The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-04-18
THE COMPROMISE COMMITTEE.

u
ready for admission as State. The People of
the country demand her admission; large ma
jority of both Houses of Congress is in favor Of
| it, Not single decent reason has been shown
! why she should not be admitted. And yet the
| Slavery men, aided by Messrs. Webster, Cass,
! Dickinson, Bright, and Whitcomb, from the free
States, are plying every art to compel reference
! of the question of her admission to a Compromise
! Committee, for the undisguised purpose of con
Meeting it in one bill with the organization Of
! Territorial Governments for Utah and New
Mexico, mihOm The ProriSo. They know that,
should they take up separately the bill for the
admission of California, they can move to amend
| by incorporating provisions for Territorial Gov
! ernments without the ProvisO and then the sense
of the Senate could be fairly obtained upon such
a course. If the motion failed the proof would be
complete that a majority Of that body was against
the association of the two questions. IL 1t sue
ceeded, the great object aimed at would have been
fairly accomplished Every honest, sensible, fair
minded person must see that this is the manly,
legitimate way of obtaining the sense of the SEN
ate.
Again: these prO-slavery men know that,
should they fail to connect the two questions 1t
would influence the fate Of neitkes SO >..S &saate.
The bill for the admission of California is sus-
tanned by strong majority; and it is ascertained
beyond doubt, that bills for the establishment
of Territorial Governments, rahOm the PrOuisO,
will also command, as separate measures, ma
jority of the votes Of the Senate. The entire
vote of the Southern delegation, excepting the
two Delaware Senators) and the votes of Messrs.
Webster, Cass Dickinson, and two or three more
Democrats from the free States, will be given for
them Why then, should not the majority in
the Senate pursue its objects by the ordinary
methods of legislation? Why not meet the mi
nority in open Senate upon equal terms, and,
after free discussion Of each particular measure,
decide it by votes honestly and intelligently
given2 All! there is an Interior objectt to be &C.
complished The majority in the Senate seeks, By
an Unfair mode Of legisi0,ng 10 u1uence the decision
of tie House. "Send u.s." says a distinguished
tactician Of the House Separate bills for the adj
mission of the State of California and the organ
ization of Territorial Governments, and we shall
pass, the latter will probably fail But, unite
them in the Senate in one bill send us that and
we shall be able to force it through-and thereby
dltea The policy Of NOn-GctiOH rec9mmendedJy Gone
raj TaylOrm
Mr. Clay and Mr. Webster, the great Wing
leaders, lend themselves to this plot and the for
mer even assumes the lead in it-actuated as much,
perhaps, by concealed hostility to the Admins
tration as by any other motive. They must know
that in pursuing such course, they 60 against
precedent against reason, and put at serious
hazard the bill for the admission Of California,
while, should they succeed in their plan, the ques
ton of slavery-extension would continue to ag-
tate the country. But one thing would console
them--ths rRctioa itat Hey had BEEN able 10 bdDie
The policy of The administration on Tie great question
oCthe dayi
There is nothing strained in this suggestion.
Did not Mr. Webster declare that the nomination
of General Taylor was one not fit to be made p,
Did he ever say word in hearty support of
the nomination. Could Mr.. Clay, after publish
ing manifesto of reasons why be should again
be the candidate Of the Wing party, forgive the
politicians who differed from him in opinion, and
preferred to the great Embodiment, an old soldier
unfamiliar with civic life? Has he ever forgiven
that old man. for occupying a chair to which he
believed himself to have the best tite2 From the
day General Taylor was indicted into office, has
either of these distinguished civilians shown a
cordial disposition to sustain his Administration
Has either dropped word in the Senate that in
dicated confidence in, or respect for, his Admins
tration7 Has either defended it against the as
saults Of its powerful adversaries? On the con-
trary, on the great Question of the day, on which
alone the Administration has declared its policy,
have not both these statesmen arrayed them
selves in opposition to it, fighting shoulder to
shoulder with the Washington Union and Gene
raj Cass, for the Non-Intervention of the latter
against the non-action plan of the President!
And yet these men, associated with Southern
Democrats, receiving daily the homage and praise
Of the Washington Union, for their patriotic OPP
position to the policy of the President, claim to
be his friends, and would resent as an insult the
charge that they are dividing and dstraoting the
Wing party, Of which he is the acknowledged
head If the public fail to appreciate such con-
duct, it must he exceedingly obtuse.
How different the course Of Mr.. Benton i He
scorns all indrection-all petty articles of legs-
lation. He has no disappointed ambition to re-
venge lie is intent upon the admission Of Cali
fornia, as State, in accordance with the prece-
dents of sixty years That question settled upon
its merits, he is in favor of taking up bills for
the Territorial Government Of Utah and New
Mexico, acting upon them separately on their
merits, and passing them, we arc sorry to say,
without the Proviso He will have nothing to do
with logrolling the distinct sense of the Senate,
on each proposition, he would obtain, honestly,
fairly, by the usual parliamentary means. II, in
pursuing this course he be voted down, he will
submit, without resorting to extraordinary par
lamentary expedients to battle the will Of ma
jority But when this majority seeks to obtain
an unfair advantage-when II would organize a
committee, with view to fusing different meas
ures into one bill, at the hazard of defeating the
most important of them all, for the sake of COM
polling men to vote for some things they consci.
entiously disapprove Of to save from defeat others
they wish to secure, he feels himself justified in
battling such a dishonest procedure by all the
means which Parliamentary rules have put in his
power. lie has taken his stand-he has an
nounced his purpose-and he is not the man to
give back The majority in the Senate must
make up its mind to deal fairly, or 1t will stand
chargeable before the country with the great de-
lay in the public business which must otherwise
ensue. Mr. Clay, when he announced his remark
able change Of policy in relation to California,
stated his main reason to be- desire to avoid de-