The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1850-08-10

country N"HlN hf Wl""H Hl"N lH' "lH'l
sligs.
liut, -ir,I will now loa,r th- branch NJ tho
subject and pass a. notice tho application of
California for admission as % state Of the Tn
iiu. Ry our treaty with hrEirn Wr are
homi "a admit California into thr Union OF
rbr proper time 90 Boz Judged ulby tpnguss)
and the question g. hlt the proper Time
arrived Aud from thr Hutl dty of
h1v, tHiH, a. ihis- Cnngrr-s has provided
up government whatever foe California,
Sine hi- hrru len without law or order ca
shin lnr hcrrrf She was entitled "a q eot-
rruHut until arrangements could lr made
lur hrr Hdmissnn q. 10 state Of illr t'uiuui hui
10 Vas The bouudrn duty of Congress a. pro-
yidr one fIr her, That du'y has brru neg
lrrtrd, and Caliluruia has done what hho had
q Hght a. do, called q conventions adopted o
constitutions republican u ~ chhmrtrr and
formed government inr herself She now
comes with her constitution in one hand, and
tbr treaty OF Guadalupe ilidalgn iu tho other,
aud knorks ~ our door for admir7iou, We
do not bid her come iu, but rudrly turn hrr
nnay, hr.ausc she has protected lr'rsoli irum
outrage, bio d-hrd ard murder without our
consent Al the quibhling Of special plead
ING Is rc.Ortrd a. t0rNrluip her from the sis-
trrhoolof Siitrs, 4 4. objected, If, That
the prcschr Administration sent. W 40 o.
gent Che honorable ThnNls Batter kiuD
a. influence the people 10 call 20 Convention
aud adopt constitution excluding slavery
Thi- Z. denied and not proven. Mr. King
SAWS, hoo hi report ON Ga ,iurUH, that ho had
no secret instructions, Vrtial nf writrn,lr1n
4 thu prr-rrtrUf or my one cl-c, what "a my
Ca the pvOplc ol Cdliiurnla. 0n lln1 subject ~
slavery aid that IL was never hiutrl o. iutl-
mated a. him that lee Wa eXpeot',I t1 attempt
a. influence their action IN the slightest dc-
III. AMI GfVfhtp
that hc meyer lid attempt Ia cNcr the least
degree 81 influence over the people Of that
country nn the subject Of slavery, In the
srcond place, IL I. objected that no A~ oi
Congress was passed authorizing the people
Of California a. call Convention aud form q
constitution. Eight out at the fifteen state.
admitted since the adoption Of the Coustitu-
tio1 tvrrr' r'r't-ivt-l iuiu thr Union without
any such legislation ON the part of Congress,
ln the third place, il l. objected that no con-
rus was taken before the Convention was
rHiird mud thr- ruTUrItUrTUn adopted ttTut
wns unnecessary. The unly object OF q ccu-
WV r. ~ -rrrrv Tint tiu frrrr'r' l't- tlt', f'-t'''-
site population Tor state and that may bc
urnycd nuV other WY ~ well Rs hy q census,
NnnG of the States heretofore admitted have
hrcu received without proving the number
81 inlnlnnnt. by census The ratio of rep
p..cutaiitai was iNrd in 1872 ~ 7O,GsU; but
the law establishing II expressly provide. that
any State having an cNrcss beyond the mote
" the ratio shall In entitled toan addition
nj representative, \ population, therefore,
of lOG,O2l entities California To- two repre-
srntntycs. The evidence before Congress
upon this subject satisfies my mind, beyond q
reasonable doubt, that California hn- popu-
latinn more than sufficient 90 cutitlc her 10 two
representative. The memorial of the Scu1-
tor, aud Representative from California 20
the Congress of the United States shows that
The pdpnlijiOn.Of the Statc on tht ~ OF taU7
uary 1880, was over iOGUUO-and IL has
greatly increased since that time, IcNas'
with population oflcss than iOO,0uO, was
admitted with two representative. and why,
| ask, shuud California, with n population
ouc.third larger than Texas, bc cNcludcdf-
/, slave State entitled IA admission with
two Representatives with u less population
than i,V state with the sam" representa-
he better pleased fit were smaller | think
II comprises territory enough for three iiIh
States and that We ought ~ have six Scnaf.
ors instcud pttwo from il. lin IL is not half
AZ large ~ TCNas, and NJ ollie ton was rails,
al ON the part olthc South to her. admission
o. the ground that We created too large q
state. All these objections, Mr. President
relate to mere matters of iorm--thcrr is u,
substance in them. They may aud should
oithc South is, in my humble opinion, con.
ccalcd Southern SEnaiaE--.l.4-4.-.t- ~
Cpnr out aud say that the exclusion Of
slavery is the ground OF their opposition, for
It would be a population OF their own doj'-
trinc set forth in resolution introduced by
MIR Calhoun III February, lsi7. The rcsolu,
ton is in the following
"Rcsolycd. That it is n Fundamental prin-
ciple in our political creed, thata people, in
forming constitution, have the uncondition-
nj right Ia form aud adopt the government
which they may think best calculated to Sc
cure thCir libcrty, prosperity and happiness;
aud in conformity thereto no other condition
is imposed 10y the Federal Constitution ON a
State, in order TO br admitted into this Union
except that its constitution shall Ice 'rcpuhli-
can, aud that the imposition of any other by
Congress would not only be in violation Of
the Constitution, but in direct conflict with
the principle upon which our political system
rests"
President Polk in his message of Dccem-
her o, lS4S, speaking otthc organization of
Territorial Governments Of California and
New Mexico, and the power of Congress To
lcgislate on the subject of slavery, says;
whether Congress shall lcgisatc or not.
the people of the acquired Territories, when
assembled in convention to form State ,onst-
tutions, will possess the sole and exclusive
power to determine for themselves whether
slavery shall or shall nntcxiSt- then.
limits"
This doctrine Of Mr. Calhoun and Mr. Polk
the people uf california; aioptcJt, aud have
acted upon Il; and now come here in rood
faith. with just such a constitution rs those
gentlemen and the entire South said TINY had
right TO form, and every obstacle that the
ingenuity of men can devise is thrown in the
way of their admission into the Union. 1t
has been said, over andF over again ia this
Chamber, that California has a large majority
of Senators in her favor. If so, why not adj
init her n onceH NLs- tlt,iay-- hur for The set
Element of veNcd questions with which she
has no conncXion? What has her admission
10 do with The question of freedom or slavery
In the Terrtoiies2 What has il 20 do with
the capture offngitiye slavesy with the bonn
dlries or Texas? or with slavery in the Dis
trict OF Columbia? II seems IA me that every
in'r-mindcd man must say at once that Cali
fornia has nothing TO do with these questions:
and that she has clear right to stand upon
her own morris, unembarrassed bv any other