The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-09-17
CON RES sIoN AL.
IN SENATE.
MORNING BUSINESS.
MONDAY, Sept.

l. MORNING buSiNkes-
There was large amount Of morning business
to-day, consisting Of petitions, adverse reports,
reports Of bills, aud resolutions, &c, the most
I important Of which are as follows:
By Mr.. BRIGHT: A joint resolution relating
! to the printing Of Congress.
By Mr. FREMONT: A bill providing for the
the entertainment Of the land claims of the State
of California. >4
BY Mr.. CWIN. A bill to refund to California
certain revenues heretofore collected in her ports
BY Mr.. PRATT: A bill to prevent the entcing
of slaves from their owners in the District Of CO.
| lumbia. All Of which were read and retired
! The bill TO authorize the appointment of corps
of Indian agents for the State or California, was
read third time and passed
The civil and diplomatic bill was made the spe-
cial order for Wednesday next.
PASSAGE OF THE sLAvE-TRApE BILL.
The bill to suppress the slavetrade in the Dis
trict of Columbia was taken up; the question
being upon the passage Of the bill
THE DIVISION OF THE GLORY.
| Mr. BENTON rose to submit remark He
had contended from the beginning for the separa-
| ration of the measures OF the omnibus, and that
| each question should be permitted TO stand upon
its ow n merits. He had disagreed wholly with
| the arguments on the other side, of the necessity
of the continuation Of such homogeneous elements
| By this course he had been subjected to great
deal Of censure, especially in his own State. The
| thing now over, and he was right in every
thing that he had said. AS soon as the omnibus
was broken up, every one Of the measures passed
easily, and the seductive influence is Just as good
| as IL they had all passed together. Upon the
bills separately considered, the vote Of the Senate
disclosed the fact, that only IL members voted for
all the bills Of the omnibus, that the aggregate
of seventeen votes was the legitimate strength Of
the bill, in which all these measures were COM
bined. And we find further, that of the Commit
tee Of Thirteen, only five (Mr. CLAY absent) voted
| for every one of the measures of the omnibus,
Messrs. BaIGHT, CAss, CooPER, DIcKMsoN,
DODGE, of Iowa, so that when brought TO a true
test, majority of the committee were opposed to
| their own scheme. And yet the bills separately
passed by the following majorites: Utah l8; Texas
boundary To-; California Is; New Mexico IL.
Mr.. BENroN stated these results in justice to him
SELF and in vindicaton of the parliamentary law
| They were results which had confirmed all that
he had said in his opposition to the omnibus.
| Mr.. DODGE, of Iowa, observed that he was
| not member Of the Committee of Thirteen.
| Mr.. BENTON. Well that reduces to the num-
Der to four of that committee who voted for all
| the separate fragments of their own scheme.
Mr.. CLAY thought the passage Of these msa-
ures was not subject Of esolism or individual
triumph. Ii was a triumph of the country, of the
Union, of harmony and concord, and peace.
| Whether conformity or separately, the passage Of
| the bills the merest matter of form in the
world. He would undertake to say, however,
that but for the opposition to the Omnibus in the
Senate, it would have passed three moths ago, for
| it was believed there was majoity of thirty or
forty for that bill in the House, in the combined
! form. But this was not now subject for the
taking up the time Of the Senate The measures
have passed, and the country will rejoice, and is
| rejoicing ut the results.
Mr.. BENTON rejoined, that we had not ar
| rived at that point yet when there to be no
opposition to plan Of operations introduced into
LIZ. kcA, I,,t bot ,r,on ~ L o,ric hat
tinguished monarch could exercise the authority
of standing over his ministers with whip in his
hand until his edicts registered but that day
Of despotism and tyranny has gone by. We
have the privilege of opposing what we do not
approve. And the result shows that my OPPOSE
| ton TO the combination right. AS soon as
we cut the string by which the dogs and cats had
their tails tied together, and each had run off to
| his own hole, we passed the bills instantly and
easily, and with-very little aid from the Commit
tee OF Thirteen.
Mr.. FOOTE contended that the labors Of those
heightened patriots Of the Committee of Thirteen,
had been vastly beneficial to the passage of the
Sc parate bills. And it was due to great change
in the public opinion, and in the opinion of Con-
| gress. resulting from the thorough discussion Of
the omnibus bill, that the separate measures at
last succeeded. With regard to the exercise of
tyranny and oppression he had not word to say,
or if he had, it was to rejoice tina. they who have
been the subject Of oppression for years are now
released" that the tyrant is prostrate--the OPP
| pressor lies in the dust" This was supposed
| to have some allusion to Mr.. BENTON.
Mr.. DICKINSON considered that these ques-
tons were settled at last by public opinion. But
| this was believed to be an extraordinary occasion
Of conflicting difficulties; which could best be met
| by combined measure. II was matter, how
ever, of congratulation that the bills had passed in
Mr.. UNDERWOOD. What is the question,
Mr.. President.
| The CHAIR The question is on the passage
of the bill for the suppression Of the slave trade.
| Mr.. DOUGLAS observed that il was not very
tproper now to inquire whether the combined or
separate policy of action the best. He had
supported the bills both fofms, And in the final
result there is cause for triumph on either side
for while California, Utah, the fugitive, and
now the slave trade bills, are passed separately,
the Texas Boundary and New Mexico bill passed
on the combined form. In either form, it was suf-
fcient that they had passed, and passed in con-
formity with the public opinion of the country.
Mr. JEFFERSON DAVIS said so far as the
| public opinion Of Mississippi had been Swallowed
forth, either through public meetings, or the pub
lie Journals that opinion had been adverse to this
| series of bills. The only one of them for which
he had voted was the fugitive slave bill; altogether
different bill from that reported by the Commit
| tee ofThirteen, &8,
Mr.. FOOTE vindcated and eulogized the labors
Of the Committee. And he gratifed in hav-
ing supported their plan, sustained as 1t was by
the public opinion of the whole country. And he
now believed that nine-enths of the patriotic peo
pie of Mississippi would sustain the measures
which had passed. Three months hence there
would not be one county in Mississippi which
will not approve of all these measures by large
majority. With his colleague he would soon re-
turn to test the truth of these declarations before
his constituents. If his course was disapproved,
| he should no longer occupy seat on this floor.
| MIR. HALE. What is the question:
| The CHAIR. On the passage of the bill.
/ Mr.. HALE. Oh! that's it. l thought the
question to who was entitled to the most
glory in passing the so-called compromise bills.
| Upon that, have word To say.
| Mr. JEFFERSON DAVIS had believed he had
represented the wishes and opinions Of his con-
stituants in resisting the passage of these so called
adjustment bills. He believed so now. He be-
eved these bills would not receive the approba-
ton of nine-tenths of the people OF any county IN
| Mississippi, much less of ne-tenths of the peo-
| Pile of the State. He knew of no county or town
! in the State which would give majority in sup
| port of these measures Ii the excitabIity of
| the upuaea of HIS coea which had led To the