The independent. (Harrisonburg, La.) 1853-18??, 1860-12-19
OGEES L. ELLIS, Sec etasy.
HE EDIron OF THE INDEnENDESr-

! ,Str: Having III BY gone wears often been
entrusted with the public interests Of this
senatorial district and having as often, by q
faithful discharge OF my public duties, at
/ tempted to merit the confidence repoSed in
ne, feel it my duty to unbosom myself in
regard to the present crisis in our political
affairs.
/ On the 26th day Of January, 1850, had
/ the hotor of laying before the Senate the
/ following resolutions, which, with a few trf-
I ling amendments, passed that body by unan-
ituous vote, excepting the vote OF Senator
Clark, of West Feliciaua:
+. lst. Resolved, That the Government of
the United States is ono Of limited and dele
gated powers, only, aud that Congress has no
constitutional authority to legslate on the
subject of slavery.
| I'd. That all territory acquired by the
common treasure and blood of the eonfedera-
| cy, is the common property of all the States.
/ Sd. That Lousian is firmly and ardently
attached to The Union; but If, in violation of
the Constitution of the United States, and if.
in disregard of the spirit and principles of
compromise acknowledged on the occasion Of
Tue dtib.sSiCU vi tde StdtGS vi H1ssSDuil SUO
Texas into this con:ederacv, Congress should
pass law known as the Wtlmot Proyiso or
any law abolishirg slavery in the District OF
! Columbia, or restricting it between the states,
! she will resist them at every and all hazards.
| 4;h. Resolved, oThat Louisiana heartily
concurs in the resolutions recently passed 10y
the legislatures of Virginia, Missouri, South
Carolina, Mississippi and the other Southern
States, on the subject of slavery; and that the
Governor is hereby authorized and requested,
ito nominate delegates to attend the oonyen-
| 5. Resolved, That the Governor is hereby
authorized and requested, to transmit copy
of these resolutions to our Senators and Rep
reseEtatives in Congress, and to the Govern
ors of the other States.
Soon after sie passage Of these resolutions,
the compromise measures matured by the
committee Of thirteen, of which Mr.. Clay was
chairman, wefe passed by Congress and for
a while compromised our difficulties with the
faboli.ionists This compromise was a bitter
pill for the South to swallow, but the South
ern States stood by il in letter and spirit.
One of the items Of this compromise was,
the loss to the South of all claim to Califor-
mia, which was obtained BY a bloody and
costly war with Mexico, in which Southern
blood and money were shed and spent most
lavishly. And what did the South obtain
for the ioss of her interest in California! Not
a solitary dollar, nor solitary acre, for that
immensely wealthy State, stretching out on
the Pacific ocean one thousand mlies -em-
bracing the richest mines on earth Of gold,
silver, quicksilver and other inestimable
minerals, 10 exhaustless profusion. The only
|paltry consideration which tue South obtain
ed was the passage Of another fugitive slave
law, which We were already entitled to by
tina Constitution, and which has remained a
dead letter on the statute book ever since.
sinces the Passage of my resolutions in 80,
the spirit 81 fanaticism has increased to an
alarming extent, and, like tornado, has
swept every party into insignifcance in the
Northern States; and to cap the climax OF
their audacity, they have elected a sectional
candidate President, who ayows that the
States Of this Union must be all slave or all
free; and that the conflict between the slave
and free States, Is irrepressible. The aboli-
tionists have long since cut assunder the
bonds of Union of the Church North and
South. They have 4oo, 1000 men in drill to
menace US with, styled Wide Awakes,--
Icommemoration Of the association of which
old John Brown was member. They have
sent their emisaries into Texas, who have OPP
Grated With fire and poison. They have Sc
cretly introduced boxes Of shsrpe's rifles into
Kentucky and Mississippi with which to arm
the slave population. ~. ,.@4. M lis
The abotionists Of Massachusetts,, few
weeks since, through. their mouthpiece. the
Governor Of that State, on public occasion,
in the presence ofthe dignitaries Of that State,
leuloglzed old John Brown and compared his
gatherings and death with that Of the apostle
Paul.
The abolitionis,s Of Massachusetts have
armed the ruffian, Montgomery, to recon-
mence civil war 10 Kansas, and he is report
ed to have taken Fort Scott.
Il is not worth my time nor yours to dwell
at any further length on their many acts,
which manifest settled determination on