Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1861-02-27

ment of France the Louisiana territory, ex-
tending from the mouth of the Mississippi to
Vancouver's Island, aud containing al area
of 1,136.496 square miles; every foot OF
which was slave territory, and by the terms
of the purchase made so;and our Government
was pledged TO protect it. Article third OF
said treaty is ia the following words:
@s.The Inhabitants of the coded territory
shall be incorporated in the Union OF the
United States. and admitted as soon as pos
sible. according to the principles OF the Fed
erai Constitutisn. to the ENJOYMENT OF All the
rights. advantages, and immunitles OF cltl-
Gems of the United States; and in the mean
time. they shall be maintained and protected in
the free enjoyment of their liberty, properly.
and the religion which they profess
No one dodbts or questions, sir, that in all
this vast extent of territory, wherever settled
and there were many settlements on it
slaves were held as property; and this article
of the treaty of Paris has always been I'M
derstood, both contemporaneOusly and since.
to pledge our Government 10 the protection
of this species of property in the Louisiana
Territory while its territorial condition re-
NAMED But in 1920 we established the line
of SO deg 80 mi. north latitude, and prohibit
ted slavery in all that portion of this vast
empire north of that line; which gave to the
North 977 ,602 square miles, retaining for the
slave States only 15S, S94 square miles. Thus,
in the partition of a territory all slave by
the terms of the treaty by which it was ac-
quired, the South relinquished to the North
S1S,70S square miles more territory than she
retained to her own use. Can it be asserted
that this is illiberal-that this is using the
power of the Government for the aggrandize-
ment of the South, and to the detriment OF
the North The South might have retained
all this Nor did our fathers think, when
they yielded to you this vast prepsnderance
over them in the Government as section,
that it would ever be used to crush the
South and destroy its most cherished institu-
ton.
But. sir, [ must hurry on, for my hour is
| fast expiring.
By the Florida purchase the slave States ac-
quired territory of SO 268 square miles; and
by the annexation of Texas, 274, 1856 square
miles, making d total of 333, 624 square miles
By the treaty of Gaudaloupe Hidalgo, our to-
tai acquisition of territory was 665, 4Sf
square miles. OF this the North has already
acquired California, containing 16S 9Sl
square miles; leaving now undisposed of New
Mexico and Utah, which contain 46,505
square miles.
| ask, sir, to recapitulate the statistics
which have collected from the report Of the
Commissioner of the Land Office:
Square miles.
In 1888 the South owned 638, 0I6
Virginia ceded 239, 55s
Leaving the South but. ........ 1913, ASS
From the Louisiana purchase the
South acquired but. ... I5S, 1896
Florida 5926s
Texas. PA, 356
Present South. Observation-Disclosures. S90,97o
Total increase of the South .. 252,962
In 1888. the North had. ... I69, 662
Virginia cession. 239, 55S
Louisiana purchase. -. .. 977. 602
Mexican treaty. ISS, 9S1
1875, SOS
Total increase of the North since
I7S2 406 l4I