New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-03-13
GOV. SEWARD'S SPEECH
on The
SLAVERY QUESTION.
Delivered in /. :. Senate Monday, March 4


he Or.eata, commerce Ct Jar distant If nj merely
clinercai future.
A year aco, California Vss mere military j.
pesdei.cy Of car o-vn, and VI were celebrating
wth authnsiasm aid uDanImty is acquisitio1
Nth is lee s. discovered bit set untod ard tn
touched mineral wealth. % tie most saspiccus Of
10 am and unparalleled achievements.
Io-da., California = state more pOpulous taal
tie least AID richer than severa. o. the greatest
our thirty States. Tins same Calii0Tnis, tn1s lcA
aid popu.ous. IS here ASKING admission Into IT,
[ iron. and hnds rs debating toe dissolution oi o.
| niOb itself 70 wonder 81 we are perpiexed VIII
evcr changing cmbauassIDeuts no wonder % We
are apra I'D by ever increasing Tcspons lbl.ltIcs
No wonder Il We are beU+ildered by toe ever aug
mentnr magnitude and rapidly Of national yicls
s.u3e5
SHALL CALIFORNIA BIZ RECEIVED
Tor myself upon my individual Judgment and
conscience. answer Yes For y. sell. as au H.
s;ructed Representative ofoGe Of the States q to'
Que, ey en- Of toe States which Is soonest aud ol-
est 70 be pressed into commerc a. and political q
valr, by the new Comm 1lweath swer, Yes
Let California come iu. Every new state, whei'
cr she comes from the east or irun tho west com
ius from Whatever part % the continent she ma,
!. always welcome. Bat California that comes
from toe cline where the West dies away into tho
rsing E1st--CaIJrnia, whlc' bounds ~ once the
Empire and the CoutnoHt--C aIiorn's. the y0u'h
Ia. Queen OF the Pacific iA her robes o. Freedom
0rgcousy l'aid with god,-is doubiy welcome
And now inquire, First, WY shOuld C0tif0f-
nio be relectcdi All the objections are founded o.
| Is iu the circumstances OF her coming. aud iu To-
organic aw which She presents for oar confirms
| too.
First, California comes uncercmoniouslv, with
out q preliminary consent Oi Congress, and there
fore b. usurpHtiol. This allegation, think. is no'
I Ice .rrrsr. TIM IA rrsrrr "a
iorria is not here Of her own pure voh,ion. W
tore California violently from her place in the con
federation OF Mexican States aid stipulated b.
ihe treaty OF Gnadaupc HiGalro that the Terto
ry should be admitted by states, into the Amen
can mon re speedily as possible.
But the letter OF the objection stu holds Calno-
MA did come without preliminary eonsent b.
Congress 10 form Constitution But MichiEa
and other states presented themselves ia the san,
unauthorized way. and Congress waived toe IKE
uarity. and sanctioned the usurpatIon. CaliiOrnia
peads these preCedents. Is not the plea sufficient
But il has been said by tie Hon. Senator from
South Carolina Mr. Calhoun that the ordinance
| 1851 secured % Michigan the night 70 become O.
cate when she should have sixty thousand mha5
! lints Owing TO some mes Get Congress delayed
10 take The census, and tns Is sad IN pallatou O.
the ircgularty IN the case Of Michigan But ca.
! it1rIia, as has been seen, had treaty, and Con
eress. instead 81 giving previous consent am .u.
stead Of giving her the customary territorial gov
ernmcn', as they Gi1 70 Michigan, iailcd 10 d.
either, and thus practically refused both, and s.
abandoned tie new community, under most unpru
uitols circumstances. TO anarchy. California thel
made a Consultation for hersc.i. but not uuneces
sariy and prcspmptuously, ~ Michigan did. cAc
made a Constitution ,or herself, and came here u
der the law-the paramount law OF selipTeserva
ton | think she stands justified.
