The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1854-06-28

lowe in Particular, which should not be over
looked 1t secures in the Platte valley of
The lines If Pacific 70 lways, by making it tn"
center of commercial werlIh and trade. II
brings to the country bordering on Iowa tn
seat of government for N.b,a,ka 1t at one
opens up a h I'M market Tor produce. 1t pa-
ces west Of ms a dense and thriving settlement
1t gives TO Western Iowa prominence far
al cad of that which ten years ago main
taiued by the towns in the eastrtn portion o.
our State. II brings iowa nearer to the center
of power and commerce. To the whole North
too, it At once opens up the produce OF million,
ofacres of land. II gives her unparalleled ex
tension Of trade. In fine, it adds to the COM
m rec, wealth, and prosperity OF the whole
county
| Wrh these advantages before us, will we
hesitate to organize and throw open for settle
mon, these vast f,r'e plains, merely because
| the doctrine Of seif-g0rernment is recognized
/ Will we of the North acknowledge our inability
| to compete with our brethren of The South
] VIII we treat those brethren strangers and
enemies, or wi we secure to them that equality
which is guaranteed To all by our Constitution
/ | am convince that il is not gain which the
! South expect to derive from the passage of this
! BILL for how can they effect it ? 1t is not in
|
State. 1t is principle recognized as prin-
Eciple in our Constitution and by our legislation
that they wish to sustain Nothing more
My colleague MIR. Cook talks about the
| Wing party of Iowa being L" promp 10 indorse
and acGulesce in the compromise measures OF
| 1850" Have they done So VIII they d" so
| Hi story is at fault if such be the case. Three
times have they coalesced with the Abolitionists
of that State and no la'cr than January last,
| /, - in
bled, mt only nominated a State ticket with
| Alb ,litinn propensi'ies, but absolutely put upon
it for prominent offices, Governor included,
men whose nominations were Endorsed by the
Abolition convention subsequently held. and
were by those Abotionists recommended as
worthy of their support, because they were
sound " upon Abolition principles. Yea,
more, that convention of indorsing and acqui-
escing Wings )" absolutely refused to receire
resolution ndorsing the Batimoe Wing plat
form of 1852; and did not even permit the
minutes of their proceedings to show that
there was one national Wing among them bod
enough to offer such proposition And yet
my Wing friend from the second district calls
the measures of 1850 Z" a final settlement, and
says that his party indorses them such
| Where, let me ask, is the Endorsement From
what page of history does he read But my
colleague is not true t. himself or TO many of
his friends in the Wing ranks. Why does he
| not tell this House and the country that there
are many national Wings in Iowa, who have cut
loose from the aboli,ionized Wing party of that
State, and who with zeal support the principles
of non-intervention and selfgovernment as
contained in the bill now before US He says
that the Senator'S from Iowa and myself mis-
represent the people. Ii he krows no more
about the Democratic sentiment of Iowa (which
has ever eschewed .. Free Sollsm') than ne
knows about his own party, it becometh him
to speak but little"
He talks about the agitation Of the slavery
question as though the friends of this bill were
the agitators, and he is by no means the only
one in this House who thus speaks. But what
are the facts of the case: Why. simnly these:
| The Senate Committee on Territories had refer
red to them several bills and propositions to or
ganize territorial government in that part of
our country lying between Arkansas, Missouri,
Iowa, and Minnesota, and the Rocky Noun
tains; vast tract of country in which there is
no law. The committee, after long consultation
report, through their chairman, bill framed in
accordance with the expressed will OF the nation.
lmmedia,ly on its introduction an Abolition
conclave, consisting of some half dozen agita-
tors, (whos presence in this Capitol was brought
apout by bargain and intrigue. twas held, and an
| inflammatory and untruthful circular scattered
broadcast through the land On it was based
all the agitation, all the excitement, and all the
disturbance that exists in the North. And
many, to this dav, and doubt not my colleague
include, have never read the bill inquesion
| No, SIR /! There are many who are unwilling to
read it, for fear that some spark of selfreproach
might yet lead them tc give it their support.
I tell my colleague that the Democracy of my
district, and Of his too, gill never subscribe to
his course on this question; and venture to
predict that but few national Wings at home
will he anxious to send him back to q seat in
this Hall.
While speaking of party organizations desire
to say few words to my Democratic brethren
OF the North who are opposing the principles
of this bill, and who deprecate the idea of its be-
ing made a "tes,." Are they, themselves, not
making it a test by Withholding their support
from it Is it the President alone who is Civ.
ing it his support, or is it not majority of the
Democratic party of the nation, l respect your
feelings and your opinions; but | cannot con.
sent that you shall say to the manu- that they
are straying from the fold. AS for myself, /
look upon the principal of self government as
the most cardinal of all the other principles of
Democracy. think it is an American prncI-
Pile that should be cherished and supported bv
all. BY denying its correctness you make the
test, not ,ce. 1t is you that stray from the fold
1t is you that are "the lost sheep" Will you
your friends over the blessings which your party
are pouring upon the population of the earth,
by the extension OF the principles of self-gov.
eminent, and by recognizing The rights of sthe |
million. as well as those OF sthe few?'' Il
Mr.. Chairman, one important question involv.
ed in the organization of these Territories |
remains TO be considered. allude to that obi |
inus Wing amendment TO the Senate bill called
the "Clayton amendment introduced into the
n
ed 10 be introduced into this House by the
Wing Representative from the fourth district Of
Carolina, Nr. RoGERs, Jan amendment that
would, II adopted, destroy the virtue of the BILL
and would make an odious discrimination against
those who have made this country and our insti.
tn ions theirs by choice rather than BY accident
I canrot, will not, support it cannot recop
nlze its correctness. 1t is the foreign popula.
ton who have come here and evinced their de-
sire to become citizens, who have made the
West whatit nowis. And what better evidence
Is there that man intends becoming a citizen
Than in his undergoing the hardships of Jour.
ney to the far interior. and there, in the wilds
Of nature, settling onSthe virgin soil and {. akino
: home Tor himself and family. 1t is better.
lar better, than a five years residence in the
ssern cities. Ii is not mere declaration of
words. II is something substantial, something
ang'bie in the way Of acquiring citizenship The {
Injections at once become identified and cIinu to
he soil. He becomes Amercanized as ii by
magic An American, too, who will fight in our n
'attles, who will support our institutions, who =
Will add to our wealth and TO our prosperity and
happiness, well as his own. Our PIymonth "
athers were once foreigners, yet they were the cS
OF our present form of government. III
vas from their ''ru!es and regulations that our
constitution obtains its seIfsus' aiming life We ia
ourselves, are but the sons, or grandsons, at ST
arthes', of foreigners. Will not American soil,
nercan climate, and American society now II
reduce the same effect upon the second and sa
bird generations as they did half century a.
lnce Sir, want the industrious, the perseye. :"
ing, and the frugal German, wan, The high to
'ned and chivalric lrishman, | want the s,ad m
nd honest Scot to settle 1 our frontier Terri.
ones yes, sir, and want their aid and assis ha
lnce IN framing the laws that are TO be made an
,r The government of these Territories Wsuld MI
disfranchise them? No. never Let us mass
lie bill without this odnus amendment
'et Us do justice though the Heavens fall. Is
haNSFER OF THE PUBLIC LANDS it
MN