SECOND DAY.
FRIDAY MORNING, 8 o'clock.
The Convention met, and was called to order by the President.
Owing to the absence of Mr. Lowe, one of the Secretaries, on motion of Col. S. A. Young, of Boone, L. J. Sharp, of Lafayette, was appointed to act in his place.
On motion of J. W. Bryant, of Saline, the proceedings of yesterday were ordered to be read.
It being announced that other delegates had arrived from different counties, the following named gentlemen appeared and took their seats in Convention:
F. Walker, of Howard, Dr. E. C. Moss, of Pettis, P. T. Able, Esq. of Platte, and George T. Wood, of Henry. Messrs. J. Loughborough and George F. Hill also appeared and took their seats as delegates from St. Louis county.
Dr. Lowry, of Howard, moved that the President appoint a committee to wait on President Shannon, of Boone, and invite him to address the Convention on the subject of slavery.
A motion was then made to lay Dr. Lowry's motion on the table, which, being voted upon by counties, resulted as follows:
Yeas—Cass, Daviess, Henry, Johnson, Ray, Cole, Clay.
Noes—Andrew, Boone, Caldwell, Carroll, Cooper, Jackson, Lafayette, Livingston, Linn, Morgan, Pettis, Platte, Randolph, Chariton, St. Louis, Saline.
Dr. Lowry's motion was then put to the Convention, and on motion of C. F. Jackson, of Saline, the rule to vote by counties was suspended. Dr. Lowry's motion was then adopted by the Convention: whereupon the President appointed Dr. Lowry, of Howard, and Major Morin, of Platte, said committee.
S. L. Sawyer, of Lafayette, announced that the Committee on Resolutions was ready to report.
The report being called for, the Committee proceeded to report, through their Chairman, Judge Napton, of Saline, the following preamble and resolutions:
Whereas, This Convention have observed a deliberate and apparently systematic effort, on the part of several States of this Union, to wage a war of extermination upon the institution of slavery as it exists under the Constitution of the United States, and of the several States, by legislative enactments annulling acts of Congress passed in pursuance of the Constitution, and incorporating large moneyed associations to abolitionize Kansas, and through Kansas to operate upon the contiguous States of Missouri, Arkansas and Texas; this Convention, representing that portion of Missouri more immediately affected by these movements, deem it proper to make known their opinions and purposes, and what they believe to be the opinions and purposes of the whole State, and to this end have agreed to the following resolutions:
1. That we regard the institution of African slavery, whether relating to its social, moral, political or economical aspect, solely and exclusively a question of State jurisdiction, and any agitation of this question in the Congress of the United States, or in States where it has no existence, with a view to affect its condition, or bring about its destruction, is a direct and dangerous attack upon the reserved rights of the several slaveholding states, and is an impertinent interference in matters nowise concerning the agitators, and, if persisted in, must sooner or later destroy all harmony and good feeling between the States and the citizens thereof, and will finally result in a dissolution of the Union.
2. That the resolution on the part of several of the northern and western non-slaveholding States, never to admit another slaveholding State into this Union, is substantially a declaration of hostility to our Federal Constitution, and avows a purpose to disregard its compromises; and implies a threat of continued aggression upon, and ultimate destruction of slavery, under whatever sanctions it may exist.
3. That the diffusion of slavery over a wider surface tends greatly to ameliorate the condition of the slave, whilst it advances the prosperity of his owner; and the admission of new slaveholding States into the Union, by maintaining to some extent an equilibrium between the conflicting influences which now control the Federal Government, is the only reliable guarantee which the slaveholding minority have for the protection of their property against unconstitutional and oppressive legislation by the non-slaveholding majority, now and hereafter destined to be in the ascendancy.
4. That we cordially approve the recent act of Congress, for the settlement of Kansas and Nebraska, and the act of 1850, popularly known as the Fugitive Slave Law.
5. That the incorporation of moneyed associations, under the patronage of sovereign States of this Union, for the avowed purpose of recruiting and colonizing large armies of abolitionists upon the territory of Kansas, and for the avowed purpose of destroying the value and existence of slave property now in that Territory, in despite of the wishes of the bona fide independent settlers thereof, and for the purpose, equally plain and obvious whether avowed or not, of ultimately abolishing slavery in Missouri, is a species of legislation and a mode of emigration unprecedented in our history, and is an attempt, by State legislation, indirectly to thwart the purposes of a constitutional and equitable enactment of Congress, by which the domestic institutions of the territories were designed to be left to the exclusive management and control of the bona fide settlers thereof.
