The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-08-06
DEBATE ON THE
OMNIBUS BIIL-Continued

The yeas and nays were then taken on Mr..
Pearces amendment, TO STRIKE out all that part
of the bill which relates to New Mexico, and re-
suited as follows:
YEAs--Messrs. Baldwin, Barnwe, Benton,
Berrien, Butler, Chase, Clarke, Davis, OF Alassa-
chusetts, Davis, Of Mississippi, Dayton, Dodge,
of Wisconsin, Douglass, Ewing, Greene, Hale,
Hamlin, Hunter, Mason, Miller, Morton, Pearce,
Phelps, Seward, Shields, Smith, Soule, Turney,
Underwood, Upham, Wales, Walker, Winthrop,
and Yuee-33
WEAKNESSES Atchison, Badger, Bright, Cass,
CLAY, Clemenz, Dawson, Dickinson, Dodge, Of
Iowa, Downs, Foote, Houston, Jones, King,
Mangum, Norris, Pratt, Rusk Sebastian, Spru-
ance, Sturgeon, and Whitcomb-22.
So the amendment adopted.
Mr.. PEARCE then moved to amend the bill by
inserting all that had just been stricken out, ex
cept Mr.. Dawson's amendment; and in lieu of
that amendment to insert the following:
" Provided, The Territorial Government of New
Mexico, authorized by this act, shall not go into
operation until the 4th Of March, 1851"
Mr.. DOUGLAS moved to amend the amend
ment by striking out the words proposed to be sub
sttuted for Mr.. Dawson's amendment, and in
sorting the following in lieu thereof:
g Provided, That the said commissioners shall
report the result of their proceedings to the Lgis
lature of Texas and to Congress by the 18th day
of December next and that much Of this act
as provides for Territorial Government in New
Mexico shall not take effect without further action
of Congress, unless the boundary of Texas shall
have been adjusted and in the mean time the
rights of both parties the Territory in dispute
shall remain unaffected and unimpaired by any
thing in this act contained.
Mr. HALE. l think it must be manifest to
the Senate that we are making no progress in the
way we are going on with this BILL Wecomei in here
in the morning and find how the land lies, and an
amendment Is offered wheh,throws OFT Two or three
y Northern senator's. We adjourn, and the night is
spent in contriving some way to get them back
again; but their coming back repes ali equal number
of Southern gentlemen; and in that way we have
been going backward and forward great many
months. believe there has been no time since this
bill was introduced that there has not been dead
majority against it in the Senate, but we have had
no great leader to marshal that could all be
brought to oppose the bill at the same time.
appeal now to the friends of the bill, whether
they are not satisfied that by combining these
measures they have but combined the opposition
to, and not the friends of the measures. think
every udcious friend of these several measures
must be satisfied Of that fact-that the only effect
has been to combine the opposition to instead OF
combining the friends of the several measures.
Now am going to make a sensible motion,
and hope it will commend itself to the whole
Senate; and the most sensible part of it is, that
will not back it up with speech. move the in
definite postponement of the bill.
Mr.. CLAY, and other Senators. Question,
Mr.. DAWSON. Let us have the yeas and
The yeas and nays were ordered, and being
taken resulted as follows:
YEAS Messrs Baldwin, Barnwell, Benton,
Butler, Chase, Clarke, Clemens, Davis, of Mas
sachusetts, Davis, OF Mississippi, Dayton, Dodge,
of Wisconsin, Ewing, Greene, Hale, Hamlin,
Hunter, Mason, Miller, Phelps, Seward, Smith,
Soue, Turney, Upham, Walker, Winthrop, Yu-
luee-27.
NAYs-Mtssrs. Atchison, Badger, Bell, Ber-
rien. Bradbury, Bright, Cass, Clay, Cooper,
Downs, Felch, Foote, Houston. Jones, King,
Mangum, Morton, Norris, Pearce, Pratt, Rusk,
Sebastian, Shields, Spruance, Sturgeon, Under
wood, Wales, Whicomb-32
So the motion for indefinite postponement did
not prevail.
Mr.. UNDERWOOD. | believe, sir, that this
bill can be passed and that it ought to be passed.
believe that by the union of these measures you
may get this Congress to do something. be-
leve that if you separate them shall adjourn
without doing anything believe that If you
adjourn without doing anything in reference to
these agtatng questions, there is no telling what
consequences may grow out OF 1t to the country.
As long as have been away from my family, as
DESTROYS as am to return to it, conceive it to be
my duty to stay here until something can be done
for the country. Now; sir, what ought to be
done. have voted to strike out all in regard to
3
present the proposition to me as 1t was presented.
Sir, the proposition in such aspect, by the
amendment offered by the senator from Georgia,
[Mr. Dawson, as that the bill in that respect
could not meet my, appreciation ! therefore
united with my friend from Maryland to get rid of
that feature in the bill. 1t is manifest that his
vote and mine are worth something in the pro-
gress Of this bill. | have not asked that should
be consulted. l have not asked that these meas
should be made entirely conformable in all
yhasI k,,tT bol.
very little alteration this bill stands now in the
best possible shape to get through, and if you do
not get it passed, with very little alteration, 1t
cannot pass at all, and we shall have to adjourn
and go home, having done nothing.
1 rise to tell you what think ought to be done,
and then will take my seat. Mr.. President,
there number of gentlemen upon this floor
who believe that Texas has no title whatever to
the country upon the upper Rio Grande. am
one of them. have cautiously abstained, and
wish to abstain from this time forth, from going
into the reasons upon which that opinion of mine
is based. But allow me to say thu, have listened
attentvely to all the arguments that have been adj
vanced in favor Of the claim of Texas, not only
upon this floor, but have also attentively con-
sidered the eleven reasons and the arguments in
support Of them advanced in the other wing Of this
Capitol, and think that they all can be blown to
the winds by plain tale. But do not wish to
go into it. will not be aggravated into going in
it, because think that while there are PROPOSE
tons for compromise pending we ought all to abb
stain from pressing peculiar opinions on the
subject But, sir, | think that there are some
disguised efforts made here to strengthen the
claim of Texas, whatever it may be, and all efforts
Of that description | am as resoutely bent on OPP
posing.
Now, sir, in that state of things what ought to
be done? What can be donei Do you expect
gentlemen on either side to make surrender Of
their peculiar opinions? No, sir. ask no gen
tleman to surrender to me. cannot do it consist
emily because am determined to surrender to no
one. therefore cannot demand or ask of others
what am not willing to concede give myself
What then must be done? You must be perfectly
silent upon this subject. You must lay down no
thing which seeks concession on either side.
You must be perfectly fair from beginning to end
lin reference to it, and cautiously abstain from
every thing which looks like committal for or
against it. Now the senator from Texas MIR.