The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1852-03-16
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I ~ ''''N'D ~ SdoibiL W a. SiltllDS
less robbery Of rights thus dcarl
purchased, but that they sloul,
themselves aid in that robbery, an,
become a party to their own dcgra
ton? No, Mr.. President, the trutl
is, it was difference Of ,judg,ncn
merely. | thought it wrong to adn,i
California, and voted against it
They believed it to be in accordance
with the great Democratic principle
that people, whether few or many
are entitled to q government. Con
gress had failed to give California &
government, and they felt bound tc
recognise that which the people had
established. l do not intend TO go
INTO any inquiry as to how far the
position was Ii sound one. only
intend to show that, whether Cal
'tornla came into the Union rightly
or wrongfully, the South cannct sc.
cede from the Union Oh that account.
because VIC should have to Lcyin
the work at home. If we have
been robbed at all, Tennessee and
Kentucky arc more to blame t!an
Indiana and Illinois. They arc not
only nearer neiyhbors, hut they have
interests identical with ours; and.
we had more reason to demand Of
them that they should guard with
Jealous vigilance our common ri hts.
1t seems to Inc that this is dilemma
from which no scccssionist can 6.
cape, and that it at once reduces
secession to an absuraity.
The Senator from South Caroin,
{ Mr.. RhctD says the admission Of
CaiIloln'a was unconstitutional, be-
cause the Constitution provides ONLY
for the admission of States. IrI
had not heard this argument adj
vanced at home by ADLER men than
the Senator, Iwoull not hesitate to
pronounce 1t pure nonsense. lac
Constitution provides oaly sinl:4eeiilc, ,;lil3
mission Of a State. True but il is
the act Of admission which makes it
State. Some thirty three years ago,
you. sir. were sitting in convention
in the then Territory Of Alabama.
framing constitution upon Which
you asked to be Admitted into the
Union. Did you imagine that You
were committing tie folly of asking
that which Congress ha"' no right to
grant? +? Suppose some wlscacrc had
risen in that convention and Informed
you that the Constitution provided
only Cor the admission Of .S'GtcS =
that Alabama was q Territory, and
therefore could not hc admitted into
The Cnion-what would have been
yonr opinion. not merely Of his cor
stltutionaI learning, but OF his com
mon sense? From that period to
this, with only short intcrnission,
you have held a seat in this body
Has it ever occurred to YOU that YOU
were here umconStitui!onally, and
that i'll the very act Of taking your
scat you violated the instrument YOU
were sworn to support? There a,c
but three cases, l believe, in our Ills
tory, in which .Stutes have been ad-
nntted iuto the Union-N,r mont,
kcntucy, and Texas. All the rest
came in as Territories; and if the 20.
sltion Of the Senator from South
Can olina be correct, the early fra
mers Of the Constitution knew no
thing Of the fnnlanlcntal law they
established. But, sir, while the Sen
ator from South Carolina denies to
California the right to come in be-
cause she vas hot a State, he vet
contends, with that remarkable con
sistcncy which charactcrizcs many ui
the opponents Of the compromise
that Missouri did have the r:,..,.-
Now, sir, The only difference the two
eases is, that Missouri hal a rcgula.
tcrrltoria! government, and CaI.ur
nia never l!al. But they were boil
Territories, nevertheless. and neither
could ever become any thing else
without the consent Of Congress. l'h,
people Of both adopted Il constitution,
and sen. 1t here for approval; whcl
approved they both became States
but not until then.
The next measure to which Dbicc
/ ton is taken is the territorial L!il to,
Utah. | might pursue the same lin,
OF argument here as III the case 0
California, and show that the Sou,l
passed that bill, and if it robs us 0
any right, we robbed ourselves. =
There was not an abolitionist or free
soiler in either branch Of Congress
who voted for it. There were bu
| two Southern Senators who vote,
| against it, and these two, | believe
were given upon tho ground that the,
did not have much faith in the ca
pacity Of the Mormons for sclf-gov
ernmcnt. | voted for the bill, ant
the pillars Of the Southern right