Daily Richmond times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1849-1850, 1850-05-16
THE DAILY TIMES.
VIM. C. DARLINGTON & WIN. H. DAVIS,
EDITORS AND PRoPRIEToRS.
SPEECH OF MR.. CLAY.
In SENATE, Tuesday, May 18th, 1850.
Report of the Committee Of Thirteen.

Report of the Committee Of Thirteen
On motion of Mr.. CLAY, the Senate then pro-
ceeded to the consideration of the special order of
the day, being the bill reported from the Commit
tee of Thirteen for the admission of the State of
California, the establishment of Territorial Go
vernmens for Utah and New Mexico, and making
proposals to Texas for the settlement of her west
ern and northwestern boundary.
Mr. CLAY. Mr.. President, have risen for the
purpose of making some statements and an add-
tona exposition relative to the report of the COM
mttee, of their proceedings and of their action
upon the important subjects before you. When
the report of the committee was presented to the
Senate last week various members of the COM
mttee rose and stated that parts of that report had
not met with their concurrence. Mr.. President, it
might have been stated with perfect truth that no
one member of the committee concurred In all
that was done or omitted to be done. There was,
however, a majority upon most OF the subjects,
indeed, upon all of the subjects, which have been
reported by the committee to the Senate. Each
Senator, perhaps, if left to himself separately,
would have presented the various matters which
have been reported to the Senate in different form
from thatin which they now present themselves
was myself upon one occasion in a minority.
have not been discouraged, Mr.. President, in the
smallest degree by the differences which existed
in the Senate when the report was presented
Gentlemen who did not agree exactly to what was
done WILL doubt in the progress Of the measure,
endeavor to make it confornable to their wishes.
If it should not be so modified, indulge with con-
fidence the hope that one of them is so lrrevo-
cably committed against the measure as to induce
him upon the question of its final passage to vote
against it. | am not authorized to say, and do
not mean to say, that there will be an affirmative
vote of every member of the Senate who was upon
the committee in favor of the measure upon the
final passage of the bill but | mean to say that
indulge hope that whether all the notifications
which were desired by various members of the
committee may or may not obtain finally there
will be not only mere majority of the committee
voting in favor of the measure-and greatly hope
they will vote for it unanimously -but trust that
it will leave this body with large majority in its
favor. am not discouraged, | repeat, by any
thing that has transpred in the committee or in the
Senate or in the country, upon the subject of this
measure. | have believed from the first. and l yet
firmly believe, that if these unhappy subjects
which have divided the country are to be accom-
modaed by an amicable adjustment, it must be
upon some such basis as that which the commit
tee has reported; and can there be doubt in the
mind of any honorable Senator on the subject p
Sir, believe that the crisis has arrived, and the
fate of the measures which have been reported by
the committee will in my humble judgment de-
termne the fate of the harmony or continued dis
traction of this country. Entertaining this belief
cannot but indulge the hope that honorable Sc
majors, who, upon the first hearing of the report
might have seen some matters in it Objectionable,
according to their wishes and judgment, and the
entire Senate, after full consideration of the plan,
and after fair contrast between it and all the
other proposed Plans and all the other practicable
plans, for the adjustment of these questions
whatever expectations or hopes may have been
announced elsewhere out of this body, will ulti-
mately give it general concurrence.
But, sir, have risen, as | announced, more
particularly for the purpose of entering into some
further explanations of the cou.se of the commit
tee, and of throwing out some few observations in
support of the measures which they have recon-
mended to be adopted by the Senate. The first
measure which they reported, MIR. President, was
that of the true exposition of the compact between
the United States and Texas upon the occasion of
the admission of that State into the Union. Upon
that subject, as has been already announced in the
report, l am happy to say there was an undivided
opinion Two honorable Senators, one of whom
is now absent, and the other present, whilst they
declared their concurrence in it of the true expo
sition of the compact, declared that they did not
hold themselves, and did not intend to be under
stood as holding themselves, in all possible state
of things and in every possible contingency,
pledged to vote for the admission of States that
might be carved out of Texas; they intended to
preserve to themselves the right to determine,
when any new State formed out of Texas should
present itself, whether, under all the circum-
stances of the country, and all the circumstances
under which the new State might present itself,
it should or should not be admitted. Whilst they
Il. IL H,n~t
the true exposition of the compact between the
United States and Texas, according to which, as
you know sir, a number of States not exceeding
four, with or without slavery, having the requisite
population, and with the consent of Texas, were to
be admitted in the Union from time to time as they
might be matured and present themselves for ad-
mission. But will not dwell longer upon that
part of the subject.
will now, Mr. President, approach that subject
which in the committee and the two Houses of
Congress has given most trouble and created the
most anxiety of all the measures upon which the
committee have reported-l mean, sir, the admis-
sion of California into the Union. Against this
measure there are various objections. One Of
these objections is with respect to its population.
1t has been contended that it ought only to be ad-
mitted, if admitted at all, with one representative;
that if admitted with two representatives it will oe
and that there is not sufficient evidence before the
Senate and the country that it has population en-
titling it even to one representative. lsuppose,
sir, that no one will contend-Californa and the
other acquisitions from Mexico having been ad-
mitted into the Union only about two years ago :;
last February two years is the date of the treaty
of Hidalgo-no one will suppose that that sort of
evidence to entte California to one or two repre-
sentatives, could be furnished by the decennial
enumeration of the population of the United
States. tits impossible with respect to California
that any such evidence could be furnished she
having been part of this empire only the time |
have mentioned.
Now, sir, let me ask what was done on the first
apportionment of representation amongst the Sc
veral States of the Union? There was no Fede-
raj enumeration of the people of the United States
ON which that apportionment was made. So many
representatives were allotted to one State, so many
to another, and so on, completing the number pro-
vided for bv the Constitution of the United States