The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1854-06-07
From The Washington Union.
D
THE CONNECTICUT RESOLUTIONS -
rHEHsRrFORD CONVENTION SPIR
tc4pENtN

II NJ
THEHARrFoRD CONVENTION sPlR. No No
REVIVED. sla
Senator Smith laid fore the Senate lew sir
Tvs since, The first fruits Of the coalition ny III
Iii, h the " hIgs aud aboli,ionists IN me 'ate gu
lection obtained the aSceudency III The legisla- Sc
ire Of Coz nc cicu, in HE shape OF resolutions oil
ain,t the passage Of The Nebraska bill o,
smongst ,hese resolutions is one which reads s.
5 follows: I'll
!. Resofrea, That We declare our fixed pur k
o... never TO consent 10 the legal or actual au-
mission of slav. ry iuto The territory from when b
I was xrludcd by the act of le2o, or TO lhe b
ID assi Of s'avsholdng States IRON any por- C
ion Of The same.
In regard 10 tins resolution, when i, was read u
Gen Cas- remark d: !,
q. hope that those resolutions, when put INTO !,
plain Eug ish, do MT mean another Hartford .
Convention. =
The re,nJrk of Mr.. as was responded t. by 7
Mr. Smith with much feeling. tie de eiared I
tina, the resolutions spoke The sentiment oil an
ov~rw he ming majority o. the people OF oon
necticus, and also Ut large Inajcrlty OF 'iie
democrats # that STATE. He expressed inc
opinion that they viii turn cut 10 be the ssnti
MEETS also Of an overwhelming majority of the
people OF Michigan
To those remarks Gen. Cas- replied:
uMr President, heard all this kind OF de-
unncia,ion forty years ago, and with as nuch
violence and emphasis can BIZ used here, ann
he ard The liartf RI Convention defended as
ri,h,tul act That TO which | wished to Call
attention was declaration IN these resolutions
,ha, they would not submit 10 the law OF the
land when passed and thinking | perceived
something of that sort in the resolutions, was
impelled to ask whether there was TO be new
uar, I'd ian As 20 what the nOnO.d-
bic Senator from Connecticut says in respect 10
the &c. lines of majority IF the people OF the
| State Of Connecticut, know nothing about II
| | have no right to contradict him, but Know,
and trust my co-associaies in the Senate Know,
| that if law be passed under this government
! " hich is cons,i,utional-and | trust We assume
10 pass no other-the people of the Safe OF
Connecticut will submit to II. look To IL"
other state of things.
| Is With respect to the opinion of the people OF
/ my own State, | thank the honorable Senator
| for being sentinel there, but believe l know
their opinion as well as he does believe the
people of the Sta.e of Michigan will sustain
| heir Representatives when those Representa-
| tives carry through great constitutional prih
| ciplr, which secures TO American cihzehs,
wherever they are, the right of self-government
Allow me here TO mention single circumstance.
This principle of self government has been re-
preached and | do not know but that the re.
proach has been cast on me for using the term
squatter sovereignty applied to 1t. That
was no term OF mine, although the senator from
South Carolina Mr. Butler,] supposed II was.
1t was the term used by his eminent and de-
ceased colleague [Mr. Calhoun as term OF
reproach, cast upon those who put iorwato tue
t doctrine that you should bring California into
the Union upon The principle of the righ, of me
10 govern themselves That was the ground
which took and VIII. oh others took.
&c main ain also, that not having provided a
!, government for the people of California for two
!. Years, they were entitled, by all the laws OF Coo
and man, to govern themselves. That we cal
Z, the right Of self government, and there was the
? origin of the phrase. OF course mean sci
j. government within the principles OF the con-
sitution. That is all we maintained-that L
! all we maintain now. believe the American
people will forever stand up for that prncip
). which carried their fathers through the revolu
- ton, and has given them the most blessed gov
eminent on the face of the globe"
II Mr. Smith took the floor again, and said tina
- he had returned to occupy his seat tor on
s. three days, and that he did not expect to b
d drawn into controversy. He was ready. how
h ever, for the encounter. He defended the &C
ton Of his legislature warmly, and adsered /
> the past positions of Gen. Cass on the Wimo
l. provso To the remarks Of Mr. Smith, Ger
y Cass replied.
