The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-06-20
PROCEEDINGS IN THE SENATE.

The Compromise bill is gradually assuming
shape, adapting it more satisfactorily to the views
of Shareholders Congress is to interpose no OBJ
stace to the introduction of slavery into the Ter
ritories. The Territorial Legislatures are pro-
hibited from interfering against its introduction
but are permitted to pass police regulations to
enforce its claims, should it be extended there.
And, as if to encourage the shareholders to emil
CRATE thither with their slaves the Senate last
Monday, after full discussion, resolved, by a
vote of thirty-eight to twelve, that "when the
said Territory, or any portion Of it, should be adj
mitted as a State, it shall be received into the
Union, with or without slavery, as their Consti-
tuition may prescribe at the time of their admis-
sion!" The yeas and nays were as follows:
YEAs-Messrs AtchisOn, Badger, Bell, Benton,
Berrien Bright Butler, Cass, Clay, Clemens,
Cooper, Davis of Mississippi, Dawson Dodge of
Iowa, Douglas, Downs, Foote Houston, Hunter.
Jones' King, Mason, Morton, Norris, Pcarce
Pratt, Rusk, Sebastian, Shields, Soul6, Spruance
Sturgeon, Turney, Underwood, Wales, Webster
Whitcomb, and Yulee--3S.
NAYs-Messrs Baldwin, Chase Clarke Davis
Of Massachusetts,, Dayton, Dodge of Wisconsin,
Greene, Hale, Miller, Smith, Upham and Walk
er-l2
So the amendment was agreed to.
Senators from the free States voting in the
affirmative: Bright, Cass Dodge of Iowa, Doug
las, Jones, Norris, Shields, Sturgeon, Whitcomb--
Democrats Q. Cooper, Webster Wigs, 2.
The amendment was moved for several pur-
poses IL was desirable to draw a distinct line
bat,,aon tho Eroa Col; ,oe, anJ tba nll ,,...;oo
so as to destroy, if possible, the influence of the
former. 1t was important TO have provision in
the bill which should give countenanee to the
idea that Slavery could legally obtain ioothod in
the Territories. II was an object to stimulate
the immigration of Shareholders to the Terrific
ries, and therefore necessary to remove any ap-
prehension in their minds, that they might be di-
vested Of their slaves if they went there Al
though the amendment is an abstraction, although
one Congress cannot bind the action of another,
still it was Of great Importance to the slavehod-
ers, to extort from the free State members pro-
vision, which might serve as ground for the
charge Of bad faith against the North, should its
Representatives hereafter true to the interests Of
Freedom, resolve 10 discountenance the formation
Of slave States
With full view of all the bearings and the
real significance Of such measure Messrs Web
ster, Cass and their followers, gave it their zeal-
Gus support ~,
By the Missouri Compromise line, the larger
portion of the Territory then in dispute between
Slavery and Freedom, though all of it was under
the law of Slavery was expressly set apart for
the benefit of Freedom, and Slavery forever pro-
hibited therein. BY this Compromise bill, pushed
forward under the auspices Of Messrs Clay,
Webster, and Cass, the whole of far larger
Territory, though every portion of il is now free,
Is to be left utterly unprotected against Slavery,
and the Senate solemnly announces that If the
People Of any part of it. on organizing State,
wish to introduce Slavery, they shall have that
most holy privilege
The whole procedure is Infamous; and II tole-
rated by the People, will stamp them as retro
grade in civilization, more corrupt than at any