Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1854-02-25
WASHINGTON.
elderly and Union, now and forever, one and
fnseparable.D
SATURDAY. FEBRUARY 25, 1854.
Mr., CLAY AND THE MISSOURI COMPROMISE.

in itself, as we have heretofore said of correcting
the mistakes Of the National Intelligencer." II
would be no difficult task, but it would be to by
no means an agreeable one to follow out the thread
of error which runs through an article in that pa
per of Tuesday, regarding the history of the Mis-
souri, Compromise in Congress. We shall not at
tempt this task, but confne ourselves to the con
Guiding argument, which consists of quotation
by the Sentinel" from a speech of Nr. CLAY
delivered in the Senate on the 9th of February
1850. We copy for the instruction of our reader:
so much of this speech is given in the Sentinel
It is as follows:
Mr. President before enter into particular exami
nation, however, Of that Missouri Compromise beg
be allowed to correct great error not merely in the
Senate but throughout the whole country in respect
my agency in regard to the Missouri Compromise, OF
rather the line Of 500 30 established by the agency
Congress do not know whether any thing has excited
surprise in my mind to the rapidty with which
important historical transactions obterated and
Of memory than has the knowledge of the fact that
every where considered the author of the line Of
$50 3 which was established upon the occasion Of the
admission of Missouri into the Union
It would take up too much time to 60 the whole
of that important in the public affairs Of this coun
try. shall attempt it. although have ample mate
rails before me- derived from careful and particular
examination of the journals of both Houses. will not
occupy your time by going into any detailed account Of
the whole transaction but viii content myself with
stating that far from my having presented propo-
son the line Of $50 30 upon the occasion of consider
ing whether Missouri ought to be admitted into the Union
or not, 1T ORIGINATE HOUSE WHICH
WAS A MEMBER" r., ~ ..E ..i..
Very well There is nothing in this extract
which contradicts any thing that the National In
teligencer has said on the subject, nor can any
thing be found in the writings or speeches Of Mr..
CLAY to do SO.
We proceed, however, by way of further elucida-
ton of the subject to supply the remainder of the
passage in Mr.. CLAY's Speech from which the
above extract is taken, find it in the pamphlet
copy of the speech now before US, and described on
the face Of it as the " revised edition :"
at 1.-THE proposition of the line of $50 3ol originated
in this body, 1.-THE Senate. Those who will cast their
recollection back-and am the honorable Senator
from Missouri, Mr.. BENToN,) correctly perhaps
than any body esemust bring to recollection the fact
that at the first Congress- when the proposition made
to admit Missouri rather to permit her to hold
Gliding whether she should be admitted into this Union
the bill failed by disagreement between the two Houses
the House of Representatives insisting upon and the Sem
ate dissenting from the provision contained in the ord
of 1885, the House insisting upon the Introduction
of slavery and the Senate rejecting the proposition for
the Introduction Of slavery The bill failed 1t did not
pass that session Of Congress.
'At the next session it was renewed; and at the time
of its renewal Maine knocking at door also to
be admitted into the Union. In the House there was
majority for restriction of the admission Of slavery
the Senate majority opposed to any such restric
tion In the Senate, therefore, in order carry Mis-
souri, through bill provision for her admission,
rather authorizing her to determine the question of her
admission, coupled with the bill for the admission of
Maine They were connected together, and the Senate
said to the House. you want the bill for the admission
Maine you shall not have unless you take along
with it the bill for the admission of Missouri also There
majority-not very large one but very firm and
decided maory-in the Senate for coupling them toge-
ther. Well, the bill went through all the usual stages
Of disagreement and Of committees of conference for
there two committees of conference upon the
sion before the matter finally decided 1t finally
settled to dsconnect the two bills to admit Maine sepa-
ratey without any connexion with Missouri and to in
ser in the Missouri bill clause which was inserted in
posed by Mr. Thomas Of Illinois, in the Senate restrict
ing the admission Of slavery north of $50 3 and lsav-
ing the question open south of $50 3 either to admit
or not to admit slavery. The bill was finally passed.
The committees Of conference of the two Houses recon-
mended the detachment Of the two bills and the
Of the Missouri bill with the clause Of sec 3Ot in it. So
il passed So IL went to Missouri. So for moment it
quoted the country But the clause of $50 30 repeat
you viii nd sir, il you win take the trouble to look
the journals upon three four different occasions
offered Mr. Thomas, acting in every instance presented
the proposition Of 360 30 and it finally agreed
ut take the occasion to soy that among those who
greed to that line were majority Of Southern
berI Ny friend from Alabama, in the Senate (Mr.
King MIR. Pinkney, from Maryland, and majority Of
the Southern Senators in this body voted favor Of the
line Of S6o 30 and majority Of the Southern members
in the other House, ut the head Of whom was Mr..
Lowndes himself voted also for that line have no
doubt that did also but Speaker Of the House.
and the Journal does show which way the Speaker
votes except in the case Of tic am not able to tell
with certainty how actually did vote but have no
earthly doubt that voted, in common with my other
Southern friends for the adoption Of the line Of SO S0o
SO the matter ended In 1870"
Whilst upon this subject We offer to our readers
indisputable testimony that the Missouri Com
promise was Southern measure, and accepta-
BILE to the South. II is the testimony Of gen.
tleman who, as Senator from the State of Mis-
souri,, sat for thirty continuous years in the same
chair Of the Senate Of the United States, and who