Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1850-08-08
Political.
SPEECH OF MR.. UPHAM,
ON THE COMPROMISES BILL.
In SENATE, July l AND 2, 1850.
(COncluded.)

says may be regarded as tine great and pri-
mary cause OF discomfort on the part of the
South. That is, the fact that the equiiibri-
UNI between the two two sections in the gov
eminent, as il stood when the Constitution
was ratified and the Government put in ac-
ton, has been destroyed, not by the oper-
alton OF time, but by the Legislation Of Com
gress. TINS, sir, Is the great reason why,
in the opinion OF the Senator, the South can
no LONGER remain in the Union with safety
and honor. With all respect for the opin-
ion of others, | must be allowed to say III II
no equilibrium ever existed between the
two sections of the Government; that is,
between the free and the slave States The
statistical statement presented by the hon
orable Senator himself shows that the free
States have had majority ofthe population,
and majority in both branches of Con-
gress, from 1889 up to the time the Sena-
tors from Texas took their seats ia this
chamber, in February 1916. Now, Mr.
President, strange as it may seem, the slave
States, all the while the minority in Con-
gress aud in the electoral colleges, have
controlled the legislation of the Govern
ment and directed the destiny of the coun-
try from 1880 up to the present time. They
have had the President End a majority Of
the Cabinet forty-eight years out of sixty,
and the Speaker of the House of Represen-
tatives two-thirds of the time since the Gov
eminent went into operation. They have
always had majority of the judges of the
Supreme Court and Of foreign Ministers;
and much larger share of :he officers of
the army and navy than their population
entitled them to; and they have also had,
and still have, more than their share of the
heads of bureaus and clerks in this city:
but this is not alt, sir. They have been from
time to time increasing their power in the
halls of Congress. they have created four
new slave States out of territory within the
jurisdiction of the Old Thirteen, to wit !:
Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, aud Ten
nessee, now represented on this floor by
eight Senators, and on the floor of the 9TH
or House by thirty-two representatives.
But, sir, with this increase of strength the
slave States were not contented. They
looked beyond the jurisdiction of the Unl-
ted States for foreign territory to increase
their power. Louisiana was acquired from
France in 1903, and out Of it three slave
States have been created, now represented
on this floor by six Senators, and on the
floor of the other House bv ten representa-
lives. Next came Florida from Spain, in
1919; and out of that Territory another
slave State has been created. adding two
Senators to this body, and one Represents
tive to the other branch Of Congress. Well,
sir, have we no free States created out of
territory acquired since the peace of 1888 2
Yes, sir, we have one, and only one-lowa.
with two Senators here, and two Represen-
tatives in the other end Of the Capitol
-Four slave States, with eight Senators aud
eleven Representatives,, To one free State,
with two Senators and two Representatives.!
This surely looks as though the slave States
could take care of themselves
But, Mr. President, there is yet another
acquisition of foreign territory made by the
South, which deserves special notice. l
= mean the acquisition Of Texas. out of which
one slave State has been created and pro-
vision made for four more States of the
same character. But few persons in the
country know, to tins day, how that Won
derful work of Texas annexation was fully
accomplished by slave power. will tell
you sir how it was done. But before speak
ing of the moaus operandi, desire to say
word in regard to the territory belonging
TO the United States out Of which it was ex-
pected new States would be created. When
the scheme for the annexation of Texas was
started, we had thirteen free and thirteen
slave States. Florida was the only Terri
tory belonging to the Union out OF which
another slave State could be created and
this the South had sagacity enough to dis
cover. On the other hand, there was Wis
consin, and all the country we acquired by
our Louisiana purchase north Of SO 80, for
free States. So it was apparent that the
slave States must be limited to fourteen,
while the free States would continue to in-
crease, and in few years, in all human
probability, reach the number of twenty,
and perhaps twenty-five. In this posture
Of affairs, Texas was regarded by the South
as desirable acquisition, and Southern
politicians set themselves to work 10 obtain
ii. Now, sir, for the modus operandi. A
treaty was negotiated, ceding The country
to the United States, for the avowed object
of extending aud perpetuating slavery. The
Northern Democratic press denounced the
measure with great violence, and called on
2 Democratic Senators from the free states 10
oppose it, We'll, sir. the treaty was trans
miited to the Senate for ratification BY Presi-
dent Tyler in 1874, and Northern Demo-
cratic Senators voted against it, aud it was
rejected. Yes. sir, then the Northern De-
mocracy in this chamber could not endure
the idea of adding to the Union four or Eve
more slave States by the acquisition Of Texas /;
then the voice of the people, their a,nsstes, vas
sounding in their ears, and they dared n 4 diso-
hey It The rejection Of the treaty, however,
was but a temporary defeat OF the measure.
Southern politicisrn soon devised smother mode
Of annexssion, that proved more successful =
They carried the measure INTO the Baltimore
Conversion. assembled in May, 1874, % nouli-
nate candidates for President and Vice Pest
dent, and there made il a parfy question A.
mung the n solutions passed BY tie convention
was one in favor Of tise remuneration of leg =,
and it vent out to the country Is psst Of the
Den,vcfs,sc creed. Mr. Van Buren, he ascue
promisent candidate before the conversion for
ths rosssnsaise,l YES rejected bseasse h bad