Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1850-03-30


and the Administration and especially the means BY which
both elevated power and the mode which patron
age spos have been distributed No one who heard his
speech could have failed the omnous silence he OH
served upon all points involving the opinions and action OF
Gen. Taylor and his Cabinet upon the slavery provso
question He did not here express his own
opinion he says he did in New York during the canvass
that Gen. Taylor would approve the provSo. He did
do this did he sound the alarm and tell them that they
had been deceived and betrayed by either himself or General
Taylor. No he did neither of these things He contented
himself with representing the Northern Democrats to their
constituents the faithful allies Of the slave power while
his Southern Wing friends in the daily habit Of charging
the Northern Democracy with being the radical
eesoilers and aboionss 1t that the same course
of proceeding which resorted to defeat Gen. Cass for
the Presidency and prevent peaceabe and satisfactory
adjustment Of this vexed question, is be continued with the
view Of sustaining the power Of the Administration.
Mr. HALE. The Senator says if his friend from Michigan
had been elected this question would have been settled Will
| be be kind enough to tell us how
Mr. DoUGLAs. Yes, sir. II would have been upon the
principle Of interference by the action of the people them
selves California, with her free constitutions would have
been received the Union State long ago, and the
usual territorial government would have been established for
the residue OF the country The whole country would have
remained free, as is now by the existing laws Of the land,
by the will OF the people who nhabt it. and by the laws Of
nature, climate and production The adjustment would have
been effected quietly, peaceaby, and satisfactorily. No Of
fence would have been given any portion Of the Union We
would have had none Of this irritating agitation experienced
of this painful excitement. We would have heard not
word Of Southern rights and Northern ageressons much
less the harsh and dscoant sounds of dsunion This u.s. in
my opinion the settlement would have witnessed had the
regular nominee of the Democratic party been elected President
Of the United States Is the Senator from New Hampshire sat
isfed on this point
Mr. HALE. am satisfied that such is your opinion, but
not that such is the fact.
Mr. DoUeLAs. The Senator is not satisfied as to the fact
will remind him of instance in which he has been mis-
taken before upon this very subject and presume he will
now gladly acknowledge his Last year introduced
bill for the admission Of all the country acquired from Mex
hrh In &c .st~ a. O.
serving the right form States any portion Of said
territory lying east Of the Sierra Nevada mountains The
Senator from New Hampshire opposed that bill upon the
ground that the proviso not adopted and the people
were allowed to decide the question of slavery for themselves
It would be slave State Well, sir, the proviso not
adopted and the people allowed decide the question
for themselves, and California has presented constu
ton prohibiting slavery The Senator then doubted that this
fact would happen-he longer doubt that has hap
pened then predicted that the people of California would
prohibit slavery and ask to into the Union free
State but the Senator shook his head and doubted In
recaptuated to him the arguments favor of freedom the
physical formation of the country its climate productions
elevation above the the feelings and preudces Of the
habitans, all favorable to the exclusion of slavery He still
doubted no. ne did not doubt; he positive absolutely
certain, that slavery would inevitably go there if not proh
bed by act Of Congress- Less than short year has
corrected this error and it may take twelve months longer
correct his judgment in regard the residue of the
country However, the signs decidedly favorable He
was then positively CERTAIN he only doubts the fact Yet
there is thing Of which must be permitted remind him.
and ask him to bear it mind; it is this If my bill of the last
session had become the law Of the andwhich certainly
would have done he had not united his forces with those Of
the Senator from South Carolina (Mr CALHous) to defeat
1.-THE whole Of the territory acquired from Mexico would
at this moment have been dedicated to freedom forever
constitutional provision
Mr. President much has been said in the course Of this
debate about the Wimo poviso in connexon with these
Territories, that propose inquire what it is and why it
assumed that name Wehaye been asked whether would
vote for the Wifmo prov:so in territorial bills for Utah De-
and h,. 49, IL
whether will for the admission of California into the
Union with the Wlmot proviso in her constitution The
Wimot Provso in territorial bill State constitution
What confusion Of ideas-a perversion Of terms What
Is the Wmot proviso And why is the Of Mr.. Wmot
attached to the measure One would naturally suppose that
1t original dea conceived maured and brought
ward for the first time by Mr. Wilmo. And it
not prohibition of slavery State constitution adopt
ed by the people themselves Such provisions and prohibit
tons be found in the constitutions Of nearly all the
free States Of this Union before Mr. Wmot was born It
was not prohibition of slavery in territorial bill,
tnue so long the territory existed and leaving the people
do they pleased when they should be admitted the
Union as State. This not the Wmot proviso for
such provision to be found in the ordinance of 1897
and in each successive territorial bill for the Northern section
OF the Union from that period up to the time Mr. Wilmot
first saw the light and during his infancy and his youth
up to ls45, when Mr. Winthrop, Of Massachusetts, offered
like provision in the shape of provso the Oregon BILL
before Mr. Wmo,s voice heard in the halls of
Congress This provso, proposed by MI. Wpthrop 1885,
became the law of the land part of the Oregon bill in Au
gust s4s and is the that the distinguished Senator
from Missouri in his celebrated Jefferson city Speech denom
the Jefferson Benton provso So far as my in
formation extends Mr. Wmot never the whole course Of
his natural life brought forward proposition prohibit sa
in bills for the government Of the Territories What
them is, should say, the Wlmo proviso for it has
been dead several years. without the hope of resurrection
will refer to the Journals of the House of Representatives
Sena'e. In August, 1916, during the war with Mexico
President Folk sent message Congress asking appro
praton Of money to enable him negotiate treaty peace
limits and boundaries referring the precedents in
cases Of Louisiana and Florida and inmatng that his
purpose acquire considerable Of territory The
message referred to the Committee of the Whole the
State Of the Union, and in the committee bill proposed
in accordance with the recommendations of the message
which has since been known in the political history Of the
country ssthe two million BILL"
To this bill Mr.. Wimot, Of Pennsylvania, offered an
amendment in the shape Of the proviso which will read
from the Jouna-See Journal Of House of Representatives
for 1886, page 1888 j
:" Prouded That express and fundamental condition
to the acquisition territory from the Republic OF Next
by the United States by any treaty which may
negotiated between tem and to the by the Executive OF
the moneys herein appropriated neither slavery nvoun
a servitude shall exist in any part of said territory
except for crime whereof the party shall first be duly
vcted.'
This is the original Wilmot provso and assumed that
name by consent because it nondescpt the
like of which had been heard of in the political
history of this country 1t differed from all other provisions
which had been proposed upon kindred many
potat particulars II attempt the part Of the House
of Representatives by majority VOTE control the exercise
of the treaty making power which the constitution had vest
ed solely in the President and Senate be decided by
thirds yse proposed to deprive the people of the terrific
ry, when they should become State, of the right OF