Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1850-02-28

nol'r. - r Low ,voud be attended with IN
greatest embarrassment and dimcuhy. ,h., w.
,ended that when the two cominii'eeSc u -
bopses net together, the chairman VI NV ii
mittee OF the House, VINO was ny come
-, 70 preside. He was about insisting at So
ir,b anon that proposition, that the cnaii'i,ai
c s. .a,m,ttee of the House should preslot
=. 81. bo,h committees when blended togetner-
oIe,,,J be the presiding officer OF both. l In
s,an,Iv onnosed however, this plan, and stated
,h,t did not consider TINS the proper meue, ou
,ho,nbt that the chairman OF the committee o.
each bouse should preside over his own commit.
tee and when the committee cf either branch
had adopted proposition, it should be submit
ted 10 the committee of the other branch; and
if they also agreed to it, then 1t should be re-
ported back to the two houses with the recon-
mendation of both committees. That mode was
agreed upon and Mr. Holmes, | think 1t was,
from Maine presided over the committee OF the
Senate If could be said TO preside at all,
when took more active part IN the chair than
] could have well taken out of 1t; and when, as
at this session, was thought TO manifest de-
sire rather to take too much lead-preslded over
the committee of the House. | brought for
ward the proposition which will read present
", and appealed to the members of the COM
mittee if | may use the expression. Now, gen.
tlemen, said /, we do not want proposition car
ried here by small majority, thereupon report
ed TO the House and rejected. | am for some
thing practical, something conclusive, something
decisive upon the question. How will you vote,
Mr.. A J? How will you vote, Mr.. B? How will
you vote, Mr.. C.? appealed in that way to the
gentlemen OF the North. To my very great
happiness sufficient number of them respond
ed affirmatively my question whether they
would vote for this proposition, to enable me to
be confident that, if they continued to vote in
that way-of which had not particle Of doubt
in the House we should carry the proposition
Accordingly, that proposition having been a
greed upon by both committees, was reported by
us to our respective houses, where it was finally
adopted, and here it is:
SIr. c. here commenced reading resolution,
but stopped, stating that it was not that 10 which
he referred. He had requested friend to OBJ
tain II for him, and supposed that he had procur-
ed 1t, but there seemed to have been an error
A messenger went in search of the volume con-
tanning the resolution, and Mr.. Cay proceeded.
That resolution, | said, was finally adopted
Probably can state, without reading it, what its
provisions are. Ii declares that if there be any
provision in the constitution of Missouri incom-
patiDle with the constitution of the United
States, the State of Missouri shall forbear to
enforce that repugnant prvlson in that coi:sjitu-
ton and that she shall, by solemn and authen.
TIC act declare that she will not enforce any pro-
VISION IN her constitution incompatible with the
constitution of the United States and upon the
passage OF such a solemn and authentic act, the
President of the United Slates-who was Mr..
Monroe at that time shall make proclamation
OF the fact. and thereuppn, and without any fur
Their legislation OF Congress, Missouri shall be
admitted mo the Union.
Now, sr, want to call your attention to this
period of our history, and to the transactions
during the progress of this discussion in Con-
gress. During the discussions in the House
from day TO day aud from night TO night for
they frequently ran mo the might've, who
were for admitting Missouri into the Union, said
10 cur brethren from the North, Why, gentle
men, if there be any provision in that constitu-
ton of Missouri which is repugnant 10 the con
stitution Of the United States, it is a nulty-
The constitution of the United States, by virtue
OF It's own operation, vlndlcates itself. There is
not tribunal upon earth, if the question should
be brought before them, but would pronounce
the constitution of the United States paramount,
and must pronounce as invalid any repugnant
provision IN the constitution of Missouri. Sir |
that argument was turned and twisted, and used
In every possible variety of form; but all was
IN vain. An infiexible majority stuck out to the
last against the admission of Missouri, until the
resolution was offered and passed.
Mr. Underwood, at the request of Mr.. Clay,
read the resolution as follows:
Resolution providing for the admission of the |
State OF Missouri into the Union on a certain |
condition.
ResOirsd by The Senate and House Of Reprssen- |
fdtives Of the Uniied Stdtes of america in Con-
grcss assembled, That Missouri shall be admit
ted into this Union on an equal footing with the |
original States, in all respects whatever, upon
the fundamental condition, that the fourth clause
OF the twenty sixth section of the third article |
of the constitution submitted on the part of said
State TO Congress, shall never be construed to
authorize the passage of any law, and that no
law shall be passed, IN conformity thereto, by
which any citizen, of either of the States in this
Union, shall be excluded from the enjoyment of
any of the privileges and immunities to which
such citizen is entitled under the constitution of
the United States: Provided, That the lepisla-
ture OF the said State, by a solemn public act
snail declare The assent of the said State to the
SAID fundamental condition, and shall transmit
TO the President of the United States. on or be.
fore the fourth MONDAY in November next, an
authentic copy of the said act; upon the RECENT
whereof, the President, by proclamation. shall
announce the fact; whereupon, and without any
further proceeding on the part of Congress. the
admission of the said State into this Union shall
be considered as complete
lApproved March =, 1921
Mr.. Clay resumed. There is the resolution
SIR, and you see 1t Is precisely as | stated AT.
ter all THIS excitement throughout the country
had reached to such an alarming point, that the
Union itself was supposed to be in the mos, i'm
mlnent peril and danger, all parties were satisti
ed with declaration of an incontestable princi-
pie of constitutional law, that when the consti,u
ton of state is violative in its provisions of the
constitution Of the United States, the constitu.
ton of the United States is to be paramount,
and the constitution of a state in that particular
is nuliiy and void That was all. They want
ed something for justification of the course
which they took. There is great deal of lam
guage there of high sounding cllaracter-it
shall be a fundamental act-it shall be solemn
and an authentic act-but at last. when Won
come TO strip 1t Of all its verbiage, it is nothing
more than the principle have announced Of |,
the paramount character of the constitution of
the United States over any local constitution of
any one of thu states of this Union.
Mr.. President, we may draw from these trans
actions in our history this moral, hope. Now,
as then, If we will only suffer our reason to have
Its scope and sway, and if we will still and hush
the passion and excitement which have been
created by the occasion, difficulties will be more
than halt removed IN the settlement, upon lust
and amIcabie Drlncines nf ha ,uas,,o,, ,