Daily Richmond times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1849-1850, 1850-06-11
hTHE TERRITORY QUESTION IN THE
HOUSE

To-day is expected to be an important day in
the House Of Representatives for, under re-
solution adopted, the debate on the California
message, will cease, and the voting on the bill OF
Mr.. Doty, for the admission of California and the
amendments proposed to it, will commence. On
Wednesday last Mr.. Jones of Tennessee, De-
mocratic member, moved as substitute for this
bill the compromise bill of the Senate, with no
important variation except to make the 34th de-
gree the Northern boundary of Texas The rea-
son he gave for this change of the line was, that
about the 33d degree, there was settlement of
about four hundred persons organized as county
of Texas, and from that point towards Santa Fe
was desert of ninety miles, called "The dead
mans Journey" Mr.. Foote introduced similar
amendment to this in the Senate on Friday and
on Saturday, Mr. Douglas proposed to draw the
line through the desert. Mr. Andrew johnson,
of Tennessee, the same day, recalled some reso-
lutions of his nstruchng a committee to report a
bill to admit California, lega'izing the provisional
governments in Utah and New Mexico, retroce-
ding the District and providing more efficiently
for the reclamation of fugitive slaves but he did
not renew his proposition as an amendment.
On Friday, Mr.. Richardson, of Illinois, gave
notice of his intention to introduce an amendment,
admitting California as State, establishing one
Territorial Government, in New Mexico and leav
ing the Texas boundary unsettled.
On the same day, Mr. Duer, of N. York. whose
position has acquired peculiar interest from the
fact that the President has publicly thanked that
genteman's constituents for approving his views,
gave notice of bill which he might move here
after, embodying plan of settlement of the diff
culties arising out of the slavery question. We
quote his own explanation of the character of the
proposed measure:
"He wished to say that, in drafting this bill he had
not sought originality; on the contrary he bad endea-
vored to avoid it. 1t embodied the plan OF the Presi
dent of the United States, and in accordance with
the policy recommended by him, except upon point
the boundary OF Texas. Upon that point on which
the President had proposed pan he had adopted the
provisions and the very language OF the compromise
plan proposed in the Senate He was aware of the ex
stence of strong objections to this feature of that plan
but some mode of settling the question OF boundary
necessary, and this would perhaps meet general ia
any other He did not wish be considered Of
ering this bill but he presented that might be print
ed and read by misunderstanding to himself the IL
berty to offer not, hereafter He desired to say
that he did not bring it forward as embodyng his
views
did not by any neans-but as practical proposition,
and perhaps more more practicable than any which
had yet been offered In that view he wished it print
ed and considered and in the emergencies that might
occur, he reserved himself decide when and how
all" N''>' e-'(' '''''''0 y NV ''''N O'' y "
Mr.. Duer's bill, as he says, adopts the provis-
ions of the Senate bill concerning the proposals to
Texas for change of her boundary. If Texas
assent to these proposals. the President is directed
Immediately to cause an election to be held in
New Mexico, of delegates to Convention, which
is first to determine whether it is expedent to form
a State Constitution, and, secondly, if expedient,
to form one, upon the final adoption of State
Constitution By the Convention (not the people,
the Territory is to become, without further act of
Congress, the State of New Mexico, the Pres-
dent being authorized to decide whether it is re-
publican ornot. This State is to have one repre-
sentative. Butt the Convention refuse to adopt
a State Constitution, the President is authorized
whenever he thinks majority of the people de-
sire to be admitted into the Union TO call Conven-
ton after Convention, until decision in favour of
a State government is arrived at The District of
Utah is set apart by the bill, and the sum of -
dent in administering justice and preserving Or
der therein; and whenever he may think it proba-
Bile that the District contains population enough
for one reprepresentative, he shall order census
of the population, and if his opinion be confirmed,
he shall call Convention, in the same manner as
with New Mexico. to form State Constitution
The first Convention failing to produce consti-
tuition, the process is to be continued until Utah
determines that she will be State
1t is coincidence worthy of notice that the
Cazenovia correspondence appeared in the Ma
tional 1ntelligencer of Friday morning and Mr..
Duer introduced his bill, in the House, on that
day. The remarkable language of the Pres-
dents letter, taken in connection with Mr.. Duer's
remarks in explanation of tn bill, leave no room
to doubt that the scheme of admitting New Mexi-
co at once as State, and of leaving Utah with
out regular government, is the settled policy of
the administration. Mr.. Duer's adoption of the
provisions of the Senate bill as to the Texan
boundary, may puzzle those few in the South who
are disposed to prefer the Presidents plan to that
BILL for the cesson of territory claimed by Texas
is the only part of the Senate bill to which they
make very serious objection.
Weregard the propostionto evade the slaveryis-
sue by leaving the territories without governments
as utterly indefensible but the proposition to ad
NIT New Mexico as State without vote of her
people, and without any future act of Congress,
and to bait her with Inconvenience until she
shall consent to accept a condition which she
would gladly eschew, is even more repulsive to
sound reason.
GEN LOPEZ reached Mobile Friday the 3lst s.
accompanied by several officers of the late rash Cuban
expedition short time after his arrival at the Man
sion House in that city, the baroom of the hotel be-
came crowded by citizens eager to look upon the re-
doubtable Chief. The General appears to have