Indeed, California is more than justified. 81
VAS "a COl0Hg--a military Colony All colonies,
especially miht0ry Colonies are ncongruoas VIII
our political system and they are equally open Ia
corruption and exposed to oppression Ihey ar
iherci re- not more unfortunate IN theu own proper
condition than fruitfl IN dangers to the parent DE
mOCracy. California then sctCi wisely aud " Q
Ia establishing self .goverment. she deserves no
| relukc, but praise and APPRECIATION
Nor docs tits objection come with n good grace
! from those who offer it. II California were nov
content 10 receive only Territorial Charter W
could not agree q grant it without az Inhibition
Slavery. which in that case, being federal &C
| of federal authority, woud render the attitude Of
| California a. a Ienut1ry even more offensive "a
| those who now repcl her than she Is rs STATE
with the same inhibition IN the ConsututiCA O. hei
! own voluntary choice
The second o.. cotton is. that California has as
| sgncd her own boundaries. without The prcvlou
authority o. Cm zress. Bat she was leit U organ
ze herself without any boundaries fixed by Prev
Gus law. OF by prescription she AS obliged there
| ore 20 assume boundaries since without bouaca
res she mus; have remained unorganized-
third 0biectoa IS. that California is too large.
answer: first, there is 10 common standard o. tie
SIC OF states CalHorais, though sreaierihan many
Is less ihanone II the states. Second, California
too LARGE may b. divided with her own consent, and
that is all the security have for reducing the
magnitude and averting the prepondersnce OF IeI.
rs Thirdly. the boundaries OF California seem 10
AZ all unnstural. The Territory clronmscnaed De-
altogether contiguous and compact Fourth, ine
boundaries are Convenient. They embrace only
inhabited portions Of the country, commercially
connected with the port Of s2n Francisco. Noone
mas pretended 70 offer boundaries more Ia harmon,
with the physical outlines OF the region concefucc
or mere convenient for civil acmimstraiou-
But 20 draw closer 70 the question. W hat snaA b.
'hc boundaries q 2 new state, concerns, ursi int
state herself land California OF course IS content
: sccudy adjacent communities. Oregon does ID.
complain o. cncroachmcu.. and there IS DO otA
adjacent community to complain Thirdly. o.,
other States o. the Union. The larger the Paciii.
states The smaller will be their relative power .i
tie Senate A.. the States now here are Aianii,
states and Inland States, and surely they ma!
well indulge California Ia the !arsesi liberty O.
boundaries
The fourth objection 70 the admission OF Calior
MA Is that 10 previous census had been taken and
Do laws prescribinr the qualification OF Slhr.ge.
aul the Appori.onmcul Of Representatives N Coz
seuton existed ! answer CalornA was iolt a
ret a5tn-flo She must begin sometime without
census snd without such laws. Inc pilgrim
Fathers began IN the same way on board the May
Flower ard since Il Is objected that some oi to-
electors ia California may have been aliens, add
tlat al the Pilgrim Fathers were ahers an
STRANGERS 20 the Commonwealth Of Plymouth.
AGAIN, toe obectioa msy vel De received
tie Constitution oil Caiiugnlais setlsiac'ory-hrst
% herself ard secondly, to the United states As
regards the inst Of these not murmur OF discon-
tent has followed California TO this place AID s.
o. ourselves we ooahne cur Inquiries about the
Cosst.tut on with a view 70 oar things FIRST, the
boundaries assumed and I have considered ihsi
ponl Ia tbs case slready. Second, that Ire co
mein In this State . secured % as and Il = ad-
mitted thar this been done. properly done. I1Ec.
taat the Constitution shal be Republican All noi
aristocrsto OK monarchicAl Ia TINS case The only
objection is that the Constitution lnasmuch as Il
iuhib..s Slavery IS sitorether too Repuohcan
Fourth tha, the Representation claimed shan ov
'usr and equal. No one denies thai the poP1 Ailol
of California IS saAcient . demsnd t~o Repre-
septstves CT the Federal basis aad, seooadly,
new census is al hand. AID the error, L there *
ons Will be Immediately corrected
Tee fifth objection Il, that Carorras comes c1der
Executive infuences-6rst, u her Coming a.
Ffee STATE. ssd second n her coming Al al TIE
i-st charge rests o. suspicion Oniv-is psrempso--
h denied and the denial IS not oontrOverted y
rroofs IGsra.ss 4 altoceth sF Toe second IS rue