Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1856-06-19

States. In 1919, at the second session Of that
Congress when bill to authorize the people Of
the Missouri Territory to form their State con-
stitution was pending, Mr.. Tallmadgc Of
New York, proposed an amendment Of the
bill His amendment consisted Of two clauses,
which we shall here transcribe from the official
Congressional proceedings Of that date, 80 that
the exact language may be in possession OF the
American people. They win see that the first
clause Is tie Wilmot ProUiso in terms
Mr.. Tsllmadge's amendment was asfollows
THAT the further introduction of slavery or in.
voluntary servitude be prohibited, except for the
punishment OF crimes whereof the party shall have
been duly convicted; and that all children born
within the said State, after the admission thereof
into the Union shall be free at the age Of twenty
| five years"
The yeas and nays were called in the House
and Senate on each branch Of that amendment
The first passed the House, by vote of 81 to
76; the last branch by vote of 80 TO 7S.--
Both propositions were rejected by the Senate,
by decisive majorities, and both Houses adj
herring to their respective votes, the bill fell at
that Congress by the division Of the Houses.
1t now became evident that Missouri was to
have trouble in obtaining admission into the
Union A new Congress was to convene upon
the first Monday of December, 1919. So did
the Legislature of Pennsylvania. On the 27th
of November, 1872 large and enthusiastic
meeting Of the people of Lancaster county,
Pennsylvania, was held, conformably to public
notice, and at that meeting a committee of
three was appointed to draft resolutions ex-
pressve Of the sense Of the meeting. James
Buchanan was one of that committee, and his
name appears signed to the report Of the COM
mittee as published by the chairman and secre-
tary Of said meeting
The resolutions reported by him commend
the votes given in March 1910, by the Penn
sylvania members of Congress, in favor of pro-
hibiting slavery in the constitution of Missouri,
and directly approve of both branches of Tall
madge's amendment which We have quoted.
They went further: they instructed the repre-
sentative from Lancaster county in the Penn
sylvania Legislature, to seize upon the earliest
the Pennsylvania Legislature upon the subject
instructing the Senator'S, and requesting the
Representatives in Congress from Pennsylvania
to use their utmost endeavors to procure the
passage of Tallmadge's amendment and to re-
sist the admission of Missouri without it. We
have published those proceedings heretofore in
this paper.
| The Pennsylvania Legislature did according
ly take up the question Immediately, and by
the 22d of December, 1919, both Houses had
passed joint resolutions requesting their Sena-
tors and Representatives in Congress Ito vote
against the admission Of any Territory MS a
State of the Union" unless " the further intro
duction OF slavery or involuntary servitude,
except for the punishment Of crimes whereof
the party shall have been duly convicted, shall
be prohibited; and all children born within
said Territory after the admission into the
| Union rs State, shall be free, but may be held
to service until the age of twenty-five years. !"
The reader will see that thus the Pennsyl-
vania resolutions, got up at the instance of,the
Lancaster meeting, adopt Tallmadges amend
ment under marks Of quotation and to the very
letter. These resolutions are accompanied by
preamble, in which the slavery recognised in
the slaveholding States is denounced as a
crime an odious stain upon the present
race" boasts that Pennsylvania was the first
Gin removing the pollution Of slavery from
amongst them," pirates about !" the lawless
vendors of human flesh, and finally denounces
the whole system of slavery as !" the most foul
| blot upon the American character" This pre-
amblo and resolution from Pennsylvania was
presented TO Congress on the 9Th of January,
| 1920, and may be found on the 73d page Of
the Congressional Annals containing the pro-
ceedings of the first session of the Sixteenth
Congress.
Remember that James Buchanan was then
thirty-five years of age, had been several times
elected to the Pennsylvania Legislature.
He was already prominent Federalist politi-
clan in that State, and in getting up the reso-
lutions of the meeting, at Lancaster, was TAX
| ing ground upon a subject which had been dis
cussed at the preceding session of Congress,
and on which he had elaborated from March
until November. If his opinion was not de-
liberately formed then, it never viii be- He
stands, then, before this country, as having
been active in getting up the opposition to the
admission of Missouri into the Union, unless
she would submit to the assertion Of the Val
not Precise in her State constitution. But
we should not overlook the important fact that
the Pennsylvania resolutions asserted the
power Of Congress to interfere to prevent the
migration of scrvile labor also, which means
the slaYe-trade 6etsoeen the States
When the Southern people behold this
record Of James Buchanan upon the identical
nAI ilAnt