Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1856-01-12
Political Consistency.

mcnd, Virginia, American Of the 9th instant !
and commend its perusal to those especially who
assert that the Organ has been inconsistent in
its course on the question Of the Missouri Com
promise, and the 18th section Of the Philadel-
phia platform:
"a REarSIsCEScR.
For the purpose Of refreshing the memories of
some OF our friends, who disposed TO deal POI
ltcal damnation to all who presume to differ from
their dictum as TO the infalliby OF the 18th sec
ton, we take from the Journal OF the House OF
Delegates for tho session of l84S-49, the follow
ing RESOLUTION, which was adopted by a vote of
ayes Ill, noes Is;
Rssolvsd, That II, in Disregard of the spirit and
principles Of the act of Congress, the admission
of the State of Missouri into the Union, generally
known the Missouri Compromise and of every
consideration OF justice, constitutional right and
fraternal feeling, the fearful issue shall be forced
upon the country, which win result from the adop-
ton and enforcement Of the Wilmot Proviso as an
act Of the General Government, the people Of Vir-
ginia can have no difficulty in deciding between
the only alternatives that will then remain, of alb
iect submission to aggression and outrage on the
one hand or determined resistance the other, al
all hazards and to the last ertrenity.'
Among the ayes recorded on the passage of
this resolution, we find the names of Messrs Bur
well, Faulkner, and Syme! We do not wish to
tread on anybody's corns, but we would like gentle
men who very rampant about sticking to
this twelfth section, to DO little tolerant towards
those who may differ from them in opinion.
1.-THE Northern people were threatened with
resistance ut every hazard and to the last extre-
ity' in ls49, if they dared to disregard even the
spirit of the Missouri Compromise. Now, the very
gentlemen who were the valiant champions of this
Compromise proclaim most Justify that man is
true to the South who does not swear by the 18th
section. The reader who will take the trouble TO
read the 18th section viii be struck by the EVIL
dences of political consistency afforded by the
trast Of said section with the resolution we have
quoted"
1t win thus be seen that the politicians Of
Virginia, in the winter Of 1848-9, determined
to resist "at all hazards and to the last ex-
tremity," the enforcement Of the "Wilmot
Proviso" upon Territory, south Of SO IL de-
grees "in disregard Of the spirit and princi
Piles of the act of Congress- known as the
Missouri Compromise" What a figure do
those same politicians cut when they assume
that the Missouri Compromise act was unco,,
stitutional, and was rightfully and justly re-
pealed2 In 1849 they were ready to resist
cat all hazards, and to the last extremity"
any violation Gifts spirit or principles, and in
1855 they rejoice that it has been repealed,
and visit with awful anathemas those who ro-
fuse to join them in their demonstrations OF
consistency, and sing hozannahs to the act by
which the repeal of that time-honored compact
was effected sa
We are not Of those who desire to place our
selves in the predicament of denouncing at one
time, 'fre and fury upon all who seek to violate
the spirit and principles Of compact between |
the North and South, and at another time pro-
nounce those unworthy of their political re-
gard or social intercourse who refuse to justify
and glorify the violation of that same COM
pact If gentlemen, who have thus placed
themselves "upon the record" at one time,
for, and at another time against the spirit and
principles of the Missouri Compromise are |
content we certainly, shall not complain, pro-
rided, we are allowed to maintain our own |
consistency, by approving now and in the ~
turc, what we have uniformity approved in !
the past.
We have never entertained but one opinion |
on the subject of the Missouri Compromise,
and that opinion we have freely and frequently |
expressed, orally and through the press. We
have always believed it to be the wisest prac-
ticable plan Of adjustment between the North
and South, and we believe il now In this we
are at least consistent. IL that Compromise
could be restored, without agitating the coun-
try, and the line of Sc 1-2 degrees could be
run to the Pacific as the boundary between
the free and slave States we should rejoice.
If that cannot be done, we see but one other
mode of settling the present contest on the
slave question and that mode we have repeat
eddy presented through our columns.
1t is a proper, just, and practicable mode. 1t
is this Let the right of suffrage in the Terri
tories be regulated by general law, declaring
that none but citizens Of the United States"
native or naturalized, should vote in the Terri
tories, and that no such citizen should exercise
the right until he had resided continuously
six months in the Territory in which he offered
to vote. Under such law, the resident citi-
none others, would have voice in framing
their constitutions and laws, and they would
doubtless frame such as would be readily APP
proved by Congress and the country This is
not "squatter sopereignty"-bu the sover-
eighty of bona tide citizens"
But we are decidedly opposed to the ,admis-
sion Of Territories, as States, until they con-
tain inhabitants enough to entitle them to one
Representative under the ratio existing at the
time of admission. Let the Territories remain
under the control Of Congress until thus pre-
pared to assume separate State existence.