The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-03-14

opposition TO it. and recorded my vote in the neg
alive; and there that vote stands with the obser
yations that made upon that occasion. IL hap
pened that between 1887 and this time, on vari
Gus occasions and opportunities, had expressed
my entire opposition to the admission of slave
States, or the acquisition Of new slave territories
to be added to the United States. ! know, sir, ne
change in my own sentiments or my own purpose:
in that respect | will now again ask my friend
from Rhode Island to read another extract from {
speech of mine, made at Wing Convention IL
Springfield, Massachusetts,, in the month of Sep
TENDER, 1917.
Mr. GREENE here read the following extract
ave hear much Just Of pdnacea for the danger
and evils Of slavery and slave which they cal
the Jylzaof PrOriO That certainly jus, sentiment
but il is not sentiment to found any new party npon u
is not sentiment which Massachusetts Wbig' differ
There not in this ball who holds TO IL more brml,
than d., who a. heres TO il than ano'her
feel little interest in this matter sir Did not
commit myself in 1893 70 the whole doctrine fully entirely
Aud be permitted to say that cannot quite consent
that recent dscOyerers should claim the merit and take
out patent.
deny the priority of their invention Allow to say
sir il Is rot their thunder"
We are the first aud last and occasion which
offers to oppose the extension Of slave power
But speak Of here, in Congress as political qnes
tOn question for statesmen 20 act upon We must 50 re
gard H. certainly do say that IL Is less impor
tsnt in moral point Of view that IL Is not more Important
in many other points of Wow but as legislator or in any
official capacity must look IL, consider IT, anu ueclde
a matter Of political action"
Mr.. WEBSTER On other occasions, in de-
bates here, | have expressed my determine
ton to vote for no acquisition, or cesson, or an
nexation North or South, East or West My
opinion has been that we have territory enough
and that we should follow the Spartan maxim,
"improve adorn what you have seek no further
Think that il was in some observations that made
here on the three million loan bill that avowed
that sentiment In short, sir, the sentiment mas
been avowed quite as often, in as many places,
and before az many assemblies as any Of the hum
BILE sentiments of mine ought TO be avowed
Bot now, that. under certain conditions, Texas
is in with all her territories as slave State, with
a solemn pledge that, if she is divided into many
States, those States may come In as slave States
south of 800 3U, how are We TO deal with 1t
know no way of honorable legislation but, when
the proper time comes for the enactment, TO cirry
into effect all that we have stipulated TO do. do
not entirely agree with my honorable friend from
Tennessee, Mr.. BELL that, as soon as the time
comes when she is entitled to another Represent
alive we should create new State. The rule IN
regard 10 it take to be this that, when we have
created new States out of Territories, we have
gone upon the idea that, when there is
population enough to form a State, sixty thousand
or some such thing, we would create State but
IL may be thought quite different thing when
State is divided, and two or more States made out
of it, 1t does not follow, in such case, that the
same rule of apportionment should be applied.
That, however, is a matter for the consideration
of Congress when the proper time arrives. may
not be here. may have no vote to give on the
occasion but wish it to be distinctly understood
to-day, that, according to my view of the matter,
this Government is solemnly pledged by law to
create new States out of Texas, with her consent,
when her population shall justify such proceed
ing and 80 far as such States are formed out of
Texan territory lying south Of $50 80, to let
them come in as slave States. That is the mean
ing of the resolution which our friends, the
Northern Democracy, have left US to fulfil and ],
for one, mean to fulfil it, because viii not violate
the faith of the Government.
Now, as to California and New Mexico, hold
slavery to be excluded from those Territories by
a law even superior to that which admits and
sanctions it in Texas. | mean the law of nature
of physical geogrspby-the law of the formation
of the earth That law settles forever, with q
strength beyond all terms of human enactment
that slavery cannot exist in California or New
Mexico Understand me, sir mean slavery at
we regard i, slaves in the gross of the colored
race, transferable by sale and delivery like other
property shall not discuss that point. leave
it to the learned gentlemen who have undertaken
to discuss it but suppose there is no slave Of
that description in California now. understand
that pe0nism, sort of penal servltude, exists
there or rather sort of voluntary sale of mar
and his offspring for debt as it is arranged and
exists in some parts of California and New Mex
leo. But what mean to say is, that African sls
very, as we sec it among us, is as utterly imposs
bic TO find itself, to be found in Mexico, as my
other natural impossibiliy. California and New
Al. Al -. g. n.,I .,.A
ry. They are composed Of vast ridges OF noun
tains Of enormous height, with sometimes broke,
ridges of deep valleys The sides Of these noun
tains are barren, entirely barren, their tops cap
ped by perennial snow. There may be in Cali
fornia, now male free by its Constitution and n
doubt there are, some tracts of valuable lane
But it is not SO in New Mexico. Pray, what
the evidence which any gentleman has obtaine
on this subject from information sought by him
self or communicated by others have inquire
and read all could, in order to obtain informaio
on this subject What is there in New Mexic
that could by any possibility induce anybody to <
| there with slaves There are some narrow stri r
of tillable land on the borders of the rivers bu
the rivers themselves dry up before midsumme
| is gone All that the people can do is to rails
some little articles, some little wheat for thei
tortillas, and all that by irrigation. And VIII
expects to see hundred black men cultivatin
tobacco, corn, cotton rice, or anything else o
lands in New Mexico, made fertile only by irr
cation ] look upon it, therefore, as fixed fac
to use an expression current to the day, that bot
| California and New Mexico are destined TO
free so far as they are settled at all, which ! be
lieve, specially in regard to New Mexico, will
very little for great length Of time free by tn
arrangement of things by the Power above us.
have therefore to say in this respect also, that th
country is fixed for free lom, to rs many person
as shall ever live there, by as irrepealabl
and more irrepealable law than the law tha
attaches to the right of holding slaves in Texas
and will say further, that if resolution or
law were now before us to provide TerritoriG
| Government for New Mexico, | would nc
vote to put any prohibition into it whsteve
| The use of such prohibition would be idl'
| as it respects any effect it would have upon tn
| Territory and would not take pains to reforl
| an ordinance of Nature, nor to reenact the wi
of God And would put in no Wilmot Provis
for the purpose of taunt or reproach.
would put into it no evidence of the votes of su
perior power, to wound the pride even whether
Just pride, rational pride, or an irrational prid
to wound the pride of the gentlemen who peopl
the Southern States. have no such object, n
such purpose. They would think il taunt, a
indigniy they would think it to be an act tai
| ing away from them what they regard a preps
equality Of privilege and whether they expet
to realize any benefit from it or not, they woul
think it theoretc wrong; that something MOI
or less derogatory to their character and the
rights had taken place. propose to infict Il
such wound upon anybody, unless something q
sentially important to the country, and efhcier
to the preservation of liberty and freedom, is to
effected. Therefore, repeat, sir, and repeat
because wish it to be understood, that do nj
propose to address the Senate often on this sui
ject desire to pour out all my heart in asplai
a manner as possible and say, again, that if
proposition were now here for Government fc
New Mexico, and it was moved to insert pre-
vision for prohibition of slavery, would NJ
vote for it,
Now, Mr. President, have established, so "a
| as proposed to go into any line Of observation