opened to the introduction Of
Slavery. Those opposed to the extension Of
Slavery insisted that the Mexican law should
be affirmed, and that Slavery should be express
ly prohibited by act of Congress
The friends of the Compromise measures,
some of them declaring that the law of God,
the climate, and the law of nature, as well as
the law Of Mexico, forbid the Introduction of
slavery into these Territories that slavery
could not 90 there, and no act of Congress was
necessary, opposed, and were strong enough to
Nv
authorizing or prohibiting slavery in New Mex
leo or Utah, during the period they remain I'M
der Territorial Government. The law relating
to slavery, then, in these Territories is to be
found in their own established law, under the
Mexican Government which existed previous
to, and at the time of their cession to the Uni
ted States This law had abolished slavery.
Another of the measures was the act of Con-
gress fixing, with the assent of Texas, the bound
aries of that State By this act, Texas, for
| consideration of $lO,OOO,O0O, abandoned all
| claim to any part of New Mexico, outside of
the boundary line agreed upon by the United
States and Texas. By this act, all that part of
New Mexico east of the Rio Grande, and out
side of the boundary line of Texas thus settled,
was released from all claims OF jurisdiction by
Texas, her laws and constitution and remain
ed part of New Mexico. Standing, Of course
| like the rest of the territory ceded by Mexico,
it was incorporated with that part of New
Mexico west of the Rio Grande, and forms
part of the Territory organized under n Terrific
rial Government as New Mexico. These are
all the late laws relating to slavery in the Ter
ritories; and with the laws abolishng the slave
trade in the District of Columbia and the
| Fugitive Slave Law, are all the laws which
though not so called at the time they were
passed, because the word Compromise was then
| in bad Odor-have since come to be known as
the Compromise measures These or any other
laws which should be found to be inconsistent
with the Constitution of the United States, are
null and void. Any or all of them which are
consistent with the Constitution, are valid az
the law of the land, until they shall be mod.
fed or repealed by the appropriate constitu
tional authority Congress possesses the per.
feet constitutional power to modify or repeal
any one or all Of them except that in relation
to the boundary line of States; the admission
of States into the Union the stipulations of
treaties or compacts where more than one
party is interested, or where political or pecu-
mary rights have been once defined and vested
Congress, or the law-making power of one par
| ty alone, cannot change them.
| 1t is now not quite two years since the last
of these laws were passed, and the cry then
raised against further agitation has ceased !;
and some of those who were most forward in
raising the cry against agitation are now pro-
posing to submit these Compromise measures,
and especially the Fugitive Slave Law, to dis
cussion and agitation for popular verdict in
Presidential election, to determine whether
they are settled or not What has produced
this change!
In December last, when Congress assembled,
| and the Representatives had come fresh from
| and imbued with the public sentiments in their
respective districts, it was found that the pan
ic-makers who desire to save the Union as Of
ten as once in six months and to get their pay
for it as often as once a quarter had got to-
gether and decided that the Congressional eau
cuses Of both political parties must pass reso-
lutions acquiescng in the Compromise meas
ures this must be done, OF the Union was in
danger Well, the Democratic caucus met,
and the first thing after it was organized, the
Compromise resolution was proposed IL was
not well received by the majority Of the caucus,
and it was then proposed to refer the resolu-
ton to the Baltimore Convention but the res
olution and the proposition to refer it to the
Baltimore Convention were both laid on the
| table, and the Democratic caucus nominated
| its candidates and elected them.
In the Wing caucus the compromise resolu-
ton was adopted but they made no nomina-
tons, and came into the House on Monday, as
all recollect, with sad exhibition of their par
ty and their compromise resolution. From what
quarter does the advice come to the Democratic
party to change its platform, and make these
compromise laws part Of the Democratic creed
and party test? Chiefly from the Wings Of
| Georgia and Mississippi, and such of the Dem
ocrats of these two States as united with the
Wings in the last election, aided by afew Wings
and Democrats all over the Union, who do not
seem to be well satisfied with their position and