The Yazoo Democrat., 1854-03-08
From The Detroit Free Press.
Daniel VVcbsfer---EHenFyC Ciay---aHRd
NOm-EnterVcmttOm.

regarded by the whig party as man of pretty,
tolerable good senss; and his opinions upon
governmental and politicals questions exercise
greater influence with that party than those of
any other statesman, with the exception, posi-
bly,. of Henry Clay. Mr. Webster, it is reeol
lected, lent his powerful support to the compro
mise measures of 1850, aud to his great in1u-
ence was the country largely indebted for their
adoption. On that occasion the patriot lowered
above the politician. In the face of the preju-
dice and preconceived opinions Of his partisans
at the North, he repudiated sectionalism and
Wilmot provisoism, and placed himself, as the
last great act of his life upon the platform 0!
the constitution in respect to the slaveay ques.
ton. He dealt gigantic blows upon abolition
ism, from which it never has and never can
cover.
1t is unfortunate that more northern Wings
are not animated with the spirit of Mr.. Web
ster in the present crisis-that more of them do
not take the same enlarged view of the question
now before the country that he took of the same
question in 1850 Mr.. Webster supported the
compromise measures Of that period because
he believed them right in themselves; and it
was his opinion that the universal recognition
of the right of the people of the Territories, as
well as Of the States, TO manage their own af
fairs, would not hava a tendency to expand the
institution of slavery and this opinion, express
sed four years since, has peculiar weight now,
for it meets the main objection urged by the
wings and aholitionists against Mr.. Douglass
territorial bil viz that the effect of the passage
of the bill will be the introduction of slavery in
to Nebraska. Combating this very objection,
Mr. Webster, in one of his speeches in the
Senate, made the following eminently true re-
mark:
"Nature. giving that region mountainous
and cold climate, has ellectualiy excluded slavery
from western Texas New Mexico Utah and Ne
braska, by rendering slave labor there unprofita-
bIe compared with its value in the lower Gull
OF Mexico regions"
This quotation not only eIucidates great nat
ural law, but il also shows what Mr. Webster's
understanding of the compromise measures was
for it is plain that in thus alluding to a
vast extent Of unoccupied and unorganized ter
ritory, he had in view the extension of the non
Intervention principle over it whenever il should
be organized and to show that there would be
no danger in such extension, he argued that the
climate of the whole country forbade the intro
duction of slavery.
We commend this view of the question tc
the attention of the whig admirers of Mr.. Web.
ster. In his speech, in 1850, it was obvious
that he looked upon the measures which he sup
ported not merely as an adjustment of the then
existing difficulties, but as establishing plan
which, superseding all prior legislation, would
be final settlement of the slavery questian, the
emphatic principle of that plan being congres
sional non intervention in the domestic affails
of the Territories.
The whig admirers of Mr. Clay will find the
same views and the same doctrines peryadne
all his speeches during tia session of 1880. He
declares that the Nilmot proviso, (and it must
be recollected that the slavery clause of the Mis-
souri, Compromise is nothing but a Wilmot pro
viso) as to all the region Of country in ques
tion both north and south of the Missouri line,
was " a mere abstraction "Why," said he
should it be longer insisted upon? If it were
adopted and applied TO any Territory, it would
cease to have any obligatory force as soon as
such Territory were admitted as State into
the Union" And then he goes on to say, in re-
gard TO future acquisitions The true principle
which ought to regulate the action of Congress
in forming territorial governments for such new
ly-acqured domain is to refrain from all legis-
lation on the subject in the Territory acquired
so long as it remains in the territorial form OF
government. leaving it to the people of such
Territory, when they have attained to a condi-
ton which entities them 10 admission as a State
to--decide for themselves question of the allow
ance or prohibition of domestic slavery"
On this whole question We are willing to
abide by the doctrines of Daniel Webster and
Henry Clay. We contend for no principles that
they did not contend for. We ask for no con-
gressonal action that has not been sanctioned
by them. The principles of MIR. Douglass bill
are squared by the doctrines of the compromise
measures of 1850, and by those laid down by
Messrs. Webster and Clay in their speeches in
support of those measures, The true intent and
meaning of that bill is " not to legislate slavery
into any Territory or State, nor to exclude it
therefrom, but to leave the people thereof per
tectly free to form and regulate their domestic
institutions in their own way, subject only TO
the constitution of the United States :" and such
too, was the meaning and intent of the compro-
mise measures of 1850, for Mr.. Clay, in intro
ducing them, said; "The bill for establishing
the two Territories, it will be observed, omits
the Wilpot proviso, on the one hand, and, on
ther, makes no provision for the introduction of
slavery into any part of the new Territories"