The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-07-25
CONGRESS-.
THIRrY-RIRST CONGRESS- FIRST SESSION.
SENATE.
TUESDAY, July 16, 1850.


TUESDAY, jury l6, 1850.
Mr.. Jones presented the resolutions of Dem
ocratic State Convention in Iowa, in which the
plan of adjustment reported by the Committee Of
Thirteen was approved.
Mr.. J. expressed himself strongly opposed to
the Wilmot Provso.
Mr.. Seward presented the proceedings of pub
lie meeting held in the State Of New York in op-
position to the bill.
Mr.. Hale presented petition from colored in
habitants of Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, set
ting forth that they have no record evidence of
their freedom, and praying that all provision in
the act of 1898 relative to the rendition of alleged
J fugitiyes from labor be repealed. &c Laid Dnnp
| NO .aple. -
Mr.. Upham presented the resolutions of the
Legislature of the State Of Vermont, urging that
slavery in the District of Columbia may be abol-
ished, and the provisions of the Ordinance Of 1877
be applied 10 all Governments made for the Ter
ritories.
Received and laid on the table.
| Mr. Davis of Massachusetts introduced a bill
amendatory of the acts heretofore passed for the
safety of passengers on board Of steamers.
The Senate then resumed the consideration Of
the bill reported by the select Committee of Thir-
teen--to admit California into the Union a
State; providing Territorial Governments for
Utah and New Mexico and making proposals to
Texas for the settlement of her western and
northern boundaries
The question pending was on the following
amendment proposed by Mr. Benton to that part
of section thirty-nine containing the proposed
boundaries of Texas:
Strike out of proposition first, Of section thirty
nine after the word Beginning" these words
Sat the point on the Rio del Norte commonly call
ed Ell Paso, and running up that river twenty
miles measured by a straight line thereon, and
thence eastwardly to point where the hun
derdth degree of west longitude crosses Red river,
being the southwest angle on the line designated
% tween the United States and Mexico, and the
sadie angle on the line Of the territory set apart
! to the Indians by the United States and insert
al, Ter fae ord Beginnipg y these wcs,is@ at
the point in che middle Of the deepest channel In
the Rio Grande del Norte where the same is
crossed by the one hundred and second degree Of
! longitude west from the meridian of Greenwich
thence north along that longitude to the thirty
fourth degree of north latitude thence eastward
ly to the point at which the one hundredth degree
of west longitude crosses the Red river0
Mr.. Rusk then proceeded in a speech Of more
than an hour, in maintenance of the right Of Tex
as to the whole territory east of the Rio Grande.
| MIR. Clay said that he desired to make few OBJ
servations in reply to what had been said yester-
l
amendment The Senator was reported in the
morning papers with having said that "the bill
is caught fagrante deliao-taken in the fact seized
| by the throat and held up to public view--in the
very act Of perpetrating its crime in The very ACT
Of auctioneermg for votes to pass itselfp The re.
porter says that Mr.. B. here grappled bill and
held it up to viewn
With regard to the sort Of boa-constrictor
struggle between the Senator and the bill, he had
nothing to say. But he desired to know who was
"auctioneering for votes for the bill" Who did
the Senator mean was auctioneering for votes in
the Senator Was 1t the bill itself, or was it the
members of the committee? He did not think
that language carrying with 1t such an imputa
ton, was admissible in the Senate. IL the Sena
tor from Missouri meant to say that that part o.
the bill was inserted by the committee for the
purpose of auctioneeripg votes in favor of it, h
repealed it as an unfounded imputation.
Mr.. Benton. The Senator said that he haG
used language yesterday which was unfit to HI
used here. He would repeat the language ans
let it be tested He had said that this bill va
caught In the act Of crime, and 1t was said tina
such language was unfit 70 be used Shall acts b.
done here deserving such language, and no voic
be heard to hold them up to the judgment Of tn
country The Senator had avoided the mail
point--the nerve which had been touched. III
would repeat what he had said, to see If the SEN
ator could be brought up to touch it. Whe,
speaking yesterday Of the coy and bashful blanl
in the bill, he had used this language: "Whe,
we come to the filling up Of that mysterious blank
30 carefully guarded may be able to demonstrate
that the effect of this conglomeraton of bills, ant
that reservation of blank, to be filled at tn,
last moment, is to open an auction upon the fooI
of the Senate for the votes which are to carry
through the omnibus BILL with all its multifarou,
and heterogeneous contents. The filling Of the
blank may develop the fact tina. the admission
of California, and the establishment Of Govern.
ments for two Territories, may depend upon the
amount Of money to be paid to Texas; and, IL II
does, It will present the highest evidence Of the
fragrant enormity Of lacking iucongruous bills TO.
getber which the history Of American or British
legislation has ever exhibited The Senator had
carefully left this out when reading from his
speech He had then continued thus: @The
bill is caught fagranti deliao-taken In the fact
seized by the throat, and held up to public view
in the very act of perpetrating its crime-in the
very act of auctioneering for votes to pass itself
seize it In the act and hold 1t up TO public oppro-
brium, and make it an era to be required to, and
its fate to stand as warning against all future
! conjunctions Of incongruous measures"
This was what he had said, and which the
Senator had avoided. He repeated 1t now. The
Language was parliamentary. He bad nothing to
bhy OF W 10 Win Tue VI buc Coiunitttc.
| He had nothing to do with their responsibility.
Gentlemen were not to come into the Senate and
draw themselves up to six feet In height and rely
| on the respectsbility Of any committee. He was
| dealing with the measure before them. He had
nothing to do with them; il the bill he attack
| ed, and this he had right to do He had de-
| nounced the measure. He repeated now what he
had said them and il II was desired to take issue
with him upon the fitness Of the language, let the
| Senator call him to order.
| Mr.. Clay said that he called the Senator TO
order.
Mr.. Benton Put the words in writing and
will sign them.
Mr. Clay said that he would reduce to writing
| the words for which he called the Senator TO or
der. He sent to the Chair the following words,
used yesterday and to-day by the Senator from
Missouri "The bill is caught fGg,ami dsliao-
taken in the fact-seized by the throat, and held
up to public view-in the very act Of psrpetrating
! its crime, In ths very act Of anctioneering for
votes to pass itselfp
Mr. Benton said that he demanded that the
sentences Immediately preceding and subsequent
| 10 the words thus written down, should be added.
And 1t was done. The words then were those
given in the whole Of the above extracts
The Presiding Officer read the words TO the
Senate, and was understood to say, that II Il.
were the intention of the Senator from Missouri
to make any imputation upon the conduct Of the
members Of the committee, then his language was
decidedly out of order. II not, and the language
WAS intended to apply only to the BILL then II was
not cut Of order.
Mr.. Benton said that his language was explicit.
Il spoke Of the bill He hsd nothing to do with
the committee He had denounced the measure,
and had attacked IL for its consequences. Heknew
what words he used, and knew them not to be out
Of order He knew the rules Of the Senate and
the laws Of decorum, and had carefully guarded
against violation OF them. He had right TO
speak Of A bill and to depounce H. lie had spoken
Of this BILL and Of the effect Of II on other meas
ures included most unjustly In 1t.
After some further debste, the Senate ad-