ADMISSION OF TEXAS.

MISSOURI COMPROMISE RE-AFFIRMED.

The question was then taken by yeas and nays, and resulted thus-yeas 118, nays 101. will be found: At page 85 of the same work the following

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Jan. 23, '45. The House being in Committee of the Whole on the Texas question,

the amendment of Mr. Weller, by substituting Mr. Douglas, (of Illinois,) moved to amend therefor the resolutions he had the honor to introduce a few days since.

JOINT RESOLUTIONS for the re-annexation of
Texas to the United States, in conformity with the
treaty of 1808, for the purchase of Louisiana.
Whereas, &c.

Mr. Milton Brown, (of Tennessee,) submit-lowing words: ted the following as an amendment to it: Strike out amendment of Mr. Weller to the original resolution, and insert as follows: JOINT RESOLUTION declaring the terms on which Congress will admit Texas into the Union as a

contained shall be construed to affect, or in any way 8th. And be it further resolved, That nothing herein Resolved, by the Senate and House of Representa- the sixth of March, 1820, admitting the State of Misinterfere with, the sixth section of the act, approved tives of the United States of America, in Congress souri into the Union, and commonly called the Misassembled. Third, New States of convenient size, not exceed-approved prior to the ratification of the treaty comsouri Compromise, that act having been passed and ing four in number, in addition to said State of monly called the Texas treaty, by which Texas was Texas, and having sufficient population, may here- ceded to Spain.

14

OREGON TERRITORY.

AUGUST 10, 1848.-The Oregon bill being AUGUST 11, 1848.-In the Senate Mr. Dougbefore the Senate, Mr. DOUGLAS moved an LAS moved a committee of conference. The amendment recognizing the Missouri compro- Senate eventually receded from all its amendmise in the following words: ments, among them that extending the Missouri "That inasmuch as the said Territory is compromise line to the Pacific, by a vote of 29 north of the parallel of 36° 30' of north latitude, to 25-all the Southern Senators present, exusually known as the Missouri compromise cept Messrs. Benton and Houston, voting against line," &c. receding.

The bill establishing the Territorial Govern

The vote on this amendment was as follows: ment of Oregon finally became a law on the YEAS-Messrs. Atchison, Badger, Bell, Benton, Berrien, 19th of August, 1848, the following clause Borland, Bright, Butler, Calhoun, Cameron, Davis of Mis- having been inserted reaffirming the ordinance sissippi, Dickinson, Douglas, Dawson, Fitzgerald, Foster, Hannegan, Houston, Hunter, Johnson of Maryland, Johnson of 1787, which excludes slavery from all the of Louisiana, Johnson of Georgia, King, Lewis, Mangum, Northwest Territory:

Mason, Metcalfe, Pearce, Sebastian, Spruance, Sturgeon, แ Sec. 14. That the inhabitants of said Territory
Turney, and Underwood.-33.
NAYS-Messrs. Allen, Atherton, Baldwin, Bradbury, shall be entitled to enjoy all and singular the rights,
Breese, Clarke, Corwin, Davis of Massachusetts, Dayton, privileges and advantages granted and secured to the
Dix, Dodge, Felch, Greene, Hale, Hamlin, Miller, Niles, people of the territory of the United States northwest
Phelps, Upham, Walker, and Webster.-21.
of the river Ohio by the articles of compact contained

It will be here seen that every Southern Sen- in the ordinance for the government of said Territory ator voted for the Missouri compromise line. conditions and restrictions and prohibitions in said on the 13th July, 1787, and shall be subject to all the The bill was then read a third time and passed. articles of compact imposed upon the people of said The House of Representatives disagreed to Territory."

the Senate's amendment (above noted) by a This measure was approved by President vote of 121 to 82, most of the Southern mem- Polk. The Territory has since been divided, bers voting to concur with the Senate in estab- and the Territorial Government of Washington lishing the Missouri compromise line: lestablished in 1852.

THE COMPROMISES OF 1850.

EARLY in February, 1850, Mr. Clay present- Legislature or of a Convention, relinquish to ed to the Senate a series of resolutions, which the United States any claim which it has to after premising the desirableness for the peace, any part of New Mexico.

concord, and harmony of the Union, and a set- 5th. That it is inexpedient to abolish slavery tlement of all questions relating to slavery, in the District of Columbia, whilst that instiproposed the following compromise : tution continues to exist in the State of Mary

1st. That California with suitable bounda- land, without the consent of that State, without ries, ought, upon her application, to be admitted the consent of the people of the District, and as one of the States of the Union, without the without just compensation to the owners within imposition of any restriction by Congress, in the District.

respect to the exclusion or introduction of slav- 6th. That it is expedient to prohibit within ery within those boundaries. the District, the slave trade, in slaves brought

2d. That as slavery does not exist by law, into it from states or places beyond the District, and is not likely to be introduced into any either to be sold therein as merchandise, or to territory acquired by the United States from be transported to other markets without the the Republic of Mexico, it is inexpedient for District of Columbia.

