Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1854-03-16
ments, and subsequently, admitted into the Union

braced within the limits of the States of Wiscon-
SIN and Iowa, and part of the State Of Michigan,
and the Territory of Minnesota. There is country
enough within the Territory of Minnesota tomake
two or three States of the size of New York.
| w Washington Territory embraces about the same
| area Oregon is large enough to make three or
| four States extensive Pennsylvania, Utah
| two or three, and New Mexico four or i've OF like
| dimensions. Indeed, the whole country embraced
within the proposed Territories OF Nebraska ana
/ Kansas, together with the States OF Arkansas,
| Missouri. and Iowa, and the larger part OF Min
| nesota and the whole ofthe Indian country west
| of Arkansas, once constituted territorial gov
/ eminent under the name of the Missouri Terri
| tory In view of this course of legislation upon
the subject ofterritorial organization, commencing
| before the adoption of the Constitution of the
| United States and coming down to the last ses-
| sion of Congress, it surely cannot be said that
there is anything unusual or extraordinary in the
size of the proposed Territory, which should
compel a senator TO vote against the bill, while he
approves OF the principles involved in the mea-
sure
II has also been urged in debate that there is no
necessity for these territorial organizations; and
| have been called upon to point out any public
ana national considerations which require action
at this time. Senators seem TO forget that our inn
mense and valuable possessions on the Pacific are
separated from the States and organized Terrific
ries on this side Of the Rocky mountains by vast
wilderness, filled by hostile savages; that nearly
hundred thousand emigrants pass through this
barbarous wilderness every year, on their way to
California and Oregon; that these emigrants
American citizens, our own constituents, who are
entitled to the protection of law and government;
and that they are left to make their way, as best
they may, without the protection or aid of law or
government.
The United States mails for New Mexico and
Utah, and all official communications between
nd he mt ot
rtories, are required to be carried over these
wild plains, and through the gorges of the noun
tains, where you have made provision for
roads, bridges, or ferries to facilitate travel, or
forts or other of safety to protect life. As
often as have brought forward and urged the
adoption of measures to remedy these evils, and
afford security against the damages to which our
people are constantly exposed, they have been
promptly voted down not being of sufficient
importance to command the favorable considera-
ton of Congress. Now, when propose to
ganizc the Territories, and allow the people TO
do for themselves what you have SO often refused
to do for them, am told that there not white
inhabitants enough permanently settled in the
country to require and sustain government
True there is not very large population there,
for the very good reason that your Indian code
and intercourse laws exclude the settlers, and for
bid their remaining there to cultivate the soil.
You refuse to throw the country open to settlers,
tories upon the ground that there is not sutii-
cient number of inhabitants.
The senator from Connecticut Mr.. Smith has
l. made long argument to prove that there are no
| inhabitants in the proposed Territories, because
nearly all of those who have gone and settled there
| have done in violation of certain old acts of
Congress which forbid the people to take posses
| sion of and settle upon the public lands until
after they should be surveyed and brought into
| market.
do not propose to discuss the question whether
these settlers technically legal inhabitants or
not. II is enough for me that they are part of
our own people; that they settled on the pub
lie domain that the public interests would be
promoted by throwing that public domain open
TO settlement; and that there is no good reason
why the protection Of Jaw ard the blessings of
government should not be extended to them. |
must be permitted to remind the senator that the
same objection existed in its full force to Mime
sofa, Ito Oregon and to Washington, when each
of those Territories were organized; and that l
have no recollection that he deemed it his duty TO
call the attention of Congress to the objection, or
considered it of sufficient Importance to justify
him i'll recording his own vote against the organi-
cation Of either of those Territories.
MIR. President, do not feel called upon TO make
any reply to the argument which the senator from
Connecticut has urged against the passage OF this
bill upon the of expense in sustaining these
territorial governments, for the that if the
public interests require the enactment of the law,
it follows n natural consequence that all the
expenses necessary to carry it into effect are wise
| and proper.
| will now proceed To the consideration of the
| great principle involved in the bill, without omit
ting however, to notice some of those extraneous
matters which have been brought into this discus
sion with the view of producing another anti-sla-
very agitation. We have been told by nearly
every senator who has spoken in opposition to
he fntf ha fir,,a 10 irtra lrpti
people were in state of profound quiet and repose;
that the ant-slavery agitation had entirely ceased;
and that the whole country was acqucscing cheer
fully and cordially in the compromise measures of
1850 final adjustment Of this vexed question
Sir, it is truly refreshing TO hear senators, who
contested every inch of ground in opposition to
those measures when they were under discussion,
| who predicted all manner of evils and calamties
| from their adoption, and who raised the cry of
repeal, and even resistance, to their execution,
| after they had become the laws Of the land say
it is really refreshing to hear these same senators
now bear their united testimony to the wisdom of
those measures, and to the patriotic motives which
induced us to pass them in defiance of their threats
and resistance, and to their beneficial effects in
restoring peace, harmony, and fraternity TO dis
tracted country. These are precious confessions
from the lips of those who stand pledged never to
assent to the propriety of those measures, and to
make war upon them long as they shall re-
main upon the statute-book. well understand
| that these confessions now made, not with the
view Of yielding their assent to the proprety of
i CARRYING those cnactments into faithful execution,
but for the purpose of having pretext for charg
ing upon me, as the author of this bill, the re-
sponsbility of an agitation which they striving
to produce. They say that !, and not they, have
revived the agitation. What have | done to
/ render me obnoxious to this charge; They say
wrote and introduced this Nebraska BILL That
| is true; but was not volunteer in the transac-
ton. The Senate, by a unanimous vote, APP
pointed me chairman Of the territorial committee,
and associated FIVE intelligent and patriotic sena-
! tors with me, and thus made it our duty to take
charge of all territorial business In like manner,
and with the concurrence Of these complaining
senator's the Senate referred to us distinct pro-
position to organize this Nebraska Territory, and
required us to report specifically upon the ques-
ton repeat, then, we were not volunteers in
this business. The duty was imposed upon us
by the Senate. We were not unmindful of the
decacy and responsibility of the position. We
were aware that from 1890 to 1850 the aboli-
ton doctrine of congressional interference with