Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1850-04-13


question Of constitutional authority Congress has written
authority for the admission of States and in cases the
duty becomes obligatory upon Congress to admit new Stale
That the in every instance in which the Government
OF the United States is under obligation compact to admit
State when it shall fulfil certain conditions That is
the with respect to California BY our treaty with
Mexico, States to be admitted from the acquired
territory be done consistent with the princl
piles of the constitution. That is the treaty, sir.
So we have constitutional authority and treaty obl-
gsion upon for acting the subject California has ul
filled every requirement which is necessary to ene her to
the rank of State and has population far beyond what
has been required from any other State for while Is
cetlin that there from 100 100000 men there a. the
time her constitution formed, which would imply what
call population OF or 700 600 SOULS YET In
all Of admission heretofore 10 $4,000 men, resulting
in population Of so 600 souls according TO the CEN
account, deemed sufficient.
California then the constitution her hands which gives
the Senate OF the United States undsputed constitutional a-
thoy admit her. She has the treaty with Mexico IN her
hands, which makes obligatory the Congress OF the United
States admit her. when herself the circum
stances of that treaty. She has done So Here them Is the
of State the constitution in hand and The treaty
with Mexico the other and SO years OF the uniform practice
ofthe Government such cases, her favor Constitution
treaty, and sixty years practice, with single deviation
all in her favor Aud now, sir i proposed that she shall
be made exception and subjected to the lndgny OF be-
ing mixed up with subject Of which she has washed her
hands-and washed them too, sir for the precise deliberate
purpose of preventing her admission from being made
dependant upon mixed up with any such subjects Sir
this is what she has done, and now to undertake to
mix her up with all these suhjecs-the subjects connected
with slavery the United Staesis in opinion wrong to
her, and an ndgnity Sir it indigniy her, and such
an ndgny goes ebuke her. and tell her that she has
done what she ought to do in undertaking to clear her
self of subject which she knew was an annoying and dis
tracing in the United Saes and with which she there
fore wanted nothing to do Now, mix her up with these
Subjects after she has in the most solemn manner in her
constitution cleared herself from it, and for the express pur
pose having free admission here is great ndgny to her
bic ahoa 10 70 Er har
now shall lay subject the table, for the pur
pose Of taking the appropriation bill If the vote is to be
taken, however, will make no such motion.
Mr.. CLAY. trust the Senator will permit me to say a
word pledge myself to occupy more than five
minutes of time. a&% a. ........
Mr.. DICKINSON. Certainly.
Mr.. CLAY Mr. President, in reference to the
fered to by the Senator from Missouri Of the admission of
States heretofore only remark that each OF those cases
depended upon particular state Of circumstances existing at
the time of its admission. With regard to Missouri il
the only State in which there that species of agitation and
division prevailing this country which unfortunately exists
now and in that only of the States admitted into the
Union-was somewhat similar to hs proposed
adopted. And what that course In the act which
passed by Congress for the admission of Missouri into the
Union, that to say authorizing her to form state consn
tuition and government for herself and to come here Tor ad
misson-n that very act inserted clause on the sub
of slavery north and south of the line OF So 30
done her final admission Upon her inal admission
it made depend condition relating TO the African
her constitution provision against the admission within her
limits of free negroes and that occasioned division and ag
aton in Congress WE'LL she admitted upon the con-
dion that she should, by solemn and effective act OF her
Legislature declare that portion OF her constitution should
be so interpreted violate the constitution Of the United
States 10 other words, that if free negroes had the right by
the sution Of going Missouri that she should not
cude them under the provisions OF her constitution Well
in order exclude legislation action by Congress
he subject afterwards the President Authorized by pro-
camaon declare the compliance of Missouri to the require
made in the resolution OF admission And upon her
complying with that requirement. and the Presidents pro-
claiming that fact then, and only them she admitted
into the Union. IT,. ~.
Now sir, the Senator places himself behind precedens
say sir that each of the admission OF State was un-
der peculiar circumstances and shall not take the time
Of 60 the whole of them But here is
great subject agatpg and distractng the country, and is
proposed in the spirit of compromise and concession to
meet together two three analogous subcsperecty anao
the Senator gets up, and en,renchng himself be-
fcted upon California Will the Senator tell me how she is
threatened with indgnty Suppose she is admitted and
Territorial Government established, and all in bill, Cali
fonia comes forward through her representatives and is ad
mted And where the indignity We have heard again
and again announced, in the emphatic TERMS that in
dignity was to be rendered to her. without any definition
without any explanation, and without any showing how this
indignity is to arise .>..
the time Of the Senate, and will redeem my pledge. The
simple question is whether it is inaisnity not Cali
orna to her in great scheme of national compro
me the object of which is the restoration of harmony peace
and concord to this people If there any indignity in
cted her in that it is ndgny in which tie whole
country shares with her, but which utterly unable to
comprehend from any thing said which has taken place
Mr. BENTON. What sir! California concur in some
scheme Of paccaion California, standing outside of the
Union, stranger be associated regards the question of
admission with other TOPICS scheme OF paccaon in which
she is to concur The Senator from Kentucky puts the
ground that she is not be allowed in here without
having the question Of her admission associated with other
questions with view paciicaon, and talks about Caor
ma concurring IN such proposition! Compromise! Talk
OF California concurring in such proposition Sir she is
concurring in the in which slave bound to stake
in relation to what is done him. That the
in which she concurs Sir she has voice in the matter
She is not consulted Not allowed in. And is she
be bound by general scheme of which she is be pary
and yet to have voice in it, have always understood
sir that it takes two make bargain, but would
that in this it takes thrty-thry Sates-o make bar
gain and one of the parties be bound by tina, bargain
the party to be the most bound by ito be the subject the
bindings to have voice in the matter. That party is
only to receive the bonds to acquesce to in hem
without the power of negative. That is the proposition
Sir Is indication of what is intended But it to
ncomprehensbe thing that such proposition should be
made 1t will be inicting serious injury upon Calor
MIA, have heretofore urged, if you swell the bill up with
doubtful questions of which denied in point Of
s,u'onalitysorne of which disputed the ground Of
expedsncy-a Of which brimfull of points of difficulty
1t is injury 10 California FIRST to be delayed, and
be subjected to the contingencies of agreement all these
points. That is the injury. s.~. 4, .o.
Sir, il is ndgnity California be mixed up with
things tina. do belong her admission State. II
there anet her State at this moment ready to into
the Union, would not be indgnity TO put such State
into the bill Sill say il would be wrong. The bill
should upon its foundation II should have sepa
rate consideration Each State has right under the cons