Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1849-01-22


pressed only the opinion of the majority of the com
mttee lie inquired further whether the Sena tor
from Louisiana did not dissent from the report :?
Mr. Downs replied in the affirmative, and further
stated that the report had not been presented to the
: committee until II O'Clock this mornng-then was
the first time he had seen it and he had oppor.
unity to present counter report he should take the
opportunity to do so hereafter.
In the eff Lousiana,a law had passed Congress,
Immediately after the flag OF the United States had
been raised admit her State soon as her pop
ulaon should amount to $4,000. And he saw no rea-
why the authority should not be exercised IN
regard to California and New Mexico.
lie did not dissent from all the points in the report.
Some of them he concurred in. But he was not Ill
favor of rejecting the bill. lie had preferred rather
that it should be amended. lie proposedin conclu-
sion, resolution a substitute for those proposed
by majority of the committee declaring that 1t is
competent and not inexpedien to admit California as
State into the Cnon the same terms as the orlgl-
nal States, and f rightly understood for the appoint
Of committee inquire and report IN regard to
that portion of California lying West of the Sierra Ne
yada California mountains
He had agreed at the last session that state OF pro-
baton necessary, but state of things had since
arisen, which would give to California the population
necessary for admission and such population. too, as
might reader imminent the danger Of anarchy, and
perhaps the formation of government independent
of the United States He further referred to torebo
dngs of evil in regard the permanency of the Union,
but this portion OF his remarks was not clearly under
stood.
Mr. Butler considered the debate entirely out of
der; but he wished to state that to report made
by the Judiciary Committee had more deliberate at
tcntion ever been given. 1.-THE least intimaon Of a
DESIRE the part Of tie Senator from louisiana to
make counter report, had been thrown out,h should
have been in favor of all necessary delay.
So in regard the Senator from Illinois, the COM
mittec had desired that he should come before them,
and deliberate with them in regard to the provisions
Of the bill And he should be very much surprised,
when the report fully understood, if there were
found in that body ten Senators dissenting from it.
Mr.. Douglass remarked that it mistake that
any in rtdtion ofhe kind had been extended to him
though he did not complain that any want OF respect
had been exhibited toward him by the Committee.
Mr.. Fooe in favor of printing the largest num-
Der of the Report. 1Ie however, not fully salts
fed that the project suggested by him at the close of
the last session, and embodied in this BILL with
some notifications, by the Senator from Illinois, was
obnoxious to all the objections which had been in
geniousy urged against it in the Report. lie was for
doing something the present session, to Cali
forna from the evils apprehended from the present
state Of things in that far distant territory.
Mr. F. said he should have been disposed to bring
forward measure himself had it not been for the
apathy manifested here to the subject lie thought
there serious danger that we should lose Cator-
MIA if something not done at the present session
and he did not vet despair of doing something. In
gard to a dissolution of the Union about which fears
had been expressed that he conceived depended upon
the course pursued by mad fanatics who agita-
ting the country.
All the points had been discussed and settled at q
meeting anterior to the adoption of the Report.
In regard to the Senator from Illinois, disposition
existed to exclude that Senator from the deliberations
Of the Committee, and the only reason why he had
not appeared before them was that the Senator him.
sclfhad expressed an unwillingness to do SO.
n Mr.. Berren said the position in which he stood
might to require that he should say something,
after the remarks which had been made here to-day
His position on the committee had not been sought by
him, and he had simply endeayored perform his du
ty in the committee.
To the statement Of the Senator from Louisiana,
he had never seen the report until this morning, and
was therefore unprepared to present counter report
he must that all the propositions OF the report had
been discussed at previous meeting of the committee
and all had there received the deliberate vote Of each
! member.
i The committee, in the report have merely asserted
that Congress las exercised the authority to de
clare any organized territory, wthouta government,
to be State of this Union. In the of Kentucky
the Legislature of Virginia had expressly provided for
the case and from that act of separation in 1870, up
to 1872, when Congress legisated for her admission
into the Union there had been actual government
in kentucky. So also in regard to Vermont and Ten
nessee actual territorial governments existed at the
time of their admission. In the OF thelatcr, that
territorial government in existence from 1850 to
1876, when she formed Constitution ard applied for
1 admission into the United States.
lie had in concurring in the report, been firmly i'm
pressed with the opinion that Congress does pos
sess the power to admit California in the pro
posed. His views he should state at length at the
proper time.
Mr. Douglass insisted that he was not wrong in the
statement which he had produced precedents, on
the constitutional power of Congress. And when the
time came to which the Senator from Georgia had re-
ferred, he should maket so clearly appear. He pro
ceeded repeat and explain the several acts in refer
ence to the admission of Kentucky, Tennessee Yer
mont, &C. to prove that he had been correct in his
statement Of facts, rcseryng the remainder of the
gument for the ''prorer season.
Mr. Westcott argued against the power to admit
California and New Mexico State, so longas they
were in state of dsorganzation, though he admitted
that the presentation of written constitution IN the
The condition of California and New Mexico was, how
ever very different from the of things which
listed in Vermont, Kentucky and Tennessee, when
those States admitted into the Union.
Mr. Dayton had been very much surprised at the
course which this debate had taken. As member Of
the committee his position somewhat peculiar, for
he had concurred in the main propositions firstly
that Congress had not the constitutional power now
to admit California State and secondly, that 1T Is
inexpedien now to embrace within the territorial lin
its Of New Mexico territory lying East Of the bounda
ry of the State Of Texas.
Mr.. Bell desired to know when this question would
probably be again calledup. He did not concur en-
trely with either side in the views which had been
pressed and desired to take opportunity give his
own.
After further conversation, the report and res
ouon Of the majority Of the Committee, together
with the counter resolution submitted by Mr.. Downs