The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-06-06
THE NATIONAL ERA.
WASHINGTON, JUNE G, 1850.
DELAY OF PURLIC BUSINESS.

might have been taken up long ago, and disposed
Of, bat the bills reducing postage rates reported
! in both Houses have never been acted upon,
Numerous petitions for the abolition Of the prac-
tice of logging in the Navy have been sent in,
aud the public demand reform in the Navy, but
the subject has not received moments attention.
Not one of the usual appropriation bills has
been considered, and the civil and diplomatic APP
preparation bill is not yet reported. AS for pri-
vate claims, they have been almost entirely
neglected The Deficiency bill and the Census
bill were carried through after due deliberaton,
and had Congress been so disposed, other meas
ures of equal importance, involving no sectional
: .---- .-.-- III h-->> L4ess y,oosAJ
" e0OuVV TnvNlSI1 I. >,>s~ss~s~ - $500 -,
characterized by less energy, decision, and eff
cheney In the Senate have been copyrighted
the most distinguished leaders of the two old
Parties-Clay, Calhoun, Cass, Seward, Webster,
Corwin, Houston, Foote, and Berrien--men to
whom the country has been accustomed to look
for guidance-and yet what has it accomplished
1t has talked talked, talked-it has perplexed
very simple questions, made straight things
is favored with the presence of many old, and ex-
perenced members, good tacticians, distinguished
formerly for their aptitude in business but
what a lump of inertness and inanity Is that
body
Decided maiorities in favor of the admission Of
California as State exist in both branches, and
vet they shrink from any decided measure for eff
| IL: In he ha moi ity
of members stand pledged TO their constituents to
sustain the Wilmot Proviso, but they have not
I dared to redeem their pledges. In the Senate
,g-:;e5i5y a5,,HS,t<rg is knowa TO be hostile
to the Proviso but not a vote has yet been OBJ
tanned against it. The curse of impotence seems
to have fallen upon our National legislature.
Why this shameful delay of public business
Why this everlasting dropping of words, without
corresponding deeds2 The supporters of slavery
are at the bottom of the mischief they constitute
the minority in each House, but by their unity,
their cunning and their daring, they have sue
ceeded in distractng and intimidating the major
| ity. Unable of themselves to carry through any
measures, they continue to cripple the majority,
and have resolved if possible to suffer nothing of
Importance to be done, until they have secured
new fields for Slavery, new concessions to the
Slave Power. Hence their desperate efforts to
obtain the control of the organization Of both
Houses ut the commencement of the session, eff
forts disgracerully yielded to by the majority
Controlling every important Committee, they
have been able for the most part to determine the
kind the course and the time of business and so
far. nearly everything has been shaped with view
to coerce settlement of the Slavery Question to
suit their demands.
Is not this cowardly subservicnce of tho
representatives of freemen, to powerful Class
Interest in utter derogaton of popular interests,
disgraceful to Congress? What is the majority
in either House about? Has it no rights no
responsibilities, no sef-respect no regard for the
People whom it was sent to represent? Has it
come to the conclusion to give up the work Of
| i"-i-i~.'~-- "a u reckless minority, intent on ad
yancing an Interest odlous 10 tne masses, op-
posed to their welfsre2
The whole Territorial Question might have
been settled long since, had the members of Con.
gress from the free States possessed the requisite
nerve. The way was easy. They should have
resisted the first attempt to overreach them by
compromise, and proclaimed their unalterablt
purpose to take up one measure at a time, giving
precedence to the question of admitting Califor
MIA 1t was faulty or something worse to per
nit the shareholders to unite measures which had
no necessary or natural connection, especially
when the precise object aimed at was, to give
them the advantage, and extort from the friends
of Freedom concessions volatve of their prin.
ciples Mr.. Clay who took the lead Of the slave.
holders in this miserable species of legislation
urged the delay that would follow any other
mode of procedure. Well-how wonderfully he
has promoted despatch lie has got his com.
promise, so called, before the Senate, and what
advance has been made towards settlement
Three months ago, the friends of California
wanted to take up the California bill and dispose
of it, They could easily have done so, in the
usual way, and ere this the House would have
acted upon it. But, Move must have a Com.
mittee to compound a compromise. The Commit
tee sat two or three weeks and made their re-
port Their report has been discussed four weeks,
and with what result Up to this hour, its own
friends are not agreed as to its merits or de-
merits; as to the meaning Of some Of its provis-
ions, or the amendments it should receive. We
are all in the dark-it is difficult to say who are its
friends who its enemies. The longer it is dis
cussed, the more division of sentiment appears 10
exist So far, but single section has been de-
bated-the bill rs whole has not yet been con.
sdered-after the friends of the measure shall
have agreed in defining and maturing it, then
will come up the debate on its merits to occupy
an indefinite length of time. And this is the
grand measure by which delay was to be pre-
vented, and the admission of California made
sure
MIR. Webster, in his letter to the conscientious
diviues and money-changers who have been re.
called to sense of the duty Of catching runaway
slaves by his famous speech, constantly tells
them that it is impossible to dispose Of any
public measures Of general interest in Congress,
until this Questidhr-of Slavery be settled and
on the agitation of this question he lays the blame
Of all delay or absence Of general legislation
Why does he not 90 further, and state that slave.
holders and their friends at the North are the
real culprits. There has not been day from the
opening Of the session, when the friends of Free.
dom, the real Wilmot Proviso men, were not
willing to meet their opponents, and come to di.
rect vote on every question at issue between
Al.