The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-03-21
WHOLE NO. 1913.

enemies 10 lend their sympa,hies snd aid 20 com
pass the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of our empire7
lry not the temper and fidelity of CaIfornia-at
least not now, not yet. Cherish her and indulge her
unill you nave extended your settlements 10 her
borders, and bound her last by railroad 4 md canal
and teegrapas, TO your inerests-unl her nfinitjes
OF Intercourse established and habits Of lov.i,,,
are hxed-and then she can never be diseneaged
California would not go alone Oregon 40 init
matsiy allied 10 her. and vet so loosely attached 10
us, would 60 also; and then at least the entire Pa
chic coast with the western declyiiy Of the Sierra
Nevada, would be lost. IL would not depend al all
upon US, nor even on the mere fOrbearance of Cali
| iornia, how far eastward the long line across the
| temperate zone should be drawn which should sep
| arae the Republic OF the Pacific from the Republic
OF the Atlantic. Terminus has passed away with
all the deilies of the ancient Pantheon but his seen
! tire remains. Commerce is rhe god of boundaries
and no man now living can ioreteii his ultimate de-
| cree.
But it is insisted that the admission of California
| shall be attended by q COMPROMISE Of questions
! which haze arisen opt Of s5-AvSsx 49,
| / AM OPPOSED TO ANY SUCH COMPROMISE M ANY
| AND ALL THE FORMS IN WHICH 1T HAS BEEN PROPOSED
Because while admitting the purify and the patriotism
| of all from whom IL is my misor une 10 differ 1
think all legislative compromises radically wrong and
essentially Sicious They involve the surrender OF
the exercise Of Judgment and conscience on distinct
and separate questions, nj distinct and separate
times with the indispensable advantages il affords
for ascertaninR truth. They involve relinouish-
meni OF the right TO reconsider in future the decs-
n
ticipaied. And they are usurpaon as TO future
questions of the province of future legislators
Sir, IL seems 10 me, as il slavery had laid its par
alyzing hand upon myself and the blood couFs-
| ing less freely than fs wont through nv veins
when endeavor suppose that such compro-
mise has been effected and my uterance forever il
| arrested upon all the great questions, social moral
and political, arising out OF subject important
and as yet so incomprehensibe. What am 10 receive
in this compromise Freedom in California Ii is
well il is noble acquisition; il Is worth a sacri-
flee. but what am | 10 give an equivalent
recognition Of the claim 20 perDeuate slavery in
the District oa Columbia forbearsnce towards more
stringent laws concerning the arrest of persons sus-
* e ,e;.s.- -1sgas '2g7e, =. .ss Gee StatSa
bearance from the Proriso of freedom in the char
tiers of new Territories. None of the plans of com
promise offered demand less than two and most of
their insis, on all OF these conditions. The equiv
alent then is, some portion of liberty, some portion
oil human rights In region for liberty in another
| region. But California brings gold and commerce
! a. We'll as freedom nm, then 10 surrender some
portion of human freedom in the District of Column
bia and In Fast CalileTnia and New Mexico, for the
| mixed consideration az liberty, gold, and power, on
the Pacific coast
his view oi legislative compromises ia not aeas
II has widely prevailed and many of the State Con-
situations interdct The Introduction of more than
one subject into bill submitted for legislative ac
ton.
Ii was of such compromises that Burke said in
one of the oftiest bursts of his majestic par
inmentary eoquence
Far far from the Commons of Great Britain all man.
neT OF real vice bat ten thousand times farther from Them
as tar rs from pole 10 POLE be the whole be of spurious
affected counterfeit and hypocritca virtues These
the things which ten thousand times with
times more at with real duty, than any vice known W
It's name and distinguished by its proper character
Far FAR from us be that false and affected candor that
is eernally in treaty with crmethat half virtue, which
like the ambiguous animal that flies about twilight
OF compromise between day and night is a just mans
eye, odous and disgusting thing There is no middle
point my Lords in which the Commons Of Great Britnin
| can meet tyranny and oppression"
| But, sir IL | could overcome nv repugnance 10
| compromises In general. l should object to this one
on the ground of the inequality and ncongruiiy of
| the interests to be compromised. Why, sir, ac-
| cording TO the views l have submitted, California
| ought TO come in, and must come in, whether sla
very stands falls In the District of Columbia;
whether slavery stands falls in New Mexico and
Eastern California; and even whether slavery
stands or falls In the slave States. California ought
| TO come in, being free State and. under the cir
! curnstances of hor conquest her compact hrr aban-
Comment, her lust6able and necessary establishment
eta Constitution, and the inevitable dsmemberment
| OF the empire consequent upon her rejection, I
| should have voted for her admission even ii she
hnc come slave State California ought to
| come In, and must come i'm at oil events II is
| then, an independent, paramount question. What
| then, are these questions arising out of slavery
| thus interposed but collateral quesons1 They are
| unnecessary and incongruous and therefore false
issues, not introduced designedy, indeed to defeat
that great policy, yet unavoidably tending 10 that
| end
Mir. FOOTE. viii the honorable Senator allow
me 10 ask him, if the Senate Is 10 understand him
as saying taat he would vote for the admission of
California If she here seeking admission as n
| slave State.