Congress to provide by law, either for its in- 7th. That some effectual provision ought to troduction or exclusion from any part of said be made by law, according to the requirements territory; and that appropriate territorial gov- of the constitution, for the restitution and delivernments ought to be established by Congress ery of persons bound to service or labor in any in all the said territory not assigned as within state who may escape into any other state or the boundaries of the proposed State of Cali- territory in the Union. fornia, without the adoption of any restriction 8th. That Congress has no power to obstruct, or condition on the subject of slavery. or prohibit the trade of slaves between the 3d. That the western boundary of the State slaveholding states; but that the admission or of Texas ought to be fixed on the Rio del Norte. exclusion of slaves, brought from one into anCommencing one marine league from its mouth, other of them, depends exclusively upon their and running up that river to the southern line own particular laws.

of New Mexico; thence with that line east- On the 5th of February, the debate on these wardly, and so continuing in the same direc-resolutions commenced with a powerful speech tion to the line as established between the from Mr. Clay, and was continued by Messrs. United States and Spain, excluding any portion Webster, Cass, Seward, Walker, Douglas, Baldof New Mexico, whether lying on the east or win, Berrian, Butler, Calhoun, Badger, Mason, west of that river. Hunter, and others.

4th. That it be proposed to the State of Tex- On the 13th of February, Gen. Taylor, Preas, that the United States will provide for the sident, transmitted to Congress a message, appayment of that portion of the legitimate and prising that body of the organization of the bona fide public debt of that State, contracted State of California, with an application through prior to its annexation to the United States, and her Senators and Representatives, for admission for which the duties on foreign imports were into the Union. It was under a motion to pledged by the said State to its creditors, not refer this message to the Committee on Terriexceeding the sum of $ in consideration tories, that Mr. Calhoun, at that time prostrate of the said duties so pledged having been no with his last illness, prepared a speech which longer applicable to that object after the said was read to the Senate on the 4th of March, by annexation, but having thenceforward become Mr. Mason, of Va.

payable to the United States; and upon the Some days after, viz., the 7th of March, while condition also, that the said State of Texas the same motion was pending, Mr. Webster adshall by some solemn and authentic act of her dressed the Senate, at great length.

Mr. Webster was followed by Mr. Seward, cure the prompt delivery of persons bound to on the 11th, in a speech of remarkable power service or labor in one State, under the laws and eloquence. See page 19. thereof, escaping into another State.

On the 12th of March, Mr. Foote, of Miss., moved that a series of resolutions presented by Mr. Bell, of Tenn., be referred to a committee of thirteen, six from the north, six from the south, and one to be by them chosen.

7. Abstaining from abolishing slavery: but, under a heavy penalty, prohibiting the slave trade in the District of Columbia.

Mr. Mason, Mr., Berrien, Mr. Clemens, Mr. Yulee, and others opposed the report, at first, Gen. Cass spoke at great length upon this while Messrs. Bright, Downs, Cass, Dickinson, motion, reviewing the whole series of subjects and others sustained it. During the debate in controversy. which followed, it was vigorously opposed by On the 8th of April, Col. Benton took part Messrs. Benton, Seward, Davis, Smith, Dayton, in the debate, strenuously opposing the plan Hale, and others, and powerfully supported by of co-mingling so many important and various Clay, Cass, Dickinson, Webster, Mangum, matters in one bill.

Mr. Clay replied to Mr. Benton with great

earnestness.

Mr. Foote's resolution was amended so as to embrace Mr. Clay's resolutions, and passed on the 18th of April.

AYES-Atchison, Badger, Bell, Borland, Bright, Butler, Cass, Clay, Clemens, Davis of Miss., Dickinson, Dodge of Iowa, Downs, Foote, Hunter, King, Jones, Mangum, Mason, Morton, Pearce. Rusk, Sebastian, Soule, Spruance, Sturgeon, Turney, Underwood, Whitcomb, Yulee-30.

NAYS Baldwin, Benton, Bradbury, Chase, Clarke, Corwin, Davis of Mass., Dayton. Dodge of Wis., Douglas, Felch, Greene, Hale, Hamlin, Miller, Norris, Phelps, Seward, Shields, Smith, Walker, Webster-22.

On the following day, the compromise committee of thirteen was elected by ballot, viz. Clay, Cass, Dickinson, Bright, Webster, Phelps, Cooper, King, Mason, Downs, Mangum, Bell and Berrien; seven from slave States-six from free States.

