Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1860-06-01

agree with us in their afirmance and sup
port.
MIR. Calhoun was one of the Au-
thOrs of the NOn-Interventi0n
Plank lin the Cincinnati Plat
form.
It is often refreshing and instructive, to
look back into the History Of the past. When
political affairs come to a solemn pause" in
their onward course, and dissolution impends
it is often only necessary for those who di-
rect them to ~retraae: their steps a few years,
to find the. means suggested for overcoming
the obstacles which threaten the destruction
Emphatieally is the present an occasion
Of the sort with the Democratic party. 4
new dogma is proposed to be incorporated
into its creed. Leading men, able men,
men from whom better things We're to have
been expected, men whom the Democracy
delight to follow in all rightful ways, have
lent their action to this new dogma; and
adhere to it pertinaciously, though, an i'm
mediate dissolution of the party be tie IN
evitable result, These are, for the most
part, Southern men; and against their all
thority it is necessary to appeal to that of
others holding stillxhigher places in South
ern confidence. We invoke the authority
of Calhoun, the man most reverentially and
af~ectionately enshrined in the Southern
memory. :,
The question is, from What source shall
protection to slave property in the Terrific
ries be derived? The Cincinnati platform
quoting the Nebraska Kansas act, declares
that it shall be derived from the Federal
Courts, especially the Supreme Court; The
Alabama ;Seceders demand that it shall be
ezacted from Congress- under the penalty
of a absorption of the Democratic party, and
a dissolution of the Union. The provision
In the Nebraska.Kan act. placing slavery
in the Territories under the protection of
the Courts, is popularity known as the Clay
ton proviso. The demand Of the Seceders
at Charleston may be designated, in brief,
as the Kamcey prouiso. We shall not go
into any inquiry as to the authorship of the
latter. It is of so recent eri gin, that its
friends may easily fix its paternity. Our
business at p~resentis with tie other, the
CzagtoS propiso. 1t bears the name of Mr..
Clayton, because he was the Chairman Of
the committee which first reported it to the
Senate. Of that committee, Mr.. Calhoun
was a member, concurring, aiding and adj
vising in the report and it is not unnatural
to suppose that his master mind had much
to do. with originating it,, At all events,
we shall quote Mr.. Clayson's narrative Of
its origin, given to the Senate in his speech
of 1st March, 1854, delivered in the de-
bates on the Nebraska-Kansas bill. We
abbreviate his narrative as much as practi-
cable. In this speech, 49,
s'Mr: Clayton said, in 1846, shortly after
the acquisition of California and New Mex
leo, a debate ragged in the Senate until the
18th July, Wien I came forward and pro-
posed to my brother Senators to arrest the
debate, and to appoint a committee ofeight
members -foar from the North and four
from the South two Wings from the North,
two Democrats from the North two Demo-
Gratis from the South. and two Wings from
the South-to take into consideration the
measures then proposed for the organization
Of territorial governments in Oregon, Cali
fornia and New Mexico. The motion was
adopted, and the debate in the Senate was
arrested. The committee appointed was:
CLAYTON of Delaware, Chairman
Calhoun of South Carolina,
Atchison of Missouri,
Underwood of Kentucky,
Bright Of Indiana,
Clark of Rhode Island,
Phelps of Vermont, and
n Dickinson of New York.
l.''As soon as we assembled, a proposition
was made by a member from the South to
extend tie Missouri Compromise liue to the
Pacific. The vote upon it stood four North
ern members against it, and four Southern
members for il. The proposition was re-
viewed in. every form which we could con-
ceive it would be proper; but our Northern
friends rejected it as oftensas it was propos-
ed. We discussed tive entreated them
to adopt it. We did net rretend that it
was a constitutional measure, but it had
been held by many as a<compact between
the North and the South, and in such an
emergency as that then existing, itehadi
been justified by the people as a measure Of
peace. The proposal of the South 20 run
the line OF $50 30> to the Pacific would have
made one million. siz hundred thousand
square miles of the Territory. lying beyond
the States, on both sides the Rocky Noun
tains, free from slavery forever and would
have left African slavery South of $50 30>.
parts of California and New Mexico, con-
~taininr on1v ahout two undrea and saven-