The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-09-05
.UOuSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,.

MIR. Pearce's bill The bill is as follows
Be IL enacted bv The Senate and House Of Repre-
se,,fgtires of The United Suites Of Anericd IN Con.
gress assembled, That the following propositions
shall he. and the same hereby are, offered to the
State of Texas, which, when agreed to by the said
State. in an act passed by the General Assembly,
shall be binding and obligatory upon the United
States. and upon the said State of Texas: PT0Uid-
ed, The said agreement by the said General As
sembly shall be given or before the first day Of
December, eighteen hundred and my.
Fist The State Of Texas will agree that her
boundary on the north shall commence at the
point at which the meridian Of one hundred de-
grees west from Greenwich is intersectei by the
parallel of thirty six degrees thirty minutes north
latitude aud shall run from said point due west to
the meridian of one hundred and three degrees
west from Greenwich thence her boundary shall
run due south to the thirty degree of north
latitude; thence on the sid parallel Of thirty two
degrees of north latitude to the Rio Bravo del
Norte and thence with the channel of said river
to the Gulf of Mexico.
Second The State of Texas cedes to the United
States all her claim to territory exterior to the
lirui;s and boundaries which she agrees Z" est"h
..-. Z, r.1 -.v~- :, -
- y1T~'~ IT,, 3 .tacf Tp<as relionDishs ll~a)o'w
upon the United States Tor 7naonty oftne ueDts
of Texas, and for compensation or indemnity
for the surrender TO the United States Of her
ships, forts, arsenals, custom-houses, custom
house revenue arms and munitions of war, and
public buildings with their sites, which became
the property of the United States at the time OF
the annexation.
Fourth The United States, in consideration Of
said establishment of boundaries, csssion OF claim
to territory, and relinquishment of claims, will
pay to the State of Texas the sum Of ten millions
of dollars, il stock bearing FIVE per cent inter-
est and redeemable at the end Of fourteen years,
the interest payable half-yearly at the Treasury
of the Untdi States.
Fifth Immediately after the President Of the
United States shall have been furnished with an
authentic copy of the act of the General Assembly
Of Texas accepting these propositions he shall
cause the stock to be issued in favor of the State
Of Texas, IS provided for in the fourth article of
this agreement: Prorided, also, That no more than
FIVE millions of said stock shall be issued until
the creditors of the State holding bonds and other
certificates Of stock of Texas for which duties on
imports wore specially pledged, shall first file at
the Treasury of the United States releases OF al
claim against the United States for or on account
Of said bonds or certificates in such form as shall
be prescribed by the Secretary Of the Treasury
and approved by the President Of the United
States: Ptovided, That nothing herein contained
shall be construed to impair or qualify anything
contained In the third article of the second section
of the "joht resolution for annexing Texas to the
United States" approved March first, eighteen
hundred and forty-fve, either, as regards the
number Of States that may hereafter be formed
out Of the State Of Texas, or otherwise.
On the suggestion of Mr.. Inge, of Alabama, the
first question put was Shall this bill be reject
ed? ~ On this, the yeas and nays were taken,
and resulted in vote against rejection--l8s to
80. Though majority of the House are doubt
less opposed to the bill, in its present shape, yet
they did not wish to take the responsibility of its
rejection, before the plastic power of amendment
had been tried upon it.
At this point, Mr. Boyd, Of Kentucky, moved
an amendment, consisting of thny-three sections,
by which Territorial Governments were provided
for New Mexico and Utah. The northern bound
airy Of New Mexico, as prescribed by Mr.. Boyd's
amendment, is very different from that of Mr..
Pearce's bill, and much less advantageous to New
Mexico. Instead Of extending the dividing line
between New Mexico and Texas eastward to the
" estern boundary of the Indian Territory, at the
Tooth degree of longitude from Greenwich 1t
stops at the 1881 degree of longitude on the l2d
degree Of latitude and then north to the 3sth
degree Of latitude. and then turns west on that
parallel TO the summit OF the Sierra Nfudro. This
leaves ali the vast between the one hundredth
and one hundred and third degree Of longi.udu
and north of 800 30, up to the 3sth degree of lat
tude, and also between latitude $50 and ago en-
cluded from New Mexico. This amendment also
leaves the boundary of Texas, between the Tooth
and lO3d degrees of longitude unsettled or
rather leaves a vast region of country west Of the
IndiIn Territory, five and half degrees wide,
in part, and four degrees wide for the residue,
open to the grasp of Texas. Thus it will be seen
that just as the North yields, the South urges.
On the next day, Mr.. Boyd withdrew that part
of his amendment which relates to Utah.
Mr.. Clingman, of North Carolina, moved to
amend Mr. Boyd's amendment by providing that
all that part of California which lies south of the
parallel of 800 north latitude shall be formed into
a Territory.
Here Mr.. Richardson, Of Illinois, attempted to
get the floor, for the purpose, as he intmated, of
offering an amendment by which the admission of
California State, should be Incorporated into
the bill. This would be the broken down Omni-
bus, patched and tied together again.
Amidst great confusion, the House adjourned
without taking any question.
On Thursday, Mr.. Clingman spoke in favor of
his amendment He said
"The creation of Southern Territory will
give the South a chance to occupy it. | frankly |
tell gentlemen that, in my opinion, slavery will |
find inducements sufficient to carry it there |
From all the information that have been able to |
obtain by private correspondence with persons |
there, from publications in the papers and from |
with gentlemen recently from that |
country including members Of the Legislature of |
California, believe there are sufficient induce
ments to invite slave labor Gold mines are
known to exist there. | am satisfied, also, that
the Delegate from Oregon MIR. TBURsrosl is
right in saying that mines of gold and silver ex-
st on the waters Of the Colorado and Gila rivers,
,s we'll as in New Mexico. Wherever gold mines
exist, especially surface, auva or deposit mines,
10 contradis,inguished from vein mines, slave Ia
Dor can be employed to the greatest advantage.
have right to express an opinion on this sub
ect, because in my own district for great many
years past some one, two, or more thousand slaves
IRE employed in the gold mines. They are pre-
'erred to white laborers generally being con-
SANITY under the eye of the overseer, they can
be keps regularly and steadily at work Such is
he constitution of the negro too, that he can re-
main with his feet in the water, and his head ex-
posed TO shc hottest Sunshine, without injury to
his health. The mode Of employing them in the
rice fields is well known, and they thrive there in
IN occupation which would generally be fatal to
v bite men. And may add, sir, that were slaves
1t this time generally employed in the mines of
California an increased amount OF gold would be
obtained without the frightful loss of human life
which is known to have occurred. Besides, sir,
in addition to the inducements which the mines
Afford, southern California, to say nothing of the
valleys Of the Colorado, affords sufi-
,ient agricultural advantages to this species of