Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1850-03-28
l1olitital.
SPEECH
OF THE
HON. DANIEL WEBSTER,
CONCLUDED. |

1 hold slavery TO be excluded from those ter
ritores by law even superior to that which
admits and sanctions it in Texas. | mean
the law Of nature-of physical geography
the law of the formation of the earth
That law settles forever, with strength be-
yond all terms of human enactment, that
slavery cannot exist in California or New
Mexico. Understand me, sir; | mean slave
ry as we regard 1t; slaves in gross, of the
coored race, transferable by sale and de-
livery ike other property. | shall not dis
cuss the point, but leave it to the learned
gentlemen who have undertaken to discuss
It, but | suppose there is no slave of that
description IN California now. | understand
that peOnism, sort of penal serylude, eX-
lst, there, or rather Il sort of voluntary sale
of a man and his offspring for debt, as 1t is
arranged and exists IN some parts OF Cali
furlna ANA New AleXico. But what mean
10 say Is, that African slavery, As we see 1t
among Us, IS as utterly impossible to find IL
self, or to be ioind IN Mexico, as any other
natural Impos>lbi!Iiy. .Callornia and New
Mexico are Aslltlc, IN their formation and
scenery. They are composed OF vast rdg-
Is Of mountains Oh enormous height, with
broken ridges and deep valleys. The SIDES
OF these mountains are barren, entirely bar
rem, their tops capped by perennial snow.
There may be IN California, now made free
By lis constitution, and no doubt there are,
some tracts OF valuable land Bat It Is not
50 IN New Mexico. PRAY what is the eyl-
dence winch every gentlee an mus, have OBJ
tanned on tins subject, from information
sought bY himself or communicated by 9th
ers. have enquired and read all / could
fad, In order to obtain information. What
Is there IN New Mexico that could by any
possibility induce anj body to 90 there with
slaves There are some narrow strips OF
tllabe lad on the borders of the rivers
bat the rivers themselves dry up before mid
summer IS gone All that the people can
do, Is to raIse some little articles, some lit
tie wheat Tor their tortiIas, and all that by
irrigation. And who expects to see hun
bred black men cuitlyaung tobacco, corn,
cotton, nee, or any lllng else, On lands III
New Mexico made fertile only by irriga-
ton 1 look upon 1t, therefore, as fixed
fac, 10 use an expression current at this
dag, that both California and New MeXico
are destined to be free, SO far as they are
settled at ali, which | believe, especially III
regard 10 New Mexico, will be very little
for great length Of time; free by the ar
raagement of things by the Power above US.
/ have therefore to say, iii this respect also,
that this country is fixed for freedom, to as
many persons as shall ever live there, by As
irrepealabie and more lrrepealable a law,
than the law that attaches 10 the right OF
holding slaves III Texas; aud 1 will say fur
ther, that II i resolution, or Il law, were
now before US to provide territorial Coy
eminent for New Mexico, would not vote
10 put any prohibition into 1t whatever
The use oil such proAlbiuon would be lGle
as it respects any effect ii would have upon
the Territory and would not take pans
10 reailifm an ordnance Of Nature, nor II
rc-enact the VIII Of God. And 1 would put
In no Nllmet Proyiso for the purpose OF 4
taunt or reproach. | would put INTO 1t no
evidence of the votes Of superior power, TO
wound the pride. even whether just pride,
d rational pride, or an irrational pride, to
wound the pride of the gentlemen who be-
long TO the Southern States. | have no
such object, no such purpose. They would
tAnk it taunt, an lndiguliy: tLey would
think 1t to be an act taking away iron them
what they regard proper equality Of privi-
leLe and whether they expect 10 realize a.
ny benefit from II or not, they would ihiak
II a theoreuc wrong; that something more
or less derogatory TO their character and
TIER rights had taken place l propose to
inillct no such wound upon any body, I'M
less something essentially important 10 The
country, and efficient to the preservation of
liberty and freedom, Is 10 be elected. There
fore, | repeat, sir, and repeat 1t because
wish to be understood, that do not propose
TO address the Senate often on this subject.
desire to pour out all my heart IN a. PLAIN
u manner as possible; and / say, again, that
If proposition were now here Tor Gov
ernmenl for New Mexico, and 1t was NOV
ed to insert provision for prohibition OF
slavery, | would not vote for II.
Now, Mr. President, have established,
so far as | proposed to 20 into any line OF
observation to establish, the proposition with
which set out, and upon winch propose
10 stand or fall and that is, that the whole
territory of the states in the United States,
or in the newly acquired territory OF the
United States, has fixed and settled char
acter. now fixed and settled by law, which
cannot be repealed in the case of Texas
without violation Of public faith, and can
Tot be repealed by any human power IN re-
gara 10 California or New MeMco; that,
under one or other OF these laws, every foot
Of territory in the states or IN the terrific
lies has now received fixed and decided
character
Sir, if we were now making a govern
mont for New Mexico, and any body should
propose a Wilmot proyiso, | should treat IL
exactly as Mr. Polk treated that provision
Tor excluding slavery from Oregon: Mr.
Polk was known to be in opinion decidedly
I arerse to the Wilmot proviso; but he felt
the necessity of establishing government
Tor the territory Of Oregon, and, though the
L progso was there, lie knew 1t would be EN-
hFely nugatory and, since it must be en-
ureiy nugatory, since it took away no right,
no describable, no es,imable, no Vegetable
or tangible right of the South, he said he
would sign the bill for the sake Of enacting