The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1850-03-19
SPEECH OF MIR. TgEBSTER,
OF MASSACHUSETTS,,
On tn Territorial Questi ION {.
In SENATE. MARCH :. 1850.

mitted by the Senator from Kentucky were
made the special order of the day at II o.
clock. On this subject the Senator from
Wisconsin Mr.. Wall1er) has the floor.
Mr.. WALKER. Mr.. President, this vast
audience has not assembled to hear me; and
there is but one man. in my opinion. who can
assemble such an audience They expect
to hear him and feel it TO be my duty as
well as my pleasure. to give the floor there
fore TO the Senator from Massachusetts.
understand it is immaterial 10 him upon which
of these questions ne speaks, and therefore
will not move TO postpone the special order.
MIR. WEBSTER. l beg TO express my obi
CATIONS TO my friend from Wisconsin, MIR.
Walker) as we'll as to my friend from New
York (Mr. Seward, for their courtesy in al
lowing me TO address the Senate this morn
ing.
Mr.. Pres dent, wish to speak to day not
as IL Massachusetts man. nor as a Northern
man. but as an American. and member of
the Senate of the q. States. 1t is fortunate
that there is Senate of the United States
"A body not yet moved from lis propriety, not
lost TO a Just sense of its own dignity, and its
own high responsibilities and Il body to which
the country looks with confidence for wise.
moderate, patriotic and healing doctrine. II
is not TO be denied THAI we live in the midst
OF strong agitatons. and in the midst Of very
considerable dangers to our institutions of
government The imprisoned winds are let
bose. TIE East, the West the North and
the stormy South, all combine to throw the
whole ocean into cnmmotiOn. ard 10 toss its
pillows 10 the skies, and TO disclose lis pro-
lounIest depths. | do not expect, Mr. Pre<-
dent to hold, or TO be fit to hold the helm in
this combat of the political eIements but
have duty TO perform. AMI | mean to PEI
form II with fidelty-not without a sense of
the surrounding dangers, but not without
hope. have part TO act, not for my own
security or safety. for am looking out for no
fragment upon which to float away from the
wreck, II wreck there must be, but for the
good Of the whole. and the preservation of
Tie whole; and there is that which will keep
me TO my duty during this struggle, whether
the sun and the stars shall appear or shall not
appear for many days | speak to-day for
the preservation Of the Union Hear me lor
my cause" speak today out of soil :iious
and anxious heart for the restoration to the
country OF that quiet and that harmony which
make tile blessings of this Union so rich and
so dear to us all. These are the topics that |
propose TO myself 10 diScnSS; these are the
motives, and the sole motives Glat influence
me III the wish 10 communicate my opinions
to The Senate and the country; and # | can
DO any thing, however little, for the promo
ton Of these ends, shall have accomplished
all that ! desire.
Mr. President, it may not be amiss 10 recur
very briefly to the events which, equally sud-
den and extraordinary, have brought the po-
litlcal condition ofthe country 10 what it now
is. In May, 1916 the United States declared
war against Mexico Her armies, then on
the frontiers, entered the provinces of that
Republic; met and defeated all her troops ;
penetrated her mountain passes, and occupied
her capital. The marine force of the Uuiten
States took possession Of her forts aud her
towns on the Atlantic and on the Pacific. In
less than two years treaty was negotiated
by which Mexico cedtd to the United States
vast territory. extending seven or eight nun
dred miles along the shores of the Pacific :;
reaching back over the mountains and across
the desert. until it Joined the frontier Of the
State Of Texas. 1t so happened that in the
distracted al feeble state Of the Mexican
Government. before tie declaration of war by
the United States against Mexico had be-
come known in California. that The people Of
California, under the lead of American Off
GERS, perhaps generally, overthrow the exs
ling Provincial Government of California
the Mexican authnriies-and run up an IN
dependent flag. When the news arrived at
San Francisco that war had been declared by
the United States against Mexico. this indie
pendent flag was pulled down and the stars
and stripes OF this Union hoiSted in its stead.
So. sir. before the war was over. the powers
Of the Unned States military ana naval had
possession of San Francisco and Upper Cali
iornia, and Il great rush of emigrants from
various parts of the world took place into
California in 1916 and 1847 But now, be-
hold another wonder.
in January of 1849 the Mormons. it is said
or some OF them, made a discovery Of an ex-
traOrdinariIy rich mine of gold-or. rather. of
a very great quantity of gold hardly fit TO be
called Il mine. for it was spread so near the
surface-Om the lower part Of the South or
American branch OF the Sacramento. They
seem 10 have attempted to conceal their dis
covery for some time; but soon another dis
cOvcIy perhaps Of greater Importance. was
made OF gold. i'll another part Of the American
branch of The Sacramento, and near Suffers
fort, us it is called. The fame of these dis
coveries spread far and wide. They excited
more and more the spirit of emigration to-
wards California which had already taken
place and persons crowded in hundreds, and
fiocked towards the bay Of San Francisco
This. as have said took place in the winter
and spring Of 1913 The digging commenced
IN the spring of that year and from TINT time
TO this the work ofseurching for gold has been
prosecuted with success not heretofore
known in the history OF this globe We all
know, sir. how increduIous the American pub
he was ut the accounts which reached lis at
first OF these discoveries; but we all know
that these accounts received, and continue TO
receive daily confirmation, and down to the
present moment suppose the assurances are
as strong, after the experience of these sew