The weekly Mississippian. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1859-1864, 1860-08-01
Douglas Anti-slavery Record.

Since the Oppositionsts in this State seem
determined to divide their votes between Doug
las and Bell-though We venture to say they
will take care to appropriate the Lions share
to the latter-it is not. proper that we
should neglect the antecedents ofeither OF these
Presidential expectants.
We charge that the Squatter Sovereignty
candidate for the Presidency, was an original
Wilmot Provisoist according to the showing
of his official record as a member of the United
States Senate and that in now advocating
the exclusion of the South from the territory
through the instrumentality Of Squatterism.
he is true to his antecedents Of hostility to
the South.
We ask the attention of our readers to
the following undeniable facts as they are
presented in the Congressional Globe, the
official organ of Congress.
On the 2sth of May, 1850 Senator Davis,
Of Mississippi, introduced an amendment to
the California bill, as follows;
Nothing herein contained shall be constru-
ed to prevent said Territorial Legislature
from passing such laws as may be necessary
for the protection of the right of property of
any kind, which may have been or may be
hereafter, conformably to the Constitution and
laws of the United States, held in or introduce
ed in said Territory.
Senator Chase, (Black Republican, of Ohio
a few days afterward, offered an amendment
to the amendment of Mr.. Davis, as fol-
lows
provided further, That nothing herein
contained, shall be construed as authorizing
or permitting the introduction of slavery or
| holding Of persons as property in said Terri
| tory
| On the Sd of June, Mr.. Davis, in a discus
sion as to the bearings Of his amendment, and
the amendment to the amendment of Mr..
| Chase, said
My amendment proposes to gire to tie No
| tionaE Legislature po,Uer to protect property Of
erery kind which may be introduced into tie
Territory under the laws and constitution of
the United States. The Senator from Ohio,
true to his instinct, comes in with PROPOSE
ton to exclude slaves, if that is property,
which may be introduced under the constitu
ton and laws of the United States. The dis
tinction between the Senator from Ohio and
myself is-that lie oaHs upon Congress TO in
tervene against rights 1ehiGh re may hare IN
| der the constitution, and to declare that a GER
tain kind of property Leld witAin the States is
not property recogrig9N6y the constitution"
4 vote was taken ON the Chase amendment
on the 9TH of June and it was lost-yeas 25; nays
80 Mr.. Douglas, with Chase, Hale, and
other abolitionists voted for the amendment,
which was, as jeff. Davis said, call upon
Congress to intervene against the rights which
the South might have under the constitution,
to hold slaves in the Territories.
A vote was then taken on the Davis
amendment, which proposed to give the Ter
ritorial Legislature power to protect property
of any kind in the Territory, under the Consti-
tuition and laws, and the amendment was lost ;
yeas %, nays 30-Douglas still voting with
Chase, Seward and Hale, against it.
The following is the record Of the proceedings
which followed:
| Mr.. Seward-I now submit the following
| amendment to be inserted at the 38th Sec
| ton:
| Neither Slavery or Involuntary SerVit,sde
otherwise than eoRUiction far crime, shall sUer
be aE7oooed an either of said Territories Of Utah
and Ne,o MeTioo
Mr.. Hale called for the yeas and nays, and
they were taken as follows:
Yeas-Messrs. Baldwin, Bradbury, Bright,
Chase, Clarke, Cooper, Corwin, Davis of Mas
sachusetts, Dayton, Dodge of Wiscinson,
| DOUGLAS, Fetch, Greene, Hale, Hamlim,
Miller, Morris, Seward, Shields, Smith, Up
| ham, Whitcomb and Walkers
| Nays-Messrs. Atchison, Badger, Bell,
Benton, Berrien, Butler, Cass, Clay, Clemens.
Davis of Mississippi, Dawson, Dickinson,
Dodge of Iowa, Downs, Foote, Hamilton, Hun
ter, Jones, King, Mangum, Mason, Marion,
| Pearce, Pratt, Rush, Sebastian, Soule Spru-
aIce, Sturgeon, Turney, Underwood, Webster
and Yulee-33.
Mr.. Stewards amendment for which Doug
glas voted, agas the Wilnot Proviso.
Mr.. Berricn now moved to amend the tenth
section Of the bill so as to read
But no law shall be passed interfering with
the primary disposal of the SOIL nor establish
ing or prohibiting African Slavery.
This passed by vote of 80 to ~, Douglas
voting in the negative.
So the fact stands out in bold relief that on
9TH Of June 1850, Stephen A. Douglas, the
| Opposition candidate for the Presi-
dency voted with Seward, Hale and Chase for
the odious Wilmot Proviso, the enactment of
which the most rampant Union-savers in the
land have said would justify resort to mea-
sures Of resistance against the Federal auth
critics by the Southern States. It is true that he
has alleged as an excuse that he was instruc-
ted to give this infamous vote, but he could
not have cast it as an honest man who had the
least regard for his oath, if he had believed it
to be unconstitutional. Moreover in dis
cussion with Senator Davis pending the COM
promise measures of 1856, he declared that
he was not prepared to deny that Congress
had not power to prohibit slaves from the Ter
ritories. ..'.'-.-l''
In the debate which took place in the Sen
ate, on the 18th of january, 1860, Senator
| Clay of Alabama, referring to the claim set up
by Douglas, upon that occasion, that he had
not changed his opinions for eleven years,
tainted him with his vote on the Wilmot Pro-
viso, as follows; = .
stated to the Senator, Dodglas) that
when he made bold to assert, in this presence,
that he had never changed his opinion, he
either said too much, or l never would have
extended to him the right hand of fellowship,
as a Democrat. give as my reasons, that he
had voted for the WImot Proyiso that he had
voted for anamendment to the Utah and New
Mexican bills, inhibiting the Territorial Lee |
gislatures from passing laws for the protection
of property in slaves. .rfsfaF
Who will deny in view Of these facts that
Stephen A. Douglas in becoming the champion |
of a plan which provides 1.-THE shortest cut TO /
all the ends Of Black Republicanism" is not
true to the record which he made in the earlier |
days of his political career.