6. That these organized bands of colonists, shipped from Massachusetts and other quarters under State patronage, and resembling in their essential features the military colonies planted by the Roman Emperors upon their conquered provinces, rather than the pioneers who have hitherto levelled the forests and broke up the plains of the West, authorize apprehension of an intent of exclusive occupancy, and will necessarily lead to organized resistance on the part of those who, under the Constitution and laws of the United States, have equal rights to possession; and whilst we earnestly deprecate such results, we are justified in advance in placing their entire responsibility upon those who have commenced the system, and are the aggressors.
7. That we disclaim all right and any intent to interfere with the bona fide independent settlers in the Territory of Kansas, from whatever quarter they may come, or whatever opinions they may entertain; but we maintain the right to protect ourselves and our property against all unjust and unconstitutional aggression, present or prospective, immediate or threatened; and we do not hold it necessary or expedient to wait until the torch is applied to our dwellings, or the knife to our throats, before we take measures for our security and the security of our firesides.
8. That the eighteen counties of Missouri, lying on or near the border of Kansas, with only an imaginary boundary intervening, contain a population of about fifty thousand slaves, worth, at present prices, twenty-five millions of dollars; and this large amount of property, one half of the entire slave property of the State, is not merely unsafe, but valueless, if Kansas is made the abode of an army of hired fanatics, recruited, transported, armed and paid for the special and sole purpose of abolitionizing Kansas and Missouri.
9. That this convention and the people they represent, and the State government of Missouri, and the entire people thereof, should take such measures as to them appear suitable and just and constitutional, to prevent such disastrous consequences to their security and prosperity and peace; and confidently relying upon the sympathy and support of the entire South and South-west, whose ultimate fate must inevitably be the same with theirs, and confidently relying also upon the conservative portion of the North, they respectfully appeal to the good sense and patriotism of the entire North, to put down such fanatical aggressions as have hitherto characterized the movements of Emigrant Aid Societies, and leave the settlement of Kansas and the regulation of its domestic institutions to be controlled as the settlement and institutions of our other territories have been, by those impulses of self-interest and congeniality of feeling on the part of settlers, which, by the natural laws of climate and soil, will, if undisturbed, invariably determine the ultimate condition of the Territory.
10. That a committee of five be appointed to draw up and publish an address to the people of the United States, setting forth the history of this Kansas excitement, with the views and action of our people thereon, in conformity with the principles and positions of the foregoing resolutions; and that printed copies of the same, with a copy of these resolutions appended, be forwarded by the Secretary of this Convention to the Executive of each State in the Union.
After the reading of which, Judge Napton proceeded to address the Convention in support of the resolutions.
Judge Napton then read the following resolution, as recommended by the Committee, to the Convention:
Resolved, That in view of the acts of the legislature of the State of Massachusetts, and other Northern and Western States, practically nullifying the Constitution of the United States, and the laws of Congress relating to the rendition of fugitive slaves, and in vindication of the Constitution, and for the purpose of preserving the integrity of the American Union, we recommend to the General Assembly of Missouri to pass such retaliatory measures, discriminating against the sale of the productions or manufactures, or material of commerce, whether of importation by them or of the production of said States, within this State, as they may deem proper for that purpose, and that such measures shall be made operative as long as the offensive legislation above referred to continues on the statute books of those States.
Mr. Withers, of Clay, moved the adoption of the resolutions as reported by the Committee, and the vote being taken by counties, resulted in their unanimous adoption.
On motion of C. F. Jackson, of Saline, the vote upon said resolutions was then taken by the house, standing, which resulted in their unanimous adoption.
A motion was then made to adopt the resolution recommended by the Committee to the Convention.
Mr. Torbert, of Cooper, offered the following amendment:
"Insert after the word 'manufactures,' the words, or materials of commerce, whether of importation by them or of their production;" pending which the Convention adjourned till 2 o'clock, P. M.