The southern press., 1852-01-27


lima, asked leave TO offer the following detestabe
proposition
Whereas, some of the States of this Union
have, in their constitutions, provided Tor the alb.
solute exclusion of free negroes from their ter
ritory, while others have sought to obtain the
same object by legislation; and whereas, COM
plants have at times been made by other States
and nations; therefore,
Resolved That in the opinion of the House OF
Representatives, it is the uuquestionable right
of each one of the States to exclude, either
wholly or partially from her territory, negroes,
either free or slaves, and that the exercise OF the
right affords no just ground OF complaint to
either States or nations.
Objection was made and the suspension of
the rules to introduce the resolution refused, 68
against IL"
We have no disposition still further to infiame
the wrath of our Abolition contemporary, ve-
kement as it already appears to be, but we
ought, in fairness, perhaps, to say to him, that
this proposition, detestable" as il may be in his
eyes, would, we have no doubt, on direct vote,
be adopted by large majority. Some members
voted against the suspension of. the rules, be-
cause they wished to get up other business,
while others regarded it as unnecessary for
Congress to assert SO plain proposition Not
only would this resolution, on direct vote, re-
ceive the sanction of the House, but it would be
sustained overwhelmingly by the people, as en-
bodying sound principle of American consti-
tutional law.
1t has already received the sanction of most,
if not all, of the Southern States, and has been
adopted already by some of the Northern ones
1t is easy to see, too, that the day is not far dis
tant when every Northern State will recognize
the principle There is no one instance in
which this proposition, or any similar one, rails
ing the question as to the equality of the races,
has been submitted to the vote of the people in
any one of the Northern States, that the masses
have not overwhelmingly decided against that
equality.
We refer the Liberator to the vote in the
adjoining State of Connecticut, where, four
years since, it was decided by vote of nearly
four to one, that the negro should not be allowed
to stand on an equal footing with the white
man, as respects the right of suffrage. Similar
has been the decision in New York and every
other State, where the question has been SUBJ
mitted to the people By majorities equally
large, did the States of Illinois and Indiana de-
eide that no negro should be allowed to come
into their respective territories. The same re-
suit will be found wherever this proposition is
submitted to the people of any other State. Our
American masses are too intelligent to fail to see
and decide, that the negro is not their equal, let
Abolitionists boast as they may They tell us
that it is wrong to attach weight to the color of
the hair. So, too, says FRED. DOUGLASS Now
all this is the merest nonsense and absurdity.
There is not bone, sinew, or blood vessel in
the negro like those Of the white man. His
hair and nerves are found by anatomsts, to be
altogether unlike those of the white man, as diff
fereut as are his mind and feelings. Nor is this
view limited to men of science. Providence has
made the difference between the races so strik.
ing, thatit carries conviction to the minds of the
masses at once. From the Declaration of indie.
pendence down to the present day. the Amer.
can people have not regarded the negro as emit
h)sd TO participate in the enjoyment of the poit-
Is cal and civil rights Of our citizens, or capable Of
4 appreciating our form of government
For some years past the State of Massachu-
sets, under the promptings Of her ant-slavery
feelings, has been complaining loudly of South
Carolina, Georgia, Indiana, Florida and other
Southern States on account of their laws against
permitting free blacks TO come in from other
States. Great Britain, too, probably stimulated
by the anti-slayery feeling of the North, has
likewise been demanding Of South Carolina
the repeal Of her laws. But Illinois and
Indiana have by an immense majority of their
voting population, incorporated similar pro.
visions into their constitutions Why do we
hear Of no complaints against them ! They are
nearer to Massachusetts, than the Southern States
are. They are also on the borders of the British
territory, and the black subjects of Canada are
liable to be seized and imprisoned whenever
they cross the line into either of these States.
Why is il then, we repeat, that there is no com.
plant against them Is it pretended that
Northern otates nave greater constitutional
rights than those Of the South Or is it be-
cause the South has a slave population, which
could be excited to instruction and bloodshed
by these free negroes from Abolition States, and
therefore they are anxious that they shall be
permitted to go into the South, while they are
willing that they may be kept out of such States
as they could do no mischief in? In word, to
conclude, is not the whole clamor a part of the
tactics Of the Abolition party Ought not
! Congress at once 10 assert the true American
doctrire, to give quietus to all attempts on the
part OF foreign governments to interfere with
the internal affairs of the United States?
Coalitions In Ohio and Massachusetts,.
Some very interesting and instructive revela-