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Show 356 THE AGI'rATION IN 1 ~47-50. I hope, then, to keep the whole of these matters untouched by any ]co·islation of Congress upon the Hubjcct of slaver leaving it open and u11clccid d. Non-action by Con0'1 • 0 . ~~ o • SIS best for the outh, and bc:t for all the viewH which the South ha~c cli~clo ed to liS fr~m time to Lim. as corresponlliug to their w1 hcs. I know lt has IJ en saH.l with regard to the territories, and especially has it l>ccn said with regard to ?ali~ornia, that n01~-1cgislation upon the part of Congress 1mphcs the same thing a.· the cxelnsion of slavery. 'J.1hat we cannot help. 'rhat Congress is not rcspon iule for. If nature has pronounced the doom of slavery in these territories- if she has declared, uy her immutable laws, that slavery cannot and shall not be introduced there-who can you reproach l>ut nature and nalnre's God? Congress you cannot. Congress a b, tains. Congress i. pas. i v . Congl'cs · is nonacting, south and north of Lhc line; or ratltrr if Oono-1 • ess agrees to the plan which I propo ·c, extending 110 line it leaves the en tire t hcatrc of the whole ccssiuu of t11c ·c tc:Titorics untou('hetl by J~gi~·dalirc cnnctnlentR, either tocxdude or atlmiL slavery. "\Yell, I a~k again, if you will li ten to the voice of culm and. di~pas~iu11atc rcnson-I aRk of any mun of the South, to n. c aud tell me if it is not better for tlmt eclion of the Uuiou, that Congress should remain pas ivc upon both sides of the ideal 1iuc, rather than that we shoulu iu terdict Ed avery n pon the one side of that Jiue and be passi vc upon the other side of that 1 inc ? Extract from Daniel vV custer's speech in the United States Senate, March 7th, I 50. Now, as to Califorllia alH] N cw }\lfcxico, I hold slavery to be cxcludc<l from tho o tcnil orie,· by n Jaw even superior to that wll i<:l1 ad 111 its and , ancl ions it in 'rex a~-I Illca 11 the law of nature, of pltysieal n·cugnlplty-the law of t.hc formatio 11 of the earth. rl'hat law settles forever, with a strength beyond all terms of human enactment, that slavery cannot exist in THE AGITA'riON IN 1847-50. 357 California or N cw M cxico. Und r st and me, sir,-T mc·n n slavery as we regard it; ·lavcf.i in gros , of the colore<.! race, transferable by sale and d 'l in'ry, like other property. * * * * * * * * I look upon it, therefore, us a fixc(l fa<·t, to usc an ex-pression current aL this <lay, t.hn.t both Cnlif'orni:t n.nd Nt'W :Mexico arc destined to he fr 'C, so far a they arc sctLlc(1 at all, which I bel ieve, cspcciu.lly in regn.nl to New Mexico, will lJc very liLLie for a 0Tcat lcnglh of time-free lJy the tHrangcmenL of thi11p;R by the Pow('r above us. I have therefore to say, in this rc. pcet a.l. o, that this country is fjxed for freedom, to as many pCl'.'OllS a Shall CVCL' ]ire there, by as irrepealable, and a more irrcpcal:lhle law, thnn the law that attaches to the right of hold ing slaves in Texas ; and I will Sity further, that if' a resolution, or a law, wcro now before us, to proviuc n. t erritorial government for N ·w Mexico, I wonld not vote to put nny prohibition into it whatcvcl'. 'rhc u:c of su ·h a proh ibition \VOtdd be i<l lc, ns it respects any effect it would have upon the territory; and J would not take pains to r 'affirm an ord in ance of nature, nor to re-enact the will of God. And I would put in no Wilmot proviso, for the purpo!-;e of a taunt or a. reproach. I would put into it no evidence of the votes of superior power, to wound the priuc, even whether a just pride_, a. rational pride, o1· an irrational pride-to wound the pndo of the gentlemen who belong to the Southern States. I have no snch object, no such purpose. Th y would think it. a taunt, an indignity. They wonl<l think it to lJc an a('t taking away from them what they rcgal'<l a proper cqnnlity of pri vilcgc ; and whether they 'XP 'Ct to realize uny benefit from it or not, they wonlll think it a, theoretic wrong-that something more or less dcrogatot·y to the ir character an <l their ri()'hts had tak en place. I propo c to inflict no sneh wound ~1pon anybody, u·nlc~s l:lOmcthing· essentia11y important to the country, and efficient to the preservation of liberty |