| Mr. SEWARD reply as I said before that
| even il California had come n slave State, yet
coming under the extraordinary circumstances have
described and In view OF the cons, quCnces Of dis
memberment OF the empire, consequent upon her
rejection, should have voted for her admission
though n N
should not have voted for her admission otherwise.
] remark in the next place, that consent my
part would be dsingenuous and fraudulent, because
the compromise would be unavalling.
1t il now avowed by the honorable Senator from
South Carolina, Mr.. CALHOUN, that nothing will
satisfy the slave States but a compromise that will
convince them that they can remain in the Union
consistently with their honor and their safety
And what are the concessions which will have that
ehcct2 Here they are, in the words of that Senator
The North justice by concetiIng TO the South
an eqIa right IN the acquired territory aud do her duty
ry so aa,a !" ays slaves TO be
ton. aud provide Tor the insertion OF provision In TIE
Constitutions by an amendment which viii restore the
south IN substance the she possessed protecting
herself before the equilibrium between The sections was
destroyed by the action Of this Government"
These terms amount To this TINT the free States
having already, or although they may hereafter have,
maJoniies OF States, maIoritles of population, and
mnJontes In both HOUSES Of Congress, shall CON
cede To the slave STATES being In minority In both,
the unequal advantage Of an equality. That is that
we shall alter the Constitution 10 convert the
Government from national democracy operating
by constitutional minority OF voices, into federal
alliance, In which the minority shall have veto
against the majority. And this IL TO return to tho
original articles OF confederation.
viii not stop 10 protest against the Injustice or
the inesPediancy Of an innovation which, II IL was
practicable, would be entirely subversve Of the
principle OF democratic institutions. Ii Is enough
10 sny that II Is totally mpracticable The free
al uudW a.,
long and nearly unbroken asecndancy OF the slave
States under The Constitution, because the result hap
pencd under the Constitution. But they have honor
and interests 10 preserve and there il nothing In the
nature Of mankind or In the character Of that peo-
pie 10 induce an expectation that they loyal they
are, nre insensible 10 the duty Of defending them.
But me scheme would still be impacticab!e, If
this difficulty were overcome. What Is proposed Is
political equilibrium. Every political equilibrium
requires physical equilibrium to rest upon, and IL
yalncess without 1t. To constitute physical equi-
hbrum between the slave SHes and the free States
requires first, equality of territory or some near
approximation. And this Is already lost But II re-
qnlres much more than this Ii requires an equality
or a proximne equality in the number Of slaves and
ireemen. And this must be perpetual.
hut the census Of 1910 gives slave basis of only
$4,000 and q free basis Of i45O0,OO0 And the
population the slave basis increases In the ratio
of % per cent for ten years while that the free
basis advances at the rate Of 81 per cent. The
celebrating movement OF the free population now
complained Of viii occupy the new Territories with
pioneers and every day increases the difficulty OF
forcing or insinuating slavery into regions which
ireemen have pre-occupied. And II this were posi-
Die, the African slave trade il prohibited, and the do
nestle increase Is not sufficient to supply the nav
slave States which are expected 10 maintain the
equilibrium, The theory Of q new political equi-
hbriuin claims that II once existed and has been
lost When lost, and how II BEGIN TO be lost In
iisI, when preliminary arrangements were made TO
admit i've new free States In the Northwest Terri
tory two years before the Constitution was finally
adopted that H. II began to be lost two years be-
fore II began to exist
Sir thsequilibrium frestored would Re lost again