Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1854-03-04

l
1t was the old question which gave trouble before th
| " contract" OF 1920 made. 1t was then that Mr.
Clay's compromise adopted Twelve months, there
FORE had passed before the North repudiated th
compactby refusing Missouri admission without another
compromise
Well the next time this question arose was on the ad
mission of Arkansas into the Union in 1886 This State
formed Of part of the Louisiana purchase south
of So So. BY the terms of the Missouri contract
the gentleman from Vermont admits that she come
in as slave State. Did the North then SO recognise and
act upon these terms? The gentleman from New York
MIR FEyToG) said that this division line had been APP
proved by the North for thirty years If So ask him
when where Did they raise objection when Arkan-
applied for admission! Let see; here is the
record ".
Mr.. John Quincy Adams in this House. June Is, 1886
moved amendment to make section of the bill
for the admission of that State read thus:
nothing in th act contained shall be construed an assent
dars'y r,R totie cpaHacputtGt n sioreS,o DR.
Still harpng on my daughter ~ ."t ...
On vote the effect of which to allow this amend
ment there eighty in favor of acrding the opportu-
nifty There were one hundred and nine the opposite
side which prevented its being offered OF these eighty
votes some from the South Their object may have
been TO get vote upon this distinct question of the
cognltion by the House of the line established in 1920
But after the amendment ruled cut on the direct vote
for the admission of Arkansas with constitution toerat
ing slavery though she south of $50 so, there
fytwo names, under the lead of Mr.. Adams, in the
gatlye, every of them, believe, from the NORTH
have the Journal before me-and amongst these names
Heman Allen, Horace Everett, Inland Hall, Henry
F. jones' and William Slade the entire delegation from
Vermont The gentleman's (Alr. MEAcHAMs) prede-
cessor upon this floor or he who then represented
ton Of the constituency that that gentleman now
does recorded his vote against the admission of Arkan
Did he his colleagues have any other objection
it except that it slave State: If they regarded
the line of $50 go solemn covenant between the
North and South why did they give it their sanction
at that time.
The gentleman spoke Of "honor''- :",
Z" l thank thee, jew, teaching me that word"
Where was the 'honor of the Representatives Of Yer
mont that occasion? In whose keeping was it placed?
suppose IN the hands of their constituents of whom the
gentleman The Representatives from the gen.
temans own State did then acknowledgement dshonor-
atty If he chooses to characterize their conductre
pudate that CONTRACT which the South never offered to
DISTURB until it totally abandoned by an oYerwhem-
ing majority of the North, shall presently show
have shown that it dsregarded within twelve mouths
after 1t was made and refused to be sanctioned by the
Representatives of the gentemans own State in 1886
the first time it came up again.
will now go and show the gentleman and the
House when 1t came up again, and when finally it was
utterly repudiated by the almost entire North
Mr. MEACHAM, (interrupting) | would inquire of
the gentleman if the Senators from Vermont did not vote
for it ar... ~.
Mr.. STEPHENS. For what? .a ".. ~.
Mr.. MEACHAM For the admission of Missouri
MIR. STEPHENS. l am not speaking of the Senate
but of the House. have but the House records
before me. am dealing with members in this body or
III desires
ne can for his predecessors from the State of Yer
mont on this floor
The next time any thing was said in our legislation
about the Missouri line OF $50 30" was on the annexa
ton OF Texas That measure carried with that line
in it. but not by Northern 1t was the South still
willing to abide it, that carried it then There were one
hundred and twenty-five Northern votes given on that
occasion OF these only fy-one for the annexa-
ton with this line established in it while there were
seventy four-a large maority-who refused to give
their sanction do not to say that all who voted
against that measure opposed to that line of settle
ment Many of them had other reasons. And know
full WELL for was here, that of those ftyone Northern
men who voted for it many of them would not have voted
for the recognition of that line if the question had come
up by ITSELF but those resolutions of annexation were
presented that they had to be taken as whole or
at all aude to this vote merely because it was the
next time in order when the question came up and the
vote certainly fails to show that the North or even
majority OF them gave their sanction For that
only alude to it. ~
come down now to another step of our progress to
the period from 1S4T to 1850 The gentleman from Yer
mont Orr. MEAcHAM) had map for illustration which
he exhibited to He pointed to the boundary
OF the Louisiana purchase 1t commenced the mouth
of the Sabine, up that river the 800 of north la
ude thence due north to the Red river thence up that
river to the 1902 of west longitude from Greenwich
thence due north to the Arkansas river and p that river
to the 42 OF north latitude and thence due west the
South seas or the Pacific by this map and his
demonstrations from it, it appears that we had title
coded to from France to territory extending to the Pa
is according to the gentemans map We derived title to
Oregon under the ceson from France in 1903 and that
territory part Of the Louisiana purchase Mr. Jefer-
considered il, and Lewis and Clarke to ex-
plore the country. .''.'
WE'LL then how did the South act towards this solemn
compact as it is called-the line of 360 30t-when
we came to organize territorial government for Oregon
in lS4I The southern boundary the 42o of north
latitude and Of course the whole lay north of 3Go 30
At this time (n l847 were in with Mexico, and
it was well understood to be the policy of the Admins
tration to acquire territory from that Government which,
in all probability, would extent be south of the
line $50 3O From the Votes of the House upon what
was well known as the "Wimot proviso " the South had
just to apprehend that twas the fixed determine
ton Of majority Of the North disregard entirely what
is called the sacred covenant of 1922 When,
therefore, the bill to organize territorial for
Oregon up in this House on the 18th Of January
lS47 Mr.. Burt of South Carolina to take the sense of
the North directly upon the question of aiding by this
line of 36o 30 moved, amendment to that clause
in the bill which excluded slavery forever from the Terri
tory, these words:
whole Territory lies north Of 20 ree,
30 min north latitude known the line the
The object of this amendment was to put direct test
to the North whether they intended to recognise the prn
cipe upon which the controversy the subject of slave
ry in the Territories disposed Of in 1920 or not Sir
the North understood the question fully and clearly and
they met it promptly their response was that they did
not Here is the upon this question: there were in
this House then 80 votes for Mr. Burt and
against it, Ofthese every from the North
every Southern in the House voted for it. And OF
the 81 who voted to adhere to the principle of that
justment, not something too sacred be touched but
for the sake of peace end quiet there were believe but
six from the whole North. They Douglas and Robert
Smith, from Illinois; Cunningham and Parish from
Ohio CharesJ Ingersol of and Hastings
Of Iowa. Every man from Vermont and New York voted