81 hope, Mr. President, may be allowed I
!, express the hope tina, the honorable senator wi
u be eaabled to employ the rest of his three day
=. more proftably. daughter
"My position with respect to the Whine
proviso | have declared over and over again
the Senate. 1t is not a new matter; but III
: norablc senator has given it an Importance
!. which it is not entitled | have explained Il
~ whole matter long ago. have stated tn
- WHEN the Wilmot proviso first started, If hi
- voted, should have voted in favor of it. b
:. - then the subject had not been considered
:" discussed No man had looked into it.
,es seemed to be a question of liberty slave
- alone But when the subject came to be di
cussed, and the very first time il was discusse
he and when ] gave vote upon it, the first We
MS was against il. and it a vote by which ha
=, arded my political station at home, and tender
my resignation by it Sir, il does not awa
do to seek in our own BREASTS for the motives
yer action of others We frequently do othe
lu great injustice by doing SO.
The position OF the honorable senator
y very extraordinary | do not understand it al 4
be He says | at one time would favor the Win
act proviso, and that am now denouncing the pc
pie of his State for pursuing the same cour
Not al all. | have not said one word to day
"a favor of or against the Wilmot proviso.
us not denounce any body for being in favor of
ty, 1t is vision of his own imagination. But
I'm object TO such threats as are contained in the
papers, for, talk of it, explain it, and expound
zen as you please, there is threat in that paper
3ut That is what was talking of. 1t is thre
ted that they will not submit to the law Of the la
,ns mot that they are to give up their opinion
not that they are satisfied with their represen,
tves voting against il, but that, if the measu
ice alluded 10 be passed and become the law Of +,
he land, they do not mean to submit to it. I'll
!. was the point of my objection.
81 have no objection to the vote of honoral
rn- senators for or against the Wilmoi proviso.
ity have objection to tn opinions of these pc
ALI pie for or against it, But | do object to I
"a presentation of such papers as these before I
American people, denouncing an act OF Il
Congress, or a presumed act, and saying in ia
,,, we do not mean TO submit 10 it.. Then DIRE
- parallel between that and another act, viii
eP was denounced IAN act Of war During /
nd war it was denounced. | do not wish to go ir
that matter, but we know that a convention W
- held during that war. The circumstances
. known t. the whole country, and need r.
he repeat them. will only say that | trust
ion same spirit will never again appear in the Unit
he States"
i'm Senator Toucey, having been absent when N
Smith presented the resolutions of Connectc,
on the next day referred to the matter as fo
lows:
With the consent of the Senate desire
say word ofexplanation in regard to what W
said in the Senate yesterday. The resoIutio
of the legislature of Connecticut, which we
discussed Yesterday, were presented. am sor
to say, in my absence. observe, by the repe
ofthe debate which sprung up ON the occaso
that my colleague fell into an error, as he n
turally would, in speaking of the democrat
sentiment in the legislature Of the State
Connecticut, as he is not3particularly intma
nts with that pc tons Of his constituents He
nd mistaken in supposlng that those resoutio
received the support of the democratic membe
9 of the legislature. Not one fourth Of the dem
~, cratic members of both branches voted for the
and of those who actually voted, more than wv
thirds against them. No whg voted again
ire them.
~ 81 am very happy. sir, TO make this explain
~ ton, because | am very well acquainted wi
that portion of the people OF my state who a
nd represented by The democratic members TIL,
are firm friends of the Union and of The cons,
tuition, and the sentiments which are to
u found embraced in these resolutions Cannot,
ri ~