Washington telegraph., 1850-06-05
80. - the Compromise Committee.

C'as the Committee of Thirteen, appoint.
llv a come weeks ago, to which was referred
eu sSe several subjects connected with the
Institutions OF slavery
Ths Senate's Committee of Thirteen, to
,vbom were referred the various resou-
,;ons relating to California, to other
aortions of the territory recently ac-
ppuired by the United States from the
1snublic of Mexico, and to other sub
;octs connected with the institution OF
'l.verv. have, according to order, had
those resolutions and subjects under
consideration, and beg leave to submit
the following report:
The committee entered on the discharge
,stbeir duties with deep sense OF their
r,eat importance, and with earnest and
onx;ous solicitude to arrive at such con-
clusions as might be satisfactory 10 the
Senate and to the country. Most OF the
matters referred have been not only sub
iected to extensive and serious puolic as
cussion throughout the country, but to
debate i'm the Senate itself, singular Tor It's
elaborateness and its duratlOn; so that q
fuIl exposition of all those motives anu
1--WE which on the several subIects con-
hlHMs hGea 10 the committee, have determined
,be conclusions at which they have arriv-
ed seems quite unnecessary. They will,
therefore, restrict themselves to few
General observations, and 10 some retiec-
TONS which grow out of those subjects.
Ont of our recent territorial acquisitions,
.nd in connexion with the institution of
slavery, questions most grave have sprung,
which, greatly dividing and agitatlEg the
neople of the United States, have threat
ened to disturb the harmony, if not to en-
DANCER the safety of the Union. The
committee believe it to be highly desira-
ble and necessary speedily to adjust all
those questions, in a spirit of concord,
and in manner to produce, if practicable,
General satisfaction. They think it would
be unwise to leave any of them open and
unsettled, to tester in the public mind, and
to prolong, if not aggravate, the existing
aoltation. 1t has been their object,
therefore, in this report, to make such pro-
posals and recommendations as would
accomplish a general adjustment of all
those questions.
Among the subjects referred to the COM
mittee which command their first atten-
ton, are the resolutions offered to the
Senate by the Senator from Tennessee.
MIR. Bell By provision in the resolu-
ton of Congress annexing Texas to the
United States, it is declared that 'new
States of convenient size, not exceeding
four in number: in addition to said State
of Texas, and having sufficient popula-
lion, may hereafter, by the consent OF sad
State, be formed out of the territory there
of which shall be entitled to admission
under the provisions of the federal cOnSti-
tuition; and such States as may be formed
out OF that portion of said territory lying
south of SO deg. 80 min. north latitude,
commonly known as the Missouri compro-
mise line, shalt be admitted into the Union
with OF without slavery, as the people OF
each State asking admission may DESIRE.
The committee are UNANIMOUSLY OF
opinion, that whenever one or more States
formed of the territory of Texas, not ex-
ceeding four, having sufficient population,
with the consent OF Texas, may apply to
be admitted into the Union, they are en-
titled to such admission beyond all doubt,
upon the clear, unambiguous, and abso-
lutte terms of the solemn compact con-
tanned in the resolution OF annexation
adopted by Congress, and assented TO by
Texas. But whilst the committee con-
ceive that the right of admission into the
Union of any new States carved out OF
the territory of Texas, not exceeding the
number specified, and under the cOndl-
lions stated, cannot be Justly controverted,
the committee do not think that the for
nation of any such new States should
now originate in Congress.
The initiative, III conformity with the
usage which has heretofore prevailed,
should be taken 10y portion OF the peo-
pie of Texas themselves, desirOus OF con-
s.itulng new State, with the consent
Of Texas And in the formation OF such
new State, it will be for the people COM
posing il to decide for ;hemselvS whether
they will admit or will exclude slavery.
And however they may decide that purely
municipal question, Congress Is bound to
acquiesce. and to fulfil in good faith the
VI VIC COll plCI WIN AN~S'
The committee are aware that 1t mas
been contended that the resolution OF
Congress anIexing Texas was unconstl-
tutional. At former epoch OF our coun-
uys history, there were those (and MIR.
Jefferson, under whose auspices the treaty
Of Louisiana was concluded, was among g
them) who believed that the States form
ed out of Louisiana could not be received
into the Union without an amendment
to the constitution. But the States OF
Louisiana, Missouri, Arkansas and Iowa
have been all, nevertheless, admitted
! And who would now think of opposing
Minnesota, Oregon or other new States
formed out of the ancient province OF
Louisiana, upon the ground of an alledged
original defect of constitutional power
N -. Il = rIn ynf