Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1859-02-23
The oregon BIN Passed.

Tt is certainly an event ominous of mischief
and violent sectional agitation, that the bill
for the admission of Oregon as a State has
been passed by Southern Democratic voters.
The list of Southern nays, which we publish
ed yesterday, indicates that three-fourths OF
the Democratic Representatives from the
South voted for the bill; these, with handful
of Black Republicans and probably the
entire Northern Democracy, constituting
small majority in the House. 1t gives us
pleasure to see that nearly every Southern
American voted against it, and that our
immediate Democratic Representative, Mr..
Crawford. acted with them. But the other
Georgia Democrats by their votes repudiated
the test they applied to Kansas. though
South Carolina on the one side and Alabama
on the other adhered steadfastly to whole
some restriction which can only be maintain
ed or justified as general rule.
Oregon has not one-half the population re-
quired for one Representative in Congress
the ratio rightly applied to Kansas and here
tOfore defended because of It's intrinsic justice.
If the rule is just one, it ought to be general
and it can only be upheld as a principle
common in its application to all Territories.
II the South has right to repudiate it in its
application to Oregon. because she has elected
Democratic Congressman, certainly the North
will have an equal right TO repeal it as TO
Kansas, next winter, when she applies as a
free State with Black Republican Congress
men elect. Are we to understand from their
votes in favor of admitting Oregon, that the
great body of Southern Democrats are pre-
pared to back down from the restriction as to
population which they put upon Kansas
If they do, they will prove that they hum
plugged and sold" the South when they ac-
cepted the English compromise with this
clause alone put in as valuable considcra-
ton to their own section. If they do not,
they will give the Black Republicans the very
best pretext for another violent sectional agi-
tation during the next Presidential contest,
for then the adherence to the Kansae re-
strictiQn can only be defended as partial and
lnvldlous measure--as a rule only to be re
gardcd when it operates odiousiy to Northern
sentiment, but which may be set aside in any
case i'll which the Democratic party Of the
South is curbed by its restraint! The simple
statement of this shifting policy sufficeS to
show that ii can not be successfully defended.
And yet there is reason to believe that many
Southern Democrats have just voted for
Oregon, and will next winter vote against
Kansas, expressly with view of getting up
another violent sectional agitaton-one in
which the North will this time have very
plausible grievance to present and remedy
with hope of thereby overshadOwing other
issues founded upon their prohigacy and i'm
providence as q party, and forcing the South
again to support their nominee for the Pres
idency. Unfortunate indeed is a section
whose interests and institutions are thus con-
tinually made the basis of sectional divisions
for the benefit of political parties! Unfor-
tunate for the cholecountry, when the earnest
desire of patriotic men of every section 10
form national conservative party for the
correction of Governmental abuses and the
retrenchment OF unheard-of expenditures is
to be thwarted by infiammatory sectional fire.
brands thus concOcted.-CGLuntbusE Enquirer.