The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1849-02-22

COnkt1utnCcs
ribe Three millions OF human beings TO be thus doomed
under the pretext Of creating some political ev lhal
is the Christianity morality and pbilanihropy-tha Is
the esprit of the age" God from such spirit
But. Mr. President have stated my reasons l have
stated that if believed, by keeping any p9ron OF una,
territory open slavery slavery could go there should
hesitate long before consented to admit these Terrific
ries into the Union as State
But. Mr. President, can slavery go ,here! slavery
goes and the area of the extended by liked laws
and even your of Congress admitting slavery into
California and New Mexico would form great relief
to the accumulated population OF that nature in the
southern States, unless il was climate, country,
adapted to slave labor They go, and extended by
laws fixed and in dependent as our white population
going countries the finest and the richest TO bet
ter their condition. and make them more productive.
Now, sir, is probable that slaves would go either
to New Mexico or California!
Slavery extends itself States by liked laws
Slaves cannot go TO New Mexico and California, ac-
cording to my conception OF the matter They would
generally go there to be free. Some sangulne owners
may take them there to make them profitable by mining
or other pursuits but when they get there IN my Judg-
ment they will find that slaves not source OF profit
able labor TO their owners Can slavery ever be made
attention of the Senate to brief description OF that
country by which consider it totally unfit for slaves
any extent unless they designed to be taken there
to be free, hundreds and thousands might. have
stated that sanguine and masters might De per-
suaded take them and think my southern friends are
mistaken their estimate of the nature and character OF
this country if they suppose would be any relief to the
South to have slave State 1t would be something to
have slave State IN principle and representation here
That would be something 10 be but how can II be
expected when there great prospect of slaves going
there even if is admitted as slave State Why
can it not be made profitable? Mr.. President those
who know anything about that country, either by actual
observation description know that II is altogether
composed of mountains, elevated more or less, being
continuation OF the great southern range which extends
through South America and branches out into two dis
tinst chains into New Mexico, you approach New
Mexico and Calfomia-he the two sides Of the
Rio del Norte, and the other the Siere Nevada. The
| mr. n Y
strikes your eye You struck with the niversalty of
it, and there is scarcely any position you may take
at all of the year Next to the mountains
we have to remark the exceedingly narrow valleys that
skirt the streams which flow out OF the mountains
Next these the extensive arid plains; and as
approach the mouth of the Colorado you have the sandy
hills there to considerable extent in every point resem-
bling the deserts of Asia and Africa. These three
features of this country but they nothe import
ant Sir, our friends imagine that the whole of this
country, from the Rio del Nore, Sierra Nevada and the
something like country they have known that
it is something they are familiar with. We all know
that with regard to climate ii is not the parallel of a'i-
tude under which the country lies that makes the
climate, but it is the elevation above the level of the
sea- 1t is the elevation that makes the climate cold,
mild and saIubrious Now sir; wonder whether there
conception Of the mountain ranges seven thousand feet
above the level of the sea They have conception of
those plains, and of the intermediate country between
the Rio del Norte and the Sierra Nevada. The table
lands upon an average four thousand feet above the
level of the sea
The level of what they call the great BASIN and all the
other sandy plains south of the mountains thou
sand feet above the Allegheny. or the highest peak
either in Virginia or Pennsylvania. do not know how
high this is sir but believe the highest range is about
three thousand five hundred feet. Well sir this basin
and those table lands intermediate between the mountains
extend to the great of four thousand feet upon
level and said before, about thousand feet higher
than the level of the highest peak OF the Aeghanes
believe there are peaks in North Carolina higher
than those in Pennsylvania and Virginia think am
not mistaken; the low lands of California and New
Mexico higher than the top OF the Aleghanies in
pe NJ THd virginia hs n,0 Of New hrbs
Mr. BELL, That is so. They decline little at the
north, but only very slightly. The low lands are even
higher than the Allegheny. mountains. which cross
in coming to the capital from the West, at any point
either in Virginia or Pennsylvania.
Now, these not the most striking features OF it,
The most extraordinary feature is that for about one
half the year il never rains. | should like my friend
from Kentucky TO consider what would be the
idea OF our plain planters, to think of going to
countries where it never rains for six months or
more in the year. Why, sir, they would never
dream of going to such country. Such is the nature
of the countryand it not confined TO California alone
the thing exists in New Mexico. There is scarcely
no vegetation even in the val!eys-ony few shrubs,
that nature has there which are capable of surv
wing the annual drought Even the splendid valley of the
Sacramento, unu you get to the mountainous countries
is subject to that general law of with regard to
rain The only exception that | know of, from the de-
scrpon have seen of the country-even from the fine
description OF Col Fremont, which | have doubt is
accuraie-s the sides OF the mountains where the vapos
exist There planter in all the South who, if he heard
this description of Fremont and believed it, but would
at glance that there chance for him his slaves
The valley of New Mex is liable to the same obiec
ton. There some of my friends who tell me that
there is portion ninety miles in stretch, you ap
proach the most valuable part of that country, where
water cannot be found by the traveller If the av-
ee does not get this tract in day, he is in danger
of pershing This is called the {. journey of death "
Our southern planters will thus see that there no place
there for the cultivation OF tobacco rice sugar. hemp or
. w n he IN tab 70 their
slaves there where grain cannot be cultivated
and where there not grass sufficient upon the slopes
OF the mountains
Mr. President, mining is to be the great employment of
the inhabitants OF that country. The mines, we have
reason to believe exist not only in the places already
discovered, but in the mountains of New Mexico and in
the tributaries of the ella We have reason to believe
exists to large extent in Sonora south of the ella
The mining business will, therefore, be the great EN-
poymen of the inhabitants, and cultivation will only be
carried far is necessary to subss the aboers
In the mines
Honorable gentlemen ask me whether mining will not
be profitable employment for slaves That is another
question: and answer, that would, if it were not for
another feature in the moral condition of that country
My friend from Iowa advises me that they have aban
doned the employment of slave labor in the mining
districts OF Missouri Slaves, suppose, could be EN-
poyed in the burdensome parts of the operations OF MI
ming 1t might be profitable, too, of another
feature of thai country We have from forty to sixty
sxtyive thousand civilized Indians there citizens OF
New Mexico, by treaty with the United States BY The
characteristics OF their they scarcely ever rise above
the necessity of mental labor They exist there; and
besides these, have undertaken to sublue some
forty, and | do know but a hundred thousand
wild Indians besides All these estimates may be very