Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1850-06-20

lof the Illinois at that time and that the ordi-
nance terminated it | act then in conformity
to the long, uniformly established policy of Con.
gress as well as in conformity to my own prin-
cpes, in refusing to vote the extension Of slave
ry, which the committees line would involve.
And here, it does seem to me that we of the
present day. mistake the point of the true OBJ
lection to the Introduction of slavery. We look
at it as it concerns the rights or interests Of the
inhabitants of the states and to whom is it to
be irrevocable gif-to them and posterty! Mr.
Randolph's report in The case of Indiana took
the true ground. 1t looked to the interest of
the people where slavery was to go, and refused
them an evil although they begged hard to have
it.
return to the point--the 10000 square miles
of territory which the committees line would
transfer from the possession of New Mexico to
the possessions of Texas-and the question of
the extension of slavery which grows out of the
transfer.
There is no slavery on it now, either in law
or IN fact 1t will be there by law if the trans
fer is made. This leaves open but one question
and that is, can climate be relied upon to keep
it away? think not. Th9le are two climates
in New MeXlco--one frgld, the other temper
ale-and these 10000 square miles arc in the
temperate part. 1t is a long province stretch
ing north and south, high and mountainous in
toe north-lower, and with broader valley lower
down.
Santa Fe has an elevation of 1910 feet, Ell
Paso $500 The Rio del Norte is called in the
upper part of its course the river above, Rio Ar
riva y in The lover part, river below Rio Abajo)
and the climate corresponds with this structure
OF the countly--rigorous at Santa Fe, mild at
Ell Paso.
Humboldt thus speaks of them;
"New Mexico though placed under the same
latitude wife Syria and Central Persia, has
climate cminen.Iy cold. It freezes there in the
middle of the month of May, near to Santa Fe,
and and little further north under the parallel
ofthe Morea) the Rio del Norte is covered some
times several years in succession with ice so
thick that horses and carriages pass on it. We
do not know the elevation of the country in Mex
lco-but doubt whether, under the 81 degIee
OF latitude, the bed oil the river may have more
than seven or eight hundred metres of elevation
above the level of the sea The mountains
which border the valley of the Del Norte, even
those at the foot of which is placed the village of
Taos, lose their snow already towards the close
of the month of June."-Vol. !, p. 302.
"The environs of Ell Paso are a delicious
country, which resemble the most beautiful parts
of AndaIusia. The fields are cultivated In corn
and wheat. The vineyards produce excellent
wines, which are preferred even to those of Par
ras and New Biscay. The gardens contain, in
abundance all the fruit trees of Europe-f figs,
peaches, pomagranates, and pears."-Vol |, p.
306
Humboldt Is right, and recent travellers con-
firm now What he wrote in 1904. 1t was at the
head of the valley of the Del Norte, some three
degrees north Of Santa Fe, that Colonel Fremont
suffered his great disaster-had to struggla
through SHOWS above the heads of men and hor-
ses, and found it relief to tread the river, solid
with ice for road
At Santa Fe the Goth Of February, lie found
it winter-eight days afterwards, on the Rio
Abajo, half way to FL Paso, and having descend
ed two thousand six hundred feet, and still one
thousand two hundred feet above the level of Ell
Paso, he found it spring--the farmers poughing
and seeding, the early fruit trees in bloom, and
the air so mild that he Camped out of nights, and
without tents, though in a settled and hospitabe
coun ry: Here, then, are two climates in New
Mexico-One a barrier against the introduction
of African slavery, the other not ard it is that
part which is not barrier that is proposed to
be transferred to Texas. This applies to the
Del sss-s--and its valley it is still more true of
the Puerco and its valley. Rising in the lati-
tude, and at the elevation of Santa Fe, it de-
scends below the latitude and below the eleva
ton of Fl Paso, and is mildcr in its climate
throughout, because more open to the east, and
sheltered onthe west by long and lofty range
of mountains. lis more congenial climate
makes it, as | have said, the bucolIc region of
New Mexico, to which the inhabitants of the
banks OF the Del Nore send their focks to find
their own food, and live without shelter, the
year round. And it is precisely the southern
half of this river and valley, reaching degree
and half south of New Orleans, and without
sufficient altitude to counteract the effect of
southern latitude, that the committees bill would
transfer this large district from the possession Of
New Mexico to that Of Texas Climate there
can be no bar to its introduction of savery-and
thus its actual extension into that quarter be-
comes the question which the committees bill
forces us to face--and which have faced.