On the 8th of May, 1850, Mr. Clay presented a report from the committee, which embraced substantially the following provisions:

1. The admission of any new State or States, formed out of Texas, to be postponed until they shall hereafter present themselves to be received into the Union when it will be the duty of Congress fairly and faithfully to execute the compact with Texas by admitting such new State or States.

2. The admission forthwith of California into the Union, with the boundaries which she has proposed.

3. The establishment of territorial governments, without the Wilmot proviso, for New Mexico and Utah, embracing all the territory recently acquired by the United States from Mexico, not contained in the boundaries of California.

4. The combination of these last two mentioned measures in the same bill.

5. The establishment of the western and northern boundary of Texas, and the exclusion from her jurisdiction of all New Mexico, with the grant to Texas of a pecuniary equivalent. And the section for that purpose to be incorporated in the bill admitting California, and establishing territorial governments for Utah and New Mexico.

Foote, Douglas, and others. On the last day of July, it had become, by a series of amendments, divested of all its original features, except the portion relating to Utah, so that Mr. Benton created considerable merriment by comparing the Senate to the woman described by Homer, who every night unravelled what she had wove during the day.

Separate bills, however, were subsequently passed, in a disconnected shape, embodying all the main features of the compromise.

Eight months having thus been passed, principally in the discussion of these bills, the two Houses were at last brought to a vote on each bill by itself.

The Texas boundary bill passed the Senate, August 10th, 1850, by a vote of 30 to 20, as follows:

AYES-Badger, Bell, Berrien, Bradbury, Bright, Cass, Clark, Clemens, Cooper, Davis of Mass., Dickinson, Dawson, Dodge of Iowa, Douglas, Felch, Foote, Green, Houston, King, Norris, Pearce, Phelps, Rusk, Shields, Smith, Spruance, Sturgeon, Wales, Whitcomb, and Winthrop―30. NAYS-Atchison, Baldwin, Barnwell, Benton, Butler, Mason, Morton, Seward, Soule, Turney, Underwood, UpChase, Davis of Mi., Dodge of Wis., Ewing, Hale, Hunter, ham, Walker, and Yulee--20.

In the House, it passed Sept. 6th, by a vote of 107 to 97.

AYES-Albertson, Alston, Anderson, Andrews, Bay, Bayly, Beale, Bokee, Bowie, Bowlin, Boyd. Beck, Briggs, Brooks, W. J. Brown, Buel, C. Butler, E. C. Cabell, Cobb, Debeny, Dimmick, Disney, Duer, Duncan. DenG. A. Caldwell, J. P. Caldwell, Carey, Chandler, W. R. W. ham, Edmundson, Eliot, Ewing, Fitch, Fuller, Gentry, Gerry, Gilmore, Gorman, Green, Grinnell, Hall, Hammond, Isham, G. Harris, J. L. Harris, Haymond, Hilliard, Hoagland, Houston, Howard, A. Johnson, J. L. Johnson, Jones, Kauffman, Kerr, G. G. King, Leffler, Levin, Littlefield, Job, Mann, Marshall, Mason, McClelland, Mc Donald, McDowell, McKissock, McLanahan, McLane, McLean, McMullen, Morehead, Morton, Nelson, Outlaw, Owen, Parker, Peaslee, Phoenix. Pitman, Potter, Richards, Robbins, Robinson. Rose, Ross, Savage, Schermerhorn, Shepard, Scanley, F. P. Stanton, R. H. Stanton, Strong, Taylor, Underhill, Walden, Watkins, Wellborn, White, WhittleThomas, J. Thompson. J. B. Thompson, Thurman. Toombs, sey. Wildrick, Williams, Wilson, Young-107.

NAYS-Alexander, Allen, Averett, Baker, Bennett, BingButler, Cable, Calvin, Campbell, Carter, Clark, Clingman, ham, Booth, Bowden, A. G. Brown, Burrows, Burt, T. B. Colcock, Cole, Conger, Corwin, Crowell, Daniel, Dickey, Giddings, Gott, Halloway, Haralson, Harlan, S. W. Harris, Dixon, Doty, Durky, N. Evans, Featherston, Fowler, Hibard, Henry, Holladay, Holmes, Home, Hubbard, Hunter. Inge, J. W. Jackson, W. T. Jackson, R. W. Johnson, Julian, J. G. King, John A. King, P. King La Sere, Horace Mann, Mattison, McGaughey, McQueen. McWillie, Meacham, Meade, Millson, Moore, Morris, Morse, Newell, 6. More effectual enactments of law, to se-Reed, Reynolds, Rockwell, Root, Rumsey, Sackett, SawOgle, Olds, Orr, Otis, Peck, Phelps, Powell, Putnam,