The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-01-01
MIR. wEIGHTMAN AND NEW MEXICO.


Mr. Smith, former delegate from New Mexico,
was rejected by the Senate as nominee for the
Secretaryship of the Territory because he had
once written an address to the people there,
advising them to exclude Slavery on economi-
cal grounds He was Kentuckian, the son OF
"a Shareholder, and not an Abolitionist. But he
had offended against the majesty of Slavery
and that was Il deadly sin.
His successor. r. II. WEIGHTMAN, has taken
warning and bends the knee in time to the
ruling Power In letter from him, dated
December 2lst, 1851, to Mr.. Foote, and read a
few days ago in the Senate, he undertakes to
youch for the utter Indifference Of the New
Mexicans on the question of Slavery. He says
they cannot be persuaded to take sides, and
that all the arts of designing people to excite
them against Slavery have failed.
ITO show he says, " the freedom from ex-
element of the people on the question, | refer
you to the fact that in the State Constitution of
New Mexico, of last year, though slavery was
prohibited, the undersigned, though falsely de-
nounoed in the only newspaper in New Mexico
as a slavery propagandist, was elected to the
Senate by an overwhelming vote-and this,
too, despite the general knowledge among the
members of the Legislature that he was in favor
of so arranging the slavery clause as to effect
gard to any other circumstance Whatsoever
He says that when the question shall come
up, we will treat it simply as a matter of pol
icy by which to facilitate our admission into the
Union. Onee admitted, we csrrdq as we CHOOSE.
''F- rs ae, f.iG'U"s5,"srF ~, Nptane'ing al
= :. '..,''- ''s..tI-stA : < ,,, 49, :.
He is exceedingly anxious to impress upon
the Shareholders, that the people of New Mexi-
co have not the slightest objection, in principle,
or on the ground of moral sentiment to Slave
ry-that could it live there, it would encounter
no hostile feeling In word he sees nothing
at all Objectionable in a system which brutali-
yes the colored man, and degrades the poor
white man.
eff there are any persons in the United
States who desire to colonize slaves in our Ter
rtory, apprehend there would be no objection
on the part of the people of New Mexico, let
the decision of the courts be what it may.
Perhaps the attempt would be beneficial; it
would at all events settle the question, and eff
fectually thwart any further attempt to make
New Mexico the scape-goat to bear the burden
of a question which concerns her not We OBJ
ject to being made the scape-goat, and would
prefer not being made use of even as an illus
tratiOn.
"Should the courts in New Mexico decide
that slaves may legally be held then am sure
that no popular excitement would follow; and
| am equally sure that those who embark in
the colonizing experiment will speedily send or
sell their slaves out Of the Territory. Siaue Ia
Dor wiH not pay in New Merico, and in that is
comprised the whole question"
What can be expected of Territory, the
first act of whose first delegate, is one of AFFECT
submission to the Slave Power!
We trust Mr. Weightman may live long
enough to learn that Servility to a Sectional In
terest does not pay"