The true Democrat., 1856-04-08
From the New York Day Book, March l5. What Does the South Want?


 We'll, we are not southern or northern, mo- thing but simply democratic and American, but we can tell our neighbor exactly what the south wants, and what it will have and must have, or It must take care of itself and provide for Its own safety. It wants "equal rights" It demands equality under the federal Union. It needs the same field for the extention of its soclety-for the expansion of its population the development of It's lndustry-that the north claims. It must have the same recognized right to occupy the national or common territo- ry with its mixed population that the north claims for its homogeneous population. This is what the south wants, and in Iced what the north wants, for should ignorance and delusion, or treason combine with European monarchism, or the so called "civilized world" to pen up the negro in our midst and break down the na- tura relations of the races, the north could not escape 1t would go down in the common calamity. and whatever the ultimate consequent ces; or, freed of the negro element whatever might be the chances of the north to recover from such misfortune for the time being, 1t would be dragged into the same frightlul vor- tex winch swallowed up the civilization of the south. NOW, It Is strange indeed, with all the intelligence ot the north, or that Is claimed for the north, that this claim , of the south should q man; nor indeed would it be- were 1t not for the wide spread ignorance and misconception of southern society which prevails at the north and which is wholly and entirely the work of British and reasonable writers among us
 When the war of independence ended, the states were isolated and independent sovereign ties, but the interests of commerce, indeed of common civilization, prompted them to send delegates to q convention to form a general government of federation of republics which should be supreme in certain we'll defined at- tributes, but which, beyond these well defined limits, had no power whatever. Or in other words, the states, surrendering q certain portion of thelr naturM sovereignty to this 0rttEc5a} or rehected central sovereignty, retained every thing else. Thus the federal constitution, lim- Its not the power of the states but that of the federal government; they, the states Cor the peo- ple) have the right to do ever, thing not stated in the constitution, while the federal govern ment has no power whatever except that which the constitution gives 1t. Now So-caIed slavery or the social and domestic relations of whites and negroes is plainly and unmistakaby beyond the control of the federal government It be- longs to the category of reserved powers It belongs to the states, and to the people of the states, and for Congress to interfere with ito abolish ito say. or to presume to say, that the negro shall be forced to level with white men, Is as monstrous as great contradiction to the spirit and letter of the constitution, to reason, t'ct, common sense and the fitness of things, as 1t would be for it to undertake to make king.
 The men who made the constitution defined with great eXaclitude all the conditions where this question was involved or in issue, at least | 1t lal o;,l regulation, that the slave trade should cease at a certain time--that three-ftths ratio of repre- sentation should be adopted, and that negroes escaping from the south should be restored to their masters. But while they thus regulated some of the conditions growing out of it, 10 one assumed, or indeed ever hnted at such d monstrous absurdity and still more moustrous wrong as the violation of this relation, or the destruction of this normal condition by the federal government. The relation of master and slave, or rather that which we call thus, belongs to the same social category as the re- lation of husband and wife, pareut and child. etc. which springs from the very necessities of 1 human existence and General Cass is most un- quesoMahly right in claimij z for the people of a territory the ri 5ht to regulate this relation-. The people of a territory have not only the right, bat 1t is plainly their duty to regulate slavery" but they can have no right to de- stroy 1t or to attempt to abolish . 1t or to ex- clule 1t.
 The natio1 i5 composed of two great sections, one with homogeneous population, the other with mixed population, with three millions of subordinate negroes. Each alike is rapidly in- crcasIn- it's pnpuaton and needs new territo- reS, fresh openings for its industry, its enter | prise, it's advancing civiIization and of course, each have the same ,,utluai right to occupy ! these territories General Quitmln for exam ple, commanded one of the divisions of that gallant army which conquered Mexico. himself | the first American Governor of inc Mexican capital, who gave his blood and perilled his life ' for his country takes lis family and his "nc- gro slaves /" and settles down in the territories which his own good sword has conquered, or helped [" conquer. Is J not absurd, utterly absurd, to say that he shall not do so?
 l, it not in total contradiction to common sense as we'll as q violation of all the principles | Of the federal compact to exclude. or to assume to exclude, General Quitman from the territory he fought for? It woullscem that there conIl be no conflict of opinion in 50 plain casc that every man in this broad republic would instant ! y respond to so plain and so just thing aul say that General Quitman or any other cti- zen ot the south, should have the same rec 0u- uZed right 10 settle in these territories that Was claimed by the citizens of the north. And
 f anything were needed to show the iniustice. tHe monstrouS stupid injustice of this attempt- ed exclusion of southern citizens, 1t is found in the persons and characters of those who as- ,ume to lead this opposition against the "equal rights 7" of the south.
 Joshua R. GlddingS was member of the House of Representatives during the war with | MeXico and not oI " voted against raisinp new regiments and other means for ushing it vigor. ously, but did things which, in lands where they have no negro slavery, they woull have hung him for, and deservedly too as a traitor H. voted against supplies for his countrvmen already in the fed and, to a certain extent. cut off from communication with their country. and beyond this, vile and infamous as it was, actu ally sided with the enemies of the country and encouraged them to stand their ground and to "receive Us with bloody hands and welcome us to hospltabe sraveS.'
 The wrirer of this article has himself taken from the hats of Mexcans printed speeches of this old hoary headed abolition traitor. and those of others of his gang, advising the Mexi cans not to make peace; and such man as this and others like him, equally cowardlv, base and traitorous himself, are those who pro- pose to exclude the south from the common territories.
 Now, can there be anything more monstrous than that Joshua Giddings should have the power or presume to have the power to ex clude General Quitman from tho national ter ritory? What monstrous measureless lie has been impressed on the national intellect. when such things are possible among usl What a perverted opinion must prevail at the north when such an absurdity is even tolerated for a moment, yet it does prevail and thousands up on thousands of good honest citizens think if all right and proper to exclude " slavery" from the national territories, though in doing so they violate the rights of states, the spirit and prin. ciples of the federal compact, the spirit of pat. riotism, of justice, and indeed the dictates of common sense.
 But it is this "equal right" the ,ecoqnize1 equal right to occupy the common territory, | that thp SOuth rpntnpIc for,