The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-08-03

nv colleague who represents Maryland, and no
4 body else, and will not yield my privilege Of
4 judgment as senator from Maryland to any body
4 elses--on nv own responsibility to the State of
II Maryland, and on my own independent judgment,
4 pursued the course which did. IL produced
the defeat of the bill, j know; but know, too,
that If the senator's from Texas had thought pros
per to adopt the proposition offered 1t would not
have happened. know it was their privilegeto
Judge of the amendment they insisted on, as much
as it was mine to Judge of the one offered; but
am no more to be charged with defeating this bill
than they are, or the thirty honorable senator's,
most or whom are on the other side OF the cham
Der. Sir, it is not just to attempt To saddle one
individual with the responsibility, and so to make
him odious to the country, or TO a part OF the
4 country, when there other gentlemen who
shared init, to say the least say there others
whose responsibility is larger than mipe because
to the last, with the exception of this amendment,
manifested every disposition to support and main
tain the bill. But, come what may, and censure
who may, will not shrink from the response
bility, and will never cease to defend and vim
dictate my course, wherever and by whoever at
tackled.
/ Mr.. CLAY. Nor shall i either, sir. This be
longs to part of the history of the case, and it
should come out Sir with regard to the senator IS
ready and fearless encounter Of the responsibility,
say nothing. | suppose in that respect he is
like most other men; but repeat what said that
the immediate of the loss Of the bill was the
course Of the honorable senator. | make no re-
proach against him. have no doubt he acted
under sense Of duty, and according to his con-
victon of what 1t was proper for him as senator
Z from Maryland TO do Still the truth remains,
and the senator has told us he has no sort of OBJ
LECTION to assuming the whole of the response
bility A
Mr. PEARCE, lin his seat Not uniustly
4 MIR. CLAY. But let me recaptuate the facts.
When the amendment was offered by the senator
from Georgia, the day before yesterday, believe
lit carried by vote of thirty to tWenty-eight.
The senator from Maryland, if my recollection
i is right, did not even vote on the question.
Il Mr.. PEARCE. will correct the senator, if
he will allow me. When the amendment Of the
Senator from Georgia, was voted on, voted
against it, as the secretary record will show.
y MIR. CLAY. Oh, l have no doubt of it,. | was
. mistaken then, as to that fact At all events, the
senator did not oppose it by any speech. He
gave no intimation of opposition serious to
this amendment, that, if it was adopted, the con-
y. sequence might be the loss Of his vote for the
measure. But sir, that is not all-that is not all
4 Now, sir, want to call the senator's attention
to his own course yesterday upon the subject
Three times was that senator approached with
amendments, containing, | believe, substantially
the very object that he was DESTROYS OF accom-
{ plishing. One was taken to him from my chair
from Illinois, MIR. DOUGLASS who had obtained
!, the previous assent of the two senators from
Texas, and also of one or two other senators to
it, but the senator declined to accept of any
! amendment but his own, He persisted in it, and
: that persistence led to the consequences which
have indicated. But not only did he fail to take
! the advice of, to consult to adopt the sug-
gestions of his own friends but after he had made
his motion to strike out and insert, when the sen
I ator from Florida, Mr.. YULEE,l one of the most
determined opponents Of the bill, asked Kim tc
: separate his motion, which was inseparabe by
the rules of the Senate, the moment the appea
/, was made to him to separate the two objects OF
striking out and inserting, he yielded TO the wishes
! Of the senator from Florida Now, sir, if he hat
t persevered in his own motion to strike out ant
insert, doubt whether such result could have
been obtained as actually took place. These are
facts, none OF which, presume, the senator, will
: be disposed at all to controvert. / repeat that
, make no reproaches against the senator. have
no doubt he has acted from conscientious motive.
and convictions. | have no doubt Of his willing
ness and ability to meet any responsibility which
may result from his course. But having beer
charged with this bill, the chairman of the com
mittee who reported it, thought it right that th
country should know the circumstances unde
E which it was lost yesterday.
! Mr.. PEARCE, am willing that the country
6 should know every thing connected with this mat
ter. The senator says that | was approached
: with various amendments Sir, they did not an
I swer my purpose. The amendment brought t
I me from the senator's tablet do not wish I,
e speak disrespectfuy- it did not answer my
purpose at all, or carry out my views Tn
: amendment of the senator from Illinois wa
7 very desrous of accepting, and ! agreed that
would accept it with very slight alteration. Th'
amendment is on the record. 1t contained re
servation of "the rights of both parties" the Uni
' ted States and Texas. agreed to accept it if
: after ''rights, " the words sand possession" were
L !.
c the United States in this Territory as they nov
t hold possession, and to exclude the idea tina
: Texas should take jurisdiction over it. With tina
amendment was perfectly willing to accept 1t, a
: the senator from Illinois knows and can sustain
me; Mr.. DoUGLAs nodded assent;) but it was no
agreeable to the senators from Texas, and wa
therefore dropped. Now, here was another effor
of mine to accommodate, not pernaciously in
sisting on my own amendment, but willing to taxi
I their amendment if it could be brought into
4 shape to meet the object had in view. desiret
$ to exclude the jurisdiction which Texas threatens
to force on this Territory, and which think sh
, ought not to do. The senator also says that
yielded to one of the opponents of the bill, ant
divided the question on my amendment. Sir,
did so, and whyi 1t is not usual for gentlemen t.
state their motives always, but have no hesita
ton in stating my motives in regard to it. My
object was to get rid of the amendment of the sen
ator from Georgia. 1t was that and that alone a
which was driving. | was led to believe, by
, various representations made to me on the Other
side of the chamber and this, that should hes
accomplish that object by dividing the motion
and therefore did it,. ,.IE-f..s stt SIS
4 Now, submit to the senate and to the country
whether, under these circumstances, II am to bt
charged with the whole responsibility Of the de
feat of this bill If you go back to the remote
cause of the defeat of the bill, it rests on the
4 amendment of the senator from Georgia, to which
. the senator from Kentucky yielded. He marred
: his whole bill by the introduction of that feature
Sir, know very well am too humble mem
Der of this body to be consulted by any body ms
4 to what he should do, but if had been consulted
in regard to this amendment, / should have stated
frankly that was opposed to it, and could MOI
sustain it. But being too obscure TO be consulted
and not having been consulted, this amendment
was sprung on me, and thought it my duty tc
oppose it in the best way could. But have nc
wish to prolong this controversy, and will not de
tain the Senate longer. gs aIs 1914 gt ,'t
u Mr.. RUSK. As have been alluded to, de
sire to say very few words. The senator from
! Maryland commenced his remarks by saying tina
it was the amendment Of the senator from Geor
. gia that defeated the bill. The striking out O