Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-07-04
rhe DourIas Candidate tor she vice Pres

their candidate for the Vice Presidency They first
nominated Gov. FIrzPATRicK Of Alabama, who voted
to remove Judge DoUGIAs from the Craftsmanship Of
the Committee on Territories, because Of Judge DIS
anti-Lecompton. war, and who since the adjourn
ment Of the Convention at Charleston, voted agrinst
Judge D., ard with JEFF DAVIS on the resolutions
of the latter. But Gov. FuzPkTRIcK refused to run
on Judge DOUGLAS ticket, and they had to look
around for another candidate In their search they
found Gov. JOHNSON who had been rejected from the
convention. Without inquiry into his antecedents
they put him on the ticket. We assert without the
fear of successful contradiction that there is not in
Georgia prominent man who has been regarded |
more ultra in his Southern notions than II. V. JoHN
SON He zealously favored the celebrated Nashville
Convention, and warmly supported Gov. MCDONALD,
the President of that convention at its second meet
ing as the Southern Rights candidate for Governor
against Gov. CoBB, the Union or Submission candi-
date. ALFRED IvERsoN, the fireeating Senator from
Georgia, has not been more extreme in his notions
than the present candidate of the DOUGLAS party for
the Vice Presidency. Upon the resignation of Judge
CoLQUIrT, Gov. JeHSsox was appointed o. S Senator,
and served in that body from that time until March
4th, Is49 We furnish few extracts from his speech
on the Oregon bill, delivered July 18th, ls4s, to show
how widely he differed from the Il V. Johnson of
to-day:
Mr. JOHNSON Of Georgia said: Mr.. President
/ The Parliament of Great Britain is said to be ON
nipotent; and yet in that empire the humbest sub
ject is protected in the absolute enjoyment of the
rights of private property. So paramount is this
principle regarded that the whole strength of the
government, if need be, is exerted for its manten-
ance in behalf of the meanest subject in the most
! distant corner Of world How strange, therefore
that in the American Congress, whose powers
defined and limited by written Constitution, we
are grayely debating whether fifteen Of the soTer-
eign States of this cOnfederacy shall be permitted
to enjoy their equal interests the territory of the
United States which is the common property of all.
Yet sir stripped of all that is calculated to cheat
and deceive, this is the naked question presented IN
the twelfth section of the bill upon your table:
That section, among other provisions, proposes to
approve and continue in force all the laws and ordl-
nanees which may have been passed by the provi-
siOnal government of Oregon. Among the organic
laws of atprovisional government is "a ordinance
which prohibits slavery or involuntary seryltude
within the limits of said territory. This attempt
to ratify and confirm such an act involves the as
sumption that Congress has the right to exclude
slavery from the territory Of the United States or,
in other words to deny 10 the saYeholding citizens
of the Unior the privilege of removing into said
territory with their slaves and enjoying them
property. Where is the authority for such legisla-
ton by Congress?
1t remains now to consider the question involved
in the amendment proposed by the Senator from
Mississippi (Ir. DaYis) That question is, whether
it is the duty of Congress TO guarantee to the slavehod
err who shall remove with his slaves into the Ter
ritory of the United States the asdiSt6ed enjoyment
of his property in them long It continues to be
Territory. Or, IN other 10ordS, whether the inhabit
ants of Territory during their territorial condition.
have the right to prOhibit slavery therein For the
purposes of this question it matters not where the
power of legislating for the Territory resides
whether exclusively in Congress, or jointly in Con-
gress and the inhabitants exclusively the inhab
itants of the Territory the power is precisely the
same-no greater in the hands of one than the other
In no event. can the stakeholder of the South be excluded
from settling in such Territory WITH HIS PROPERTY OF
EVERY DESCRIPTION.
But suppose that Congress have the right to es-
tabsh Territorial Government only, and that then
all further governmental control ceases can the
Territorial Legislature pass act prohibiting
slavery? Surely not For the momnnt you admit
the right to organize the Territorial Government to
exist IN Congress, you admit necessarily THE sUBOR-
D1SATI0N of The people of the TeTitOy-their DEEPEN
| dence on this Government for an organic law, to
give them political existence
Hence all their legislation must be in conformity
with that organic law; they pass no actin viola
ton of it-none but such it permits Since there
| fore Congress has no power, az have shown, TO
prohibit slavery, they cannot delegate such power
to the inhabitants of the Territory. They cannot
authorize the Territorial Legislature to do that
which they have no power to do. The stream can
not rise higher than Its source this is as true in
eminent as in physics 1t is idle, however, to dis
cuss this question in this form.
But suppose the right of legislation for the Terri
tory be in its inhabitants they prohibit slavery
Surely not and for reasons similar to those which
show that Congress cannot
cipal in that its entire control and continuance be-
long 10 the State in which it exists and it is pot-
cal because it is recognized by the organic law Of
the confederacy, and cannot be changed or altered
by Congress, without amendment of the constitu-
ton; and because it is fundamental law, that
threefths of the slaves are represented IN the Ma
tional Legislature. Being POLITICAL upon the execu-
ton of the treaty of cesSiOn with Mexico it extend
ed 60 Instant, over the territories of New Mexico
and California. Then, say, if fellow-citlzen, Of
the senator from North Carolina (Mr. Mangum) were
| TO remove with his slaves into New Mexico, his
right to their use and service is guaranteed by the
constitution of the United States. and no poorr on
earth can deprive him Of them
But the restriction proposed by this bill is said
| to be of no practical Importance whatever
We are told that Oregon is not adapted to slave
labor that in the character of its soil and climate
nature has erected impossible barriers against the
ingress of slavery The South are therefore tainted
10Th being tOrederS Of discOT, SctSnOdtlcS and ll
prdctca5es because resist this exercise OF legislative
p0Uer Sir, the argument IS strong TOR u.s. as Jor
those 7rbO Hse T. lit be not practical question for as,
It cannot be for them # natUe has erected these inSl-
rnO,abe obstacles loy they not content to trust to
them, ,oby seek to prohibit siaT9y from going aohere,
by their SbO,ong Il neUer loM Co. IStheTe any con-
StiltOnai obligation resting upon gentlemen to press
this prohibition; then Jrh peTSeUeTe 1t IS ana can be
nothing else than a 1o1HtOn exercise Of pol5er
The whole history of public feeling and opinion
in the free States whether we look at the action Of
popular assemblies the proceedings of their Leg
satures or to the of their representatives In
Congress- mournfully warns the South that she
must stand upon hersconstitutiOnal rights trust,
Sir when the crisis comes she is prepared to do 1t.
The inference from all thc visible indications
around us evidently is. that the time has perhaps
arrived when the South has other alternative
but to stand upon her constitutional rights II this
be so if the spirit Of just cancellation is gone, and oe
are to be oUepoaoered by numbers against right I'lse no
cords of tredteaiag bit IddOniSh those aOhO force the
extremity to look dispGSSOaqey at the consequences o.
! heir f,fcf