The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-09-26
THE UTAH BILL.

Saturday, September 2, the House resolved u
self into Committee of the Whole on the state OF
the Union. Mr.. Boyd, who seems to have been
selected rs the chief manager in the House Of the
Compromise measures from the Senate, was rec
ognised by the Speaker and he hoped by unani-
nous consent the Utah Bill might be taken up.
The first section was read, as follows:
"Bs enacted, SC, SC, That all that part OF
the territory of the United States included with
in the following limits, to wit bounded on the
west by the State of California on the north
bv the Territory of Oregon and on the east
by the summit of the Rocky Mountains, and on
the south by the thirty-seventh parallel OF north
latitude be and the same is hereby created into a
temporary Government, by the name OF the Ter
ritory Of Utah and nehen admitted as a STATE, me
/ said T,TrdO,y, or any portion OF The same Mat De
/ y,c,ir,d into The Union, ruth or rth0m aaU1y as
Mir Constitution may preScribe at me time 81 Hs'r
! admission: Propided, That nothing in this act
/ contained shall be construed to inhihit the Gov
/ ernment Of the United States from dividing said
! Territory into two or more Territories, in such
/ manner and at such times rs Congress shall deem
convenient and proper, or from attaching any
/ norton of said Territory TO any other State or
/ Territory of the United States"
J A. Weotwortb said there was one proviso in
this bill and he wished to move another, "a fol-
4 '-,,.- f-,
"That neither slavery nor involuntary servl-
/ tude except for crime whereof the party shall
have been duly convicted, shall exist in any oil
| the Territories acquired by the treaty Of Guada-
| lupe Ilidalgo."
lie subsequently modified it so as to evade
point of order, as follows:
"That neither slavery nor involuntary servi-
| tude EXCEPT for crime whereof the party shall
have been duly convicted shall exist in the said
| Territory
As the yeas and nays cannot be called in Com
mttee. telers are demanded, where it is desirable
to hold members to some responsibility, but this
is poor substitute for the yeas and nays The
question on this amendment-the Wilmot Pro-
yiso-was taken by tellers, and decided in the
negative-yeas 50, nays 7s-Only 147 members
voting in a House of 23O The free States send
1870 members, so that only few more than half
of them voted on the Proviso. Could the ques-
ton have been taken in the House, by yeas and
nays, the Proviso might have been defeated, but
the vote in favor OF it would nave been much
larger.
We were not present on this vote, but we are
informed that among the nays was General james
Wilson of New Hampshire, who, after having
been elected on the strength of his desperate pro-
LESSONS of Free-Soiltm, fulfilled his pledges on
this memorable occasion by voting all the way
through with the pro-slavery men. Since then,
he has resigned his seat in Congress, and is an
California.
Mr. Seldom of Virginia moved:
"And that, prior to the formation of State Con-
sttutions there shall be no prohibition by reason
of any law or usage existing in said Territory, or
by the action of the Territorial Legislature, Of
the emigration of all citizens of the United States
with any kind of property recognised as such in
any Of the States Of the Union"
Rejected-yeas So, nays So.
Mr. Stevens of Pennsylvania moved
"And when admitted as State, the said Ter
ritory, or any portion Of the same, shall be re-
ceivel into the Union, with or without slavery
as their Constitution may prescribe at the time Of
their admission"
Rejected-yeas SIS, nays So.
Mr. Fitch moved the following as an additional
proviso to the st section of the BILL viz
"Prouided, That the Mexican law prohibiting
slavery be and remain in full force in said Terri
tory"
Mr. Millson moved TO amend the amendment
of Mr.. Fitch, by offering the following as a sub
stitute:
"Propiied, That no law or usage existing in
the said Territory, at or before the time when the
saype wat. acquired by the United States, shall be
ory an, rights Of nrtthi ofis Of per
sons that may be now recognised and allowed in
any of the United States
Mr.. Wilson's amendment was rejectcd--yeas
40, nays 90; Mr. Fi,ch's amendment met with a
similar fate, being also reectedyeas So, nays IS.
Mr. Wellborn of Georgia moved
Proptded fnrthcr, That the people of said Ter
ritory be allowed to pass all laws necessary for
the protection of slavery within said Territory
should slaves be introduced there"
Mr. Seldom moved to amend the amendment
by adding the following:
"And to remove all restrictions to the free en-
igration of persons with their property
Both amendments were rejected without q d.
vision
Mr. Schenck moved to amend by striking out
the following from the 9th section, viz:
Except only that, in all cases involving title
to slaves the said writs of or appeals shall
be allowed aud decided by the said Supreme
Court without regard to the value of the matter
property, or title in controversy and except,
Also thatN
Mr.. Schenck explained that he desired to get
rid of the implication that slavery existed in the
Territory. lis amendment, however, was disa-
greed to, it being the manifest determination of
the House to put the bill through precisely as it
came from the Senate
The Committee rose, reported the bill, which,
under the operation of the previous question, was
ordered to third reading, and then passed--yeas
81, nays IS.
NORTHERN DEMOCRATS IN THE AFFIRMATIVE
Albertson, Bissell w. J. Brown, Dmmick, Dis
ney, Durham, Fuller, Gerry, Gilmore, German,
Harris of Illinois, Hibbard, Hoagland, LETTER,
Littlefeld, Mann of Pennsylvania, McClernand,
Mcdonald, McLanahan, Peaslee, Potter, Rich
ardson, Robbins, Robinson, Ross, Strong, Thomp-
son of Pennsylvania, Walden, Wildrick, and
Young-30.
kee, Briggs, Brooks, Butler of Pennsylvania,
Casey, Eliot, Levin, Pitman, Rose, Thurman,
Wilson-ll.
Affirmative votes from the North, Al.
DEMocRAuc NAYS FROM THE NoRrH.-Bng-
ham, Booth Cable, Doty, Fitch, Harlan, Preston
King, Morris, Odds, Peck, Sawtelle, Stetson,
Swee!ser, Waldo, and Wentworth-l5.
WmG NAYS FROM THE NoRTH-Alexander,
Bennett, Burrows, Butler Of Conn, Calvin, Camp
bell Chandler, Clarke, Cole, Corwin, Crowell,
Dckey Dixon Duer Duncan Evans of Ohio