Daily Richmond times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1849-1850, 1850-03-11
THE DAILY TIMES.
WIN. C. CARRINGTON e. VIM. II. DAVIS.
EDITORS AND PRoPR1EToRs.
SPEECH OF MIR. WEBSTER.
In SENATE, THURSDAY MARCH 7, 1850.

mltted by the Senator from Kentucky were made
the special order of the day at IL o'clock. On
this subject the Senator from Wisconsin (Mr.
Walker) has the floor.
Mr.. WALKER. Mr.. President, this vast au-
dence has not assembled to hear me- and there
is but one man, in my opinion, who can assemble
such an audience. They expect to hear him, and
feel it to be my duty as well as my pleasure, to
give the floor therefore to the Senator from Mas
sachusetts. understand tits immaterial to him
upon which OF these questions he speaks, and
therefore, will not move to postpone the special
order.
Mr.. WEBSTER. l beg to express my obliga-
tons to my friend from Wisconsin, (Mr. Walker,)
as well as to my friend from New York; (Mr.
Seward,) forthe courtesy in allowing me to adj
dress the Senate this morning.
Mr.. President, | wish to speak to-day, not as
Massachusetts man, nor as a Northern man, but
as an Americana and member of the Senate of
the United States. 1t is fortunate that there is a
Senate of the United States--a body not yet NOV
ed from its propriety, not lost to just of its
own dignity, and its own high responsibilities, and
body to which the country looks with confidence
for wise, moderate, patriotic, and healing doctrine.
tits not to be denied that we live in the midst of
strong agitations, and in the midst of very consde-
rable dangers to our institutions of government.
The imprisoned winds are let loose. The East the
West, the North, and the stormy South, all COM
bine to throw the whole ocean into commotion, and
to toss its pillows to the Skies and to disclose its
profoundest depths. do not expect, Mr.. Presi-
dent, to hold, to be fit to hold, the helm in this
combat of the political elements; but l have a
duty to perform, and mean to perform it with fl
delity-not without a sense of the surrounding
dangers, but not without hope. l have part to
act, not for my own security or safety, for am
looking out for no fragment upon which to float
away from the wreck, if wreck there must be, but
for the good of the WHOLE and the preservation of
the whole; and there is that which will keep me
to my duty during this struggle, whether the sun
and the stars shall appear Or shall not appear for
many days. l speak to-day for the preservation
of the Union Hear me for my cause"
speak to-day, out of solictous and anxious heart
for the restoration to the country of that quiet
and that harmony which max e the blessings of
this Union so rich and so dear to us all. These
are the topics that propose to myself to discuss
these are the motives, and the sole motives, that
influence me in the wish to communicate my OPT
mons to the Senate and the country and if | can
do any thing, however little, for the promotion
of these ends, shall have accomplished all de-
sire.
Mr.. President, it may not be amiss to recur
very briefly to the events which, equally sudden
and extraordinary, have brought the political con-
,
1916, the United States declared war against
Mexico. Her armies, then on the frontiers, en-
tered the provinces of that Republic; met and de-
feated all her troops; penetrated her mountain
passes, and occupied her capital, The marine
force of the United States took possession of her
forts and her towns on the Atlantic and on the Pa
cifc. In less than two years a treaty was nego-
tiated by which Mexico ceded to the United
States vast territory, extending seven or eight
hundred miles along the shores of the Pacific !;
reaching back over the mountains, and across the
desert, until it joined the frontier of the State of
Texas. 1t so happened that, in the distracted and
feeble state of the Mexican Government, before
the declaration of war by the United States against
Mexico had become known in California, that the
people of California, under the lead of American
officers, perhaps, generally, overthrow the existing
Provincial Government of California--the Mexi-
can authorities-andr run up an independent flag.
When the news arrived at San Francisco that
war had been declared by the United States
against Mexico, the independent flag was pulled
down and the stars and stripes of this Union hoist
ed in its stead. So, sir, before the war was over,
the powers of the United States, military and ma
val, had possession of San Francisco and Upper
California, and great rush of emigrants from va.
rious parts of the world took place into California
in 1916 and l647. But now, behold another
wonder
In January of lS48, the Mormons, it is said, or
some of them, made discovery of an extraordi-
narily rich mine of gold-or rather of great
quantity of gold, hardly fit to be called mine for
it was spread SO near the surface-on the lower
part of the South or American branch of the Sa-
cramento. They seem to have attempted to con-
ceal their discovery for some time; but soon ano-
Their discovery, perhaps of greater Importance, was
made of gold in another part of the American
branch of tho Sacramento and SpttorS fort
as it is called The fame of these discoveries
spread far and wide. They excited more and
more the spirit of emigration towards California,
which had already taken place; and persons
crowded in hundreds, and fiocked towards the bay
of San Francisco. This, as | have said, took
place in the winter and spring of l84S The dig
ging commenced in the spring Of that year, and
from that time to this the work of searching for
gold has been prosecuted with a success not here
tofore known in the history of this globe We
all know, sir, how incredulous the American pub
lie was at the accounts which reached us at first
of these discoveries; but we all know that these
accounts received, and continue to receive daily
confirmation, and down to the present moment
suppose the assurances are as strong, after the
perence of these several months, of mines of
gold apparently inexhaustible in the regions near
San Francisco, in California as they were at any
period of the earlier dates of the accounts. 1t so
happened, sir, that although in the time of peace,
it became very important subject for legislative
consideration and Legislative decision to provide
proper Territorial Government for California, yet
differences of opinion in the councils of the Co.
yernment prevented the establishment Of any such
Territorial Government for California at the last
session of Congress- Under this state of things,
the Inhabitants of San Francisco and California
then amounting to great number of people-in
the summer OF last year, thought it to be their du-
ty to establish local Government. Under the
proclamation OF Gen Riley, the people chose de-
egates to Convention-that Convention met at
Monterey. They formed Constitution for the
State of California and it was adopted by the peo-
pie of California in their primary assemblages.-
DESTROYS of immediate connection with the United
States, its Senators were appointed and Repre-
sentatives chosen, who have come hither, bring
inr with them the authentic Constitution of The