The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-06-19

majority of the people Of the North are willing to
ride rough-shod over the South. You do not in
tend that they shall have even sugar-plum.
You are not willing 70 give us a vote even on an
practical bearing. You are afraid even TO let us
have a vote upon such proposition. You have
raised the feeling Of the North to such pitch that
| you cover before il.
| Mr.. ROOT made a remark which was not
4 heard by the reporter.
| Mr.. WILLIAMS. ! make these remarks, sir,
in order that the country may understand that
while the friends of California from the South,
| are for manly and straightforward course, the
friends of California, in the North, are for dis
guising their object, and defeating the compromise
Of the Senate by holding forth to the world that
they are in favor of proceeding with the ordinary
measures of legislation. Why, gentlemen, you
have plenty Of work to do, if you will do it; but
you refuse to take up the private calendar: then
why not go on with the Appropriation bills'
4 He withdrew the amendment.
| Mr.. CASEY renewed it. confess (said Mr..
/ CO. that'I donot exactly understand what would
| be the effect of the amendment that has been Of
fered by the gentleman from Alabama. And
ask leave to inquire of the gentleman, whether his
proposition is intended to apply to all the terrific
res acquired by thetreaty Of Guadalupe Hida1go, or
whether it intended to apply merely to the terri
tories embraced in the amendment offered by the
gentleman from Missouri
| Mr.. INGE. The proposition is confined ex-
pressly to the territories embraced i'm the amend
ment of the gentleman from Missouri 1t has nc
reference to any other.
Mr.. CASEY. am in favor of the principle
| but If that is the intention and view with which
the amendments offered, lam opposed it,
| Mr.. lNGE. / will say that the principle il
true in its application to all the territories.
Mr.. CASEY. fit is made to apply to all,
will vote for the proposition; and take Occasion
| to say, in my place, that If California had come
l.
tuition, should have voted for her admission, il
there were no other objection. said so the other
day, in answer to the gentleman from Kentucky
| said that if New Mexico comes here recognising
slavery in her Constitution, | will vote for hen
admission. am not to be deferred from the as
sertion of principle, by appeal to my constit-
uents, anywhere. ! have avowed myself here,
and at home, and everywhere, against ultraism
| | do not go with gentlemen of the South in their
uItraism, nor do ! go with gentlemen of the North
in their ultraism. No. sir:
"The hand of Douglass is his own
And never shall in friendship clasp
The hand Of such as Marmion grasp"
Mr.. STEVENS, ofPennsylvana. renewed the
amendment. lie was somewhat puzzled, he said
to know how to vote upon this question. Al
first he had not much doubt about il, but since two
of his distinguished colleagues had gone, and
| since he found that the gentleman from Delaware
was going with the South, he was quite frightened
orhe did not know what would be the consequence
| if disunion should take place and they should be
against us. He hoped the gentlemen would retract,
and let act fairly and leave at least doubtful ques
ton where the gentleman from Delaware was for
leaving them, with the people themselves. But,
seriously, he could not support this amendment,
and he did not want to hold out the idea to the
South, for he desired to deal frankly even If often
sively with them. He was not willing to hold
out the idea to the South that he believed that any
considerable portion ofthe North were in favor of
the principle Of this amendment, for he did not
believeit was tho caae And he believed they
would find, however much they might be inclined
to lay the fattering junction. to their souls now,
| what had been demonstrated to-day by the gem
tleman from Nav Jersey and others to be true,
that when the occasion comes, although as the
| gentleman had well said, they would not be here
themselves, they would find successors who held
no such principles. He believed it was the set
tied purpose Of vast majority of the North that
no new slave States should be admitted into the
Union out of the territory that was now free.
Let gentlemen make this the test Of th6ir policy;
let il 60 to the country that this was test ules-
tion--though he did not believe it was-and he
would ask no batter test, he would ask no better
platform to stand upon, But there was another
kind of principle which he thought ought TO gov
ern them, and it was this: when the Constitution
was formed, the slave States then in the Union
were allowed TO have their slave property repre-
men. II was said then to bs evidently unjust,
unless other kinds of property were permitted
also to be represented; but there was nothing in
the Constitution which required that this privilege
should be extended to new States; yet it appeared
that some Of the Representatives OF the free
States were ready and willing now to admit new
slave States, and to extend to then, this principle,
although the Constitution did not require it.
They Were willing that in all the new States one
man and FIVE slaves should have many votes as
four of their free constituents. He understood
his respected colleague from Luzsrne and his re-
spected colleague from Union county, as being
willing to give to five slaves and their master, in
the new States, as many votes az four of their
white constituents were entitled to. Let this fact
go to their constituents.
Mr.. WILLIAMS made remark which did
not reach the ear of the reporter,
b MIR. STEVENS said lie did not intend to mis-
represent his colleague. He repeated that such
would be the effect of admitting new States in
which the institution of slavery prevailed Every
new State where slavery existed would be entitled
to representation in the Federal Congress, based
upon slave representation in the proportion of five
slaves for three frecmen and the people of the
old Connecticut Reserve, and the honest yeomanry
of the Union, were to be balanced against slave
in that way. lie, for one, could
never agree to any such doctrine. The Consttu-
ton did not requ.e it; and by the Constitution he
would abide, s,t,
He withdrew the amendment.
4 MIR. ROBINSON renewed the amendment. He
said that Congress had now been in session-m
than SIX months, the ordinary length of q long
session, yet it had absolutely done nothing i'm the
way Of the transaction of the important public
business which ought to receive it's attention.
Both Houses have with slight exception, been
exclusively engaged in debating questions connect
ed with the admission Of California, the terrific
res, and slavery.
In this House, we have had the Presidents Cal
iforna message before us for over four months,
and over month ago we voted to stop the debate
on Tuesday last, so as to cease talking and COM
mence acting. In all this time, have forborne to
say one word upon any of these subjects, as
preferred to show my faith by my acts rather than
by professions. have been ready and anxious
to vote, but not to speak, and no one who has
either heard or read the speeches that have been
made can fail to conclude, that however able, and
eloquent, and patriotic many of them have been,
taken as whole, they have done infinitely more
harm than good, by tending, as they have, to ex-
cite and inaame the public mind, but for which
the country would be tranquil and happy. Be