Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1850-11-30
Mn. cLAY's SPEECH AT FRANKFORT.
KENTUCKY LEGIsLATURE HALL OF REPRESENTA-
@ TIvEs NOVEMBER Is, 1850.

Il
KENTUCKY LEGIsLATURE.-HALLo OF REPRESENTA-
M TIvEs, NOVEMBER Is, 1850.
Mr.. PArEE. from the committee appointed to wait on the
Hon. HEHRr CLAY, and invite him visit the Legislature
this day, at IL o'clock reported that the committee had
performed that duty and that Mr. Car responded that
would afford him great pleasure and that the designated
hour he would visit the Legislature in the Hall of Repre-
ssntatves
At IL o'clock, the SENATE preceded by the officers Of that
body, entered the Hail. and the committee of invitation
companied By the Hon. HESR1 CLAY, appeared
On Mr. CLArs being introduced by the chairman Of the
committee .
Mr.. Speaker JOHNSTON addressed him as follows
"Mr Car Allow me, the organ of the represents
ves Of the people, TO welcome you this hahe theatre
Of early and successful abors for the prosperity
Pness Of the to introduce to the sons and
descendants OF many Of your coabos in this field Of your
usefulness TO those labors Kentucky indebted for her
prosperity and her greatness.
Always faithful to the reposed in you by the peo
pie Of this great commonwealth when dangers threatened
they found you the fearless defender of the Constitution and
the rights of the people, Permit me- sir tender you the
high appreciation of the members Of this body Of your
cssnl Efforts rs their representative in the National Councils,
for the success Of those which, hope will give
peace and quiet to the country and bind in ndssouble
bond glorious Confedeacy To you, sir, to the Ken
lucky delegation in Congress- the distinguished Senators
WEBrEs, DIcKIHsoS CAss FoorE and others Kentucky,
yea, SIT, Americas owes debt OF gratlfude.'
Mr.. CLAY replied as follows:
Mr.. Speaker and Gentlemen of the General Assembly
In presenting myself before you. in conformity with the
luton of the House Of Representatives and the invitation
ceved by from the committee have first TO perform the
agreeable duty Of rendering expression Of my profound
acknowledgements and my grateful thanks for the distinguished
honor awarded by you the Kentucky delegation the pa
trioc and eminent Senators of the United States other
members of Congress, and to myself who operated al the
late session Of Congress in the adoption of having
for their object the harmony, tranquility and preservation Of
the Union Of our country And to you, Mr. Speaker,
especially expression Of my obligation for the eloquent
and complimentary terms in which, the organ Of the
House, you have been pleased to aude to public services
on this and other theatres In the absence of those whom
you have highly honored in association with me- feel
quite that 10 assuming present for them their respect
full thanks which they could much better do they
present here, shall have the cordial appreciation Of their
hearts Heretofore have frequently received gratifying
timones Of the confidence and attachment
but they principally confined to the party Of which
member. What gives extraordinary and expresble
lue this occasion is that has been dictated by party
feelings but is he voluntary offering Of my fellow. citizens
Of both political parties who unanimously passed the resou
| ton which has bought us together.
The last session Of Congress opened under the low
eng and unfavGable auspices. The public mind had been
greatly agaed distracted and divided upon subjects
ed with the inaution Of slavery. had witnessed other
periods of great contest and agitation In the OF the ad
mission Of Missouri the whole nation was greatly convused
and there cause Of serious apprehension for the safety
of the Union the instance also Of the opposition Of South
Carolina to the Tariff in 1882, 1885, there great danger
of civil With that State which might in certain events
have spread Surrounding States But what peculiarly ds
gushed the a.etrugse that far than any former
OCCASION the sentiment ayowed merely existence
Of danger The Union, but heard in various quarters
an open and un1sgued declaration Of necessity and desire
for ito dissolution. We behsd too, what we had never be-
fore in time Of peace the assembage Of sectional
convention Of egaes the tendency Of which to break
up the Confedeacy.
/ T b.I
dark and gathering The perhaps pesumpuous hope
that might under the blessing of Providence be humble
instrument in assisting to asy it. constituted principal
tive with for returning to public e Long before the
meeting Of Congress- and during the earlier part of the
sion, it engaged almost exclusively all my most anxious
thoughts The result of my reflections that series of
solutions which presented the Senate Of the United States
in February last My desire embrace all the subjects
Of agitation arising of the institution of slavery, and to
leave mons open for future agitation, and, if possible, to set
tie them in just and honorable MANNER to both the
tending parties How these resolutions received,
posed and discussed their first presentation, it not
cessay to state. Subsequently committee of thirteen was
appointed by the Senate charged with the duty Of consider
ing all the subjects The committee reported and their
ous measures varied but nconsideby from the resolutions
which had previously offered.
Those different were the admission of California
las State into the Unions the establishment Of Territorial
Governments for New Mexico and Utah, without the Viii
proviso proposals to Texas for fixing her boundary
ecacous provisions for the recovery Of fugitive slaves
and the abolition of the saveade in the District of Column
bia. When the message of the President recommending
the admission Of California into the Union first present.
ed entertaining myself particle of doubt as to the pro-
pety its admission and not being aware OF the great and
extensive opposition existing amongst the Southern members
of Congress against it. In favor Of its immediate adms-
sion ~ a separate and distinct But when be-
acquainted with that opposition, and considering that
Il was mere question of form, thought it best TO unite it
| with other kindred measures in one common bill
The admission Of California opposed first, upon the
ground Of its having constituted itself State without the pre-
vous express authority Of Congress and secondly because
the Territorial limits which had assumed for itself
deemed 70 be large and extensive. We replied to the
first ground that California not the first State which had
been received into the Union without the prior sanction Of
Congress- but that other States had been receved
that although was most regular that Congress should give
its previous ascent that that was matter not depending
upon the constitution but within the sound discretion Of
Congress- that in the Of the other States, there was
ground for the which they took because they were
living under the blessings Of law and order and Territorial
Governments established for them by Congress and that in
the case Of California owing to divisions in Congress upon
the subject of the Wimot povso that body had been not
only unable to give to the formation Of State in
California but had totally failed TO perform the high and i'm
peative duty Of establishing Territorial Government for
ECaifornia It bad left California without law, without
DER without Government in state almost Of perfect anar-
chy In such abandoned condition the people Of Cali
forna had right, any rational community upon earth
would have had right, to institute government for them
selves and establish law and order As to the extent Of
the territorial limits Of California all felt that they
quite large and they could have been reformed without
iscng the State and remandng back into Territorial
don perhaps modification wsud have been made in
the limits But large they are is not believed that they
embrace any thing like much arabic land contained