Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1860-09-27

use it as means of attack gentlemen whether ne couu
mos IF the friends with whom he was associated BE con
trovered the doctrine THAT had been 1 ~
ponents Of the Wmot Provso that even the wnoie coa
North and South was opposed to slavery nad
no power legislste the subject re o"9 ne n MIS-
souri, Compromise HAD settled hdt POt'u' \0oo o"e
Globe, lst Both Cong page l074-o)
The results of Mr. Bells vote on this occasion aeaus'
the Clayton Compromise were LIST, the passage Vi s,e
" ilmot proviso over the Territory OF Ofegon |u'
keeping open the slavery agitation in reference 10 New
Mexico and California, and the excitement when
tbereupon ensued which threatened the peace
and stability of this Union to call Mr. Clay from
the quiet and repose of his home to beat pach Tue
tide of fanaticism, and give peace once more to ds
racted country and third the exclusion CT the oouth
from the whole of Caifornia-for California finding her
self without the protection of this Government framed
the next year State Constitution and In order to gam
admission into the Union prohibited slavery therein.-
We entertain not particle OF a doubt, that had the
Clayton Compromise passed. the Southern portion OF
California would have been to-day slave State Thus
by the vote example, and influence OF John Bell Sen
ator representing savehOding people, was lar COM
promise of the slavery question defea ed, the Wlmo'
provso thrust down the threats of the South the South
deprived of good opportunity OF having slave o'ae
in California and the slavery question left open, to ran
ke in the public mind, and furnish fuel for the Adolf
ton agitators Congress adjourned in eW weeks and
Mr. Bell returned to Tennessee and engaged IN adVoca,
ting the election of Gen. ay to the Presidency ana
in speech at Murreesboro the 2lst Of September,
ton that had been had on the Oregon bill, saying
He was not willing to defeat that bill by any direct vote
movement his part He therefore voted against me
proposition postponement. He glad the bill had
passed as he believed would have done mischief
at the North He did not feel called upon to vote for IT,
though he clearly certain that Congress hdd not the
poacer dispose of the tohoe subject The Missouri Compro
mise long acquesced in went far to settle that ques
ton"
In the same speech he declared:
What his General Taylors) opinions were on the sub
ect of the constitutional of Congress over the ques
rFc1oI
he desire TO KNOX,
1t will thus be seen that he abandoned the South up
on the first grave question that up after he enter
ed the Senate, involving important constitutional
right dear the SOnth and which being reckless
ly warrei upon by Corwin, Hale Hamlin Co., and
which National Democrats and Wings, North and
South endeavorng to compromise upon the plan
of referring to and abiding by the decision OF the SUI
preme COurt--a plan which Mr.. Clayton, good Hen
ry Clay Wing, said any who desired discord will
oppose but he who does not desire to distract the coun
try will vote for And having aided in defeating this
compromise he then joined the North in tavorlng the
passage Of bill for Oregon, with the Wimot provisO
attached endeavOrng to shield himself by simply recor
ding his vote 10 the negative and in avorg an amend
ment extending the Missouri restrcton but declaring
at the tme and subsequently, that he thought the
passage of the old Missouri Compromise restriction had
determined the power of Congress to apply the Wimot
Provso, excluding the slave property OF the South from
the common territory. Well might General Zoicoler,
the Wing representative in Congress from Mr. Bells
own district, say:
'The open efforts of avowed Aboltionists are mpoten
for HARM because the of the American people strong
y reProbate them nmica to the Constitution and to the
stability Of the Governments 6 trhen Southern statesmen
achOSe patriotic purposes not dobted grGUey declare
that beLeUe the Wnaot ProUiso IS CONSTITUTIONAL the
politicians ami people Of the North not SO1c TO adopt
hi heory and then the only question left with them is Is
expedient the Wmot Proviso? Believing
in the North do that slavery wrong regarding it
obnoxious leading Democrats do whom my colleague
regards sound and true statesmen, wonderful what
demonstrations have in the North in favor the Wmo
Proviso, after The surrender of the constitutional question b
those t" Sttd at the South ?'
THE COMPROMISE MEASURES OF 1850.
Congress met i'll December, 1919 under peculiar cir
cumstances. The country wild with excitement
disturbing the public peace and threatening dissolution
of the Union. Mad and bad at the North adhered
TO their determination override the constitutional rights
of the South break down the equality of the States
and prohibit slavery in the Territories Party for
gotten, and good men everywhere comforting to-
geher to prevent the outrage and preserve the Govern
ment from bloody ISSUE MIR. Clay seeing the great
danger in which the country was, left the comforts of
home and retirement, to ming lie more in the excl
ting scenes in order to restore peace and quiet to the
Union. 1t was the last great drama of his life He
came not as the leader of party but representa-
tive OF American patriotism He brought forward his
plan of adjustment embodied in series of resolutions
He proposed the admission of California the organza-
ton OF territorial governments for New Mexico and
Utah, without the Wmot ProvsO, and upon the prin-
cpe of nonntervention according to the Clayton COM
promise, more stringent fugitive slave law and
peaceable dustment of the boundary question between
New Mexico and Texas. Instead of falling in with Mr.
Clay, and giving him his support, Mr. Bell sought to
embarrass and thwart the efforts of those friendly
settlement OF the question to the satisfaction of the
South and the conservative of the North. Up,
therefore he jumped and proposed has plan And what
was 1t by the terms of the annexation of Texas it
was In the power of the people of Texas whenever they
so desired TO form four additional States of their
territory, making five in ALL Their right in this matter
Mr. Webster pronounced " complete fnal and irrevoca-
ble' Yet, John Bell Southern Senator, proposed to
admit only oco additional States, to be formed out of
the Territory of Texas and said he when admitted
they will be the last OF their race They will and must
Close the account my augment of slave States then
and forever, or for as long this Union lasts. Here
then, his first proposition was to surrender right,
complete, hnal, and lrrevOcable" to form four more
slave States out of Texas Did he prove thus treacher-
Gus to the South out of ignorance Let him answer:
~, This number (two, as he proposed) will recoec,
Mr. PRESIDENT falls far short Of the calculations of Southern
gentlemen of the advocates of the annexation of Texas
when that question presented to the American people
be carved out OF that Territory -Four sdUe States might
De cd10ed out Of that Territory because there cOurru
eHesoe ENOUGH rich enough, fertile enough. to sustain
population that eoodd author ,ze its dU,son INTO o, States;
ont olh the arrangement noao proposed (his o0) eoo,
be IhPoss1BE that sch ojec should be entertained
Therefore, SIR, there be prospect of the fer
Their admission Of sldUe States into the Union at ay time
Thus we see MIR. Bell knowingly and wlally propos-
Ing To surrender complete, fnal and rrevocabe ~
right to the formation of five slave States be carved
out of Texas
Ills next resolution also fatal to Southern rights
LIE proposed to take two and halfdegrees from Texas
lying north OF the 34h parallel of north latitude and
attach 1t to New Mexico, with the avowed intention of
making it free State. But we will let him tell the
story in his own words
The first point which will be suggested the minds of
honorable Senators by this resolution is that here is sur
render Of too and half degrees Of saoe territory to be
eTe0tte7 free territory 1t will be red that
the Missouri Compromise line is the parallel SO deg 80
min Thus co and half degrees of slaue territory aoH be
queen up to become free, think will be conceded in the
candid judgment of all. While the nresent
cation of material creation stands African slavery can
ind foothold in New Mexico.'-Cong Globe LIST sess
3lst Cong, page 436.
Thus, again for the purpose Of forming free State