The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-08-05


DEAn 'E' The convention nov in session here for the
formation Of constitution for the state Of Iowa has nd
Gated by ssi vote that the boundary as contained IN the
old oonstuuon will be the boundary OF the consttu
on 70 RGrtIn Of tn, has yea passed beyond
boundary decided beyond ali doubt there upon
the question q adopting the Old sedar bu, eight mega
tive votes The question: thsn 10 What Il best ealc ustsd
30 far a. the action Of Congress 10 med favor the
adoption Of tue constitution With this boundary All with
get the large boundary all action on this By
Congress should, possible be delayed anl ssr the
ton Wal be DECIDED N Congress will give Us car bound
~, will insure the adoption Of the Constitution II they
delay all further action this subject un their
sion i viii not interfere with ia adoption m -.
seop.ss We VIZ Organize ths state send our members
have not @s 70 ana h. ms s ssss ss for
others VI the convention a. well myself
Very respectfully, NC, -
Hon A. C. DODsE
Since the receipt Of the letter Just read, have re-
ceiyed another from the same gentleman, under date
OF the 18th uiimo, IN which he says:
"sines wrote you the IOth instant the convention
having received the report Of the Committee Territories
boundary, and by taken today decided Ia favor Of
az 80 north latitude as our northern boundary"
Thus, SIR, IL Is now apparent, that il the House
will pass the bill reported by the Committee on Ter.
ritoues, II viii put an end to this question. The
convention Of Iowa have met the advances of the
COMMITTEES on Territories Of this House; aad will
Congress concede nothingl hope that il will and
that advances will be met in that spirit OF com
promise which lies at the foundation Of all our inst-
tuuons. Some gentlemen seem neither disposed 20
let Iowa become State nor 10 do anything for her
as Territory. IL was but the other day that we
had up some bills granting us the usual small appro-
priations for the improvement Of our roads, &c :;
when the very gentlemen who have now attacked
our boundary, and by their course seem determined
TO Keep US out ofthe Union, jumped roughshod up
on those measures, slashing, Staying, and cutting
them TO pieces as they did, and using as their pnn-
eipal argument, that we were about TO- and ought TO-
become State. And now they would again Law
the strong hand OF power upon our constitution
when they were solemnly assured, and must know,
that by doing so they would defeat all our efforts to
become State; and yet, when we asked anything
as Territory, il was Immediately thrown into our
teeth, that VIC were soon TO become State-that we
ought 10 become a State ....
If the gentleman from New York has 80 strong n
repugnanee to the boundary in this bill | will thank
him 10 tell US what boundary he is willing 10 grant
US. As 10 that established by the law Of the last
session, and which he seems obstinately to adj
here to, tell him, and every other member Of this
House, that II will never be accepted by the people
Of Iowa.
The opponents of the present bill voted to give
US A, 800 square miles at the last session Of Con-
gress; we asking at that time but 81, 204 Now we
had fallen 6,2S9 square miles, and Congress was
only asked to increase the quantity 6,6l5. The diff.
ference which splits is 30 small that think gem
teuieo who will not come into our terms, now that
we have written them in the bond must be deter
mined not 10 make bargain with us. But hope
and trust that a majority OF this House will act
otherwiseihM they viii not aeaIn throw the friends
OF State government in the Territory into utter DIS
order and confusion, and impose upon us the ex-
pense Of third convention. ... |.. | /
Mr.. ROCKWELL again spoke in opposition to the
e.
Mr.. VNroS moved an amendment, fixing the 43d
parallel as the northern boundary, and addressed
the House at length in opposition to the BILL and in
support Of his amendment .... .. .. H..
Mr.. DOUGLASS briefly rejoined; when
=, Mr. ,llannp arain and said I: Mr. Chairman
should be reoreant TO my representative obliga-
tons, and faithess 10 generous and confdng con.
s'ituency, did not oppose with my voice and with
whatever other means | can control, the amendment
which has Just been moved by the member from
ONO, Mr. VNros, who il seems has taken the
people of Iowa, and the State to be formed therein
under his especial guardianship and control. He
has seized this occasion TO repeat in substance and
almost in words, the speech which he made at the
last session, and which then resulted in bringing
upon the people Of Iowa all the evils and inconve-
nlences to which they have since been subject
ed He states, that at the last session this subject
OF creating new States beyond the Mississippi ex-
cited more interest in this House than any other
save the Texas question; that it was fully and
ably debated, and that the deliberate Judgment of |
the House was a decision against the ainordi- |
nate dimensions" asked for by Iowa; and that he |
has heard no good reason why the House should |
alter that decision 1t is true, sir, for the first time
IN the history OF the formation of new States where
there was no cas:iing with any old State that |
Congress laid the heavy hand of power upon us;
but 1t Is not the fact that in the selection Of the
boundary then forced upon Iowa, there was any |
such deiberaton or mature reflection on the part of
those who did 1t, as the gentleman now wishes to |
make the new members of this House believe or as
the subject was entitled to. Sir, as there was no
set speech made on that OCCASION save the one made
by the gentleman, and he has taken occasion so
frequently to remind you of what was said at that
session on this subject will add, what his modesty |
forbids him from mentioning that it was all said by
himself, and that his speech one of marked ab
ity, There were several other gentlemen who |
spoke for and against the reduction Of our bounda-
ries, but their remarks brief and without prep
aratIon. II was short sesson--time was exceed |
insy precious, and the whole thing was done with |
the utmost haste and precipitation. It was most |
unfortunate for US, sir, that the bill for our admis-
sion came before this House when gentlemen from |
certain section of this Union, however much they
attempt to deny the fact, were smarting--ay, |
almost agonzlng-under the then recent annexation |
Of Texas. In their phrensy to preserve what they |
regarded as the balance Of political power between
the slave and non-slaveholding States, they were
prepared to DO almost anything; to override the de-
liberately considered report of of the most re-
spectacle committees of this House, and to vote in
favor OF State lines of the proprety and expediency
of adopting which they knew nothing. The same
ingenious appeal has again been made to the same
deep-rooted prejudices, and by the same great
champion of western interests. ..: 1
Mr.. Chairman, always anxious to award praise
where can do so, must be permitted to say that
the ability evinced by the member from Ohio, con.
siderable as il certainly is, has been fully equaed
by the untiring industry and perseverance which
he has exhibited in his attentions to this boundary
matter of ours, both in this House and the other
end Of the Capitol at this and at all preceding SEES
spns Of Congress since the subject has been before
IL He, amongst other things, complains I" that
the people of Iowa have taken the matter of
boundary into their own hands, and had proceed |
ed, without any preparatory action on the part OF
this government, to take measures for the forma-
ton Of an independent sovereignty Of their own"
Sir it is extraordinary that this argument should
come from that gentleman. He knows how hard |
struggled to obtain, beforehand, such action-use-
less and unnecessary il was. At the session Of
Congress preceding the holding Of the first conven-
ton in Iowa, succeeded in getting through this
House a bill giving the sanctions Of law to the
mo- of hat bod, and xyh =.