Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1850-02-09

responded to by the Of California. Then, sir
down those mountain regions which are 70 be found in
New Mexico the nature Of soil and country its barrennes
its unproducve character, every thing which relates to it.
and every thing which hear Of and about it. must
sariIy lead to the conclusion which have mentioned
that slavery is likely 70 be introduced into them
Well sir if be true that by law slavery does not now ex-
isl in the ceded territories, and that s not likely to be intro
duced into the coded errores- you, Senator's agree to
these truths, majority Of you, as am persuaded q
large majority Of you must agree to hem-wbere is the
objection or the difficulty to your announcing them the
whole world Why should you hesitate asr in the pro-
mitigation Of ncontestabe truths On the other hand with
regard Senators coming from the free States, allow me here
to make with eerencet California two observations
When this feeling within the limits of your States got
ten up when the Wmot provso disseminated through
Them and your people and yourselves attached themselves
that proys what the state of facts The state Of facts
that time was that you apprehended the introduction Of
slavery there. You did not know much--very few Of
now know much-about these very territories. They
far distant from YOU You appehensve that slavery
might be introduced there. You wanted protection to
introduce the Introduction called the Wmot provso.
in this state of of information that the whole North
bazed up in behalf Of this Wilmo provso. II under
the apprehension that slavery might be introduced there that
you left your constituents For when you from home
the time you left your respective residences you did
know the fact which has only reached since the
Of the session of Congress- that constitution had been
unanimously adopted by the people Of California excluding
slavery from their territory.
Well now, let suppose that two years ago had been
known in the free States that such constitution would be
adopted let suppose that had been believed that
other portion Of these coded territories would slavery be intro
let suppose that upon this great subject Of soc
tude negro slavery, the people Of the North had been
fecy satisfied that there danger let suppose
they had foeseen the excitement the DANGER the hta
tom the resolutions which have been adopted by Southern
Legislatures and the manifestations Of opinion BY the people
the slavehodng Sateset suppose that all this had
been known at the North at the time when the agitation
first got up upon the subject of this Wmot proviso-do you
believe that would have reached the height to which il
has attained Do any of you believe it And II, prior
your departure from respective homes you had had
opportunity of comforting with your constituents upon this
leading and important factof the adoption Of cons
tuition excluding slavery in Califonado you not believe,
Senators and Representatives coming from the free States,
that you had had the advantage that fact told in serious
calm reside conversation with your constituents, they
would not have told you here and to settle all these
agitating questions without danger to this Union
What do you want What do you want who reside in
the free States You want that there shall be slavery in
roduced into the territories acquired from Mexico. Well
have not you got it in California already if admitted as
State Have not you got it in New Mexico, in all human
probability, also What do you want You have
got what is worth thousand Wilmo provisos You have
got nature itself your SIDE You have the fact itself
your side You have the truth staring you in the face that
slavery is existing there. Well, if you men you
rise from the mud and slough pary struggles elevate
yourselves to the height Of patriots, what will you do You
will look at the fact exists. You will say this fact
unknown to my people. You will say they acted on one
of facts have got another set of here influencing
and will PATRIOTS responsible men, lovers
of unity, and above all of this Union We will act on the
altered set of facts unknown to constituents, and we will
appeal to their justice their honor, their magnanmiy to
with this occasion, for establishing concord
and harmony and maintaining the existence Of this glorious
Union.
Well Mr. President think, entertaining these views that
there nothing exrayagant in the hope in which in
duged at the time these resolutions prepared and Of
ered-nothng exavagan in the hope that the North might
content itself with striking unnecessary these
declarations They unnecessary for any purpose the free
States have view At all events if they should insist upon
Congress expressing the opinions which here asserted
that at all events they should limit their wishes to the simple
assertion Of hem without insisting their being incorporated
any Territorial Government which Congress may establish
in the Territories.
pass from the second resolution the third and fourth,
which relate Texas and allow tosay Mr. President thatI
approach the subject with full knowledge Of all its difficult
ties and of all the questions connected with growing
this institution of slavery which Congress is called upon
upon and decide difficult and trouble
those hish rotate Texas, BECAUSE sir, Texas
question of boundary to see and question Of slavery
or the feelings connected with it into the question Of
boundary The North perhaps will be anxious to contract
Texas within the narrowest possible limits in order to
clude all beyond her to make free territory the South
the contrary may be anxious to extend these limits to the
the Rio Gande for the purpose Of creating ad
dona theatre for slavery and thus to the question of the
limits of Texas and the settlement Of her boundary, the
slavery question: with all its troubles and difficulties is added
me citing us at every step we take.
There is sir third question, ALSO adding to the difficulty
By the resolution of annexation slavery inerdced in all
north of $50 3O but of New Mexico that portion of it which
lies north Of 36o 3O embraces think, about third of
the whole Of New Mexico Of the Rio Gande you
have free and slave territory Mixed boundary and slavery
mixed together and all these difficulties to be encounter
ed And allow to say sir, that among the considerations
which induce think that it necessary settle all
these questions the Of things that exists New
Mexico and the state Of things be apphended both there
and in other portions OF the Territories Why, sir at this
momenand think shall have the concurrence of the two
Senators from that State when the facial this
moment there feeling approxmang adherence the
part of the people of New Mexico at the idea of any union
with Texas
MI. RUSK. Only, sir, the part of the seekers
and army followers who have settled there, and attempted
msead the people.
New Mexico is the only place where this class
majority Of the whole population Of the country Laughter
Now sir if the questions not settled which relate to
Texas her boundaries and forth, and to the territory
claimed by Texas and disputed by New Mexico-he terri
tories beyond New Mexico which excluded from Cali
ornaf these questions not all settled, think they will
give rise to future confuson disorder and anarchy there and
to agitation here. There will be- have doubt party
still at the North crying out these questions not settled
this session, for the Wmot provso, other restriction
upon hem and shall absolutely do nothng in my opinion,
we do not accommodate all these difficulties and provide
against the recurrence Of all these dangers.
Sir with respect the state Of things in New Mexico, allow
me to call the attention of the Senate to what consider
the highest authority could offer them to the state
Of things there existing in the acts of their Conven
ton, unless that happens to have been composed
altogether of Office seekers holders and forth Now
s call your attention to what they say in depicting their
own situation.
Mr. UNDERWOOD, at Mr.. Cars request, read the fol-
lowing extract from instructions adopted by the Conven
on appended to the journal Of the Convention of the Terri
tory Of New Mexico, held the city Of Santa Fe, Sep
TENDER, 1s49