The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-02-13
THIRTY-FIRsT CONGRESS.
FIRST SESSION.
TUESDAY, February IL, 1850.
sENATE.

SENATE.
lin the list of yeas and nays published in yester-
days proceedings, upon the vote to receive the pc
titon praying the peaceful dissolution of the Union
an error occurred; the name of Mr.. GREENE was
placed among the yeas, and that OF Mr. HALE in the
negative. Mr.. GREENE voted in the negative, and
Mr.. HALE voted in the affirmative.
Private petitions were presented by Messrs.
WMTcomB, COOPER, SEWARD, FooTE, SHIELDS, AT
Gibson, DAVIS, BALDWIN, KING, Mason, DIcKIs-
SON, DOUGLAS, BRADBURY, CLARKE, HousToS, and
HALE.
SPIRIT RATIoNs AND FLoGeING IN THE NAVY.
Messrs. HALE and HAMLS presented numerous
petitions praying the abolition of the spirit ration
and fogging in the navy
CHEAP POSTAGE.
Memorials praying reduction of postage were
presented by Messrs. CoopER, SEWARD, BALDWIN,
DICKINSON, CLARKE, MILLER, and HALE.
THE TARIFF.
Mr.. COOPER presented five petitions from citi-
Gems OF Pennsylvania, praying modification of the
tariff.
SLAVERY PETITIONS.
Mr.. HALE presented petition, signed by 1888
women of Dover, New Hampshire, praying that
slavery may not be extended to the Territories Of
New Mexico and California
Mr.. KING moved TO lay the motion TO receive the
petition on the table.
were ordered, and the question being taken, was
decided in the negative, as follows
YEAS-Messrs Atchison, Benton, Berrien, Bor
land, Butler, Clemens, Davis Of Mississippi, Daw
son, Dickinson, Houston, Hunter, King. Mangum,
Mason, Rusk, Sebastian, Sturgeon, Turney, and
Underwood--l9.
NAYS Messrs. Baldwin, Bradbury, Bright,
Chase, Clarke, Cooper, Corwin, DAVIS Of Massa-
chusetts, Dayton, Dodge of Iowa, Dodge Of Wiscon-
sin, Douglas, Felch, Greene, Hale HaInlin, Jones,
Miller, Norris, Phelps, Seward. Shields, Smith,
Spruance, Wales, and Walker--2G.
The question being then on the motion to receive
the petition,
Mr.. DOUGLAS said that he had voted for the re-
ton. memorial from North Carolina proposing
non action had been admitted, and he would vote
to preserve the applicability of the rule to the South
as well as the North.
by Congress; it prayed the passage Of an act ex-
GLIDING slavery from the Territories, and the SEN
ator should know that such law would be deny
ing the right of American citizens to carry their
property to those Territories.
Mr.. DOUGLAS said that he knew that the Con.
stituton did secure to citizens the right to remove
their property from one part of the Union to an
other. But he did not doubt that slavery does not
exist in California and New Mexico. Mexico had
abolished slavery in these Territories long before
the cession. He was prepared, when the time
should come, to prove that slavery was abolished
as long ago 1884 in Mexico by competent and
legal poverty an act of Congress, and not by the
mere decree of the usurper, General Guerrero, as
had been said. Guerrero had abolished it by his
decree, but the Congress of Mexico afterwards
adopted that decree, and had made provision for
the payment to the owners for their property, and
also prohibition of slavery for the future That
prohibition he believed to be now in force in the
Territories; and this was why he always consid-
cred the effort to extend the Wilmot proviso as un-
wise, unjust and unnecessary, because it was no
thing more than .piling one prohibition
tives for opposing the Wimot proviso.
He always had held the doctrine that the whole
power on this subject was with the people of the
Territories If the people of the Territories desired
slavery they had the right to establish it. On this
subject there and could be no such thing as the
rights of the North or the rights Of the South
neither had any rights on the SUBJECTIVE right
belonged to the people Of the Territories, and to
them alone; it was right allied to their inherent
right of self government Until the people OF Cali
fornia and New Mexico establish slavery by some
act of their own, the prohibition contained in the
Mexican laws was in full force. The petition is,
that Congress will not, by the enactment of law,
extend slavery to the Territories.
Mr.. BUTLER asked if any one from the South
had ever asked Congress to carry slavery into the
Territories? Had not the South continually asked
to be let alone?
Mr.. DOUGLAS said, that, in defending himself
before his constituents, for his opposition TO the
Wilmot proviso, of his greatest difficulties was
to show them that the South asked no extension of
slavery; that the South denied that Congress had
the power either to extend or limit slavery. Be-
HevnR tnl1 70 nave Deen the doctrine OF south,
he had been surprised the other day when the SEN
ator from Mississippi (Mr. DAvIs) made the decla-
ration that he would accept nothing short Of the
line of 36o 30, and absolute recognition of
slavery by law south Of that line This recognition
would be acknowledging that Congress had the
power to legislate.
Mr.. DAVIS, of Mississippi, said that he rose to
notify the Senator from Illinois, that the fact as
serted by him that slavery abolished in the
by Mexican laws was controversial and
0f he ired He had al al
for recognition by Congress of slavery 10 exist
south Of 36o 30. He believed the Shareholder could
go with his slaves to any part of the Territories
north or south OF that line; the South claimed this
right, but with view TO settle any difficulty. he
was willing TO reduce the claim Of the South to
the territory below 1862 30.
Mr.. BUTLER said that he had great many bills
and other business to dispose of, but he had not
been able 10 do 30 because Of this constant occupa
ton ofthc morning hour in the discussion of these
incendiary petitions and resolutions. One single
Senator occupies all the time of the Senate; he mo-
nopolizes that time which should be given to bust
ness A miserable minority compel the majority
10 suspend business, and far he had seen, was
permitted TO go unrebuked. He had no further
patience with them. Morning after morning this
subject was introduced by Senator, who delights
in producing discord, who feeds and lives on mis-
chief But, perhaps, that Senator obtained his
food from the opposition to his He thought
this had been suffered TO go far enough, and the
man who would persist in II was a mailman, an in
and should be treated SUCH
Mr.. HALE said that, il he lived on mischief, and
the food given him by the Senator, then it was
the fault of the Senator and not his He had been
charged with taking all the time Of the Senate, but
since the year 1850 commenced, he had risen but
twice TO present petitions, and ofthose times
to-day. On each occasion, he had confined himself
TO the mere presentation of the petition and il
the Senator and his friends who did all the talking
So much for the fact. But he would not have Il
said that he or his friends of the miserable mi
nority' afraid TO utter their sentiments nor
was he willing to admit that, among the people of
the land, he was in miserable minority-that
manned 10 be seen. Tney would maintain, at all
hazards, the freedom of speech and the right TO
utter their sentiments; and the Senator would have
10 talk louder, and denouncc with more violence,
before he could close the mouths Of this minority
They not 10 be frightened from their posts by
wholesale denunciaton, nor by threats Of personal
violence; there coward hearts among
them. New Hampshire blood coursed through no
coward veins.
Mr.. MANCUM said this calm and very philo-
sophical debate was interesting, and he could lis
ten TO it with pleasure, but courtesy to the Senator
from Georgia must induce him 10 move the post
ponement Of the subject.
The motion was agreed TO, and the Senate pro-
cceded to the consideration of Mr.. CLAWS
COMPROMISE RESOLUTIONS, (sLAvERy)