American union. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1855-1859, 1856-03-01

were the Territories of Utah and New
Mexico? BY the bills organizing these
latter Territories, the Missouri CON-
promise was practically repealed. But
it had become necessary, / take it, for
the purposes of agitation, and for no
other purpose of a practical nature that
l can see, to introduce clause, in so
many words, to repeala law which the
South had always maintained to be un-
constitutional and void, and which had
been practically repealed by former
Congressional legislation.
Mr.. Peck. VIII the gentleman from
Virginia allow me to- ask him a ques-
ton
Mr.. Carlile. Certainly.
Mr.. Peck. When the bills were O.
reported for the organization
of the Territories of Kansas and Ne
braska, were they not literally copied
from the bills organizing the Terrific
ries of Utah and New Mexico, to which
the gentleman has referred? And I
ask him whether, Immediately after
their introduction, the agitation was
not recommended on the basis that these
bills did repeal the Missouri compro-
miseY And whether the leader of the
present Republican party in the Senate
did not cause an appeal to be made in
the North, through the press and the
the pulpit, that the North should rise
up, as one man, and disayow that act :
Mr.. Garlic. / had not the good
fortune to be amember of either branch
of Congress pending those bills, and it
has been my fortune to have something
to do besides watching exactly the mo-
tions of a body like the Congress of the
United States.
MIR. Peck. I ask you the question
as matter of history.
Mr.. Garlic. AS matter of history
| will answer it in this way: There
was not, at that time, sufficient num-
ber of members in Congress represent
ing the Abolitionists and agitators of
the North to lock and paralyze one
branch Of Congress and there was, /
think, a sufficient number Of national
men in both branches of Congress to
have passed these bills as the gentleman
from Michigan Mr.. Peck says they
were originally reported; but, sir, it is
to be regretted-and it butverifes the
remark ! first made--that my old Dem
ocratic friends are treading on very
dangerous ground when they place
themselves under the leadership of the
Wings whom they fought so long. /
recollect the history of the Senate's
proceedings on those bills to be, that
the bills were not originally reported
containing a provision to repeal the
Missouri compromise but that a Wing
Senator offered an amendment to that
effect, and the Democrats followed in
his wake.
Mr.. Peck. / Ireferred the gentleman
to tho point, in order to show, from the
history of the question, that the reagi-
tation of the subject of slavery at the
North, which he alludes to as being the
inevitable consequence and direct re-
suit of the repeal Of the Missouri COM
promise in the Kansas and Nebraska
bills, did not result from the introduc
tion Of that clause in the bills, but o.
riginatcd before that; and that the ap-
peals had gone forth, prior to that,
from the Senate, under which the three
thousand Protestant clergymen at the
North sent their protest from their
pulpits. That was the origin and dstate
Of the reagitation.
Mr.. Garlic. / feel authorized and
justified in giving it as my opinion
and | doubt very much if there is
member Of Congress here who was o
member of Congress during its first
session, but will express it as his opin-
ion--that bills for the organization of
Kansas and Nebraska, similar to those
for the organization of Utah and New
Mexico, could have passed without
stimulating this agitation, which Iknow
existed to certain degree, but to %
very small extent compared with the
present time. j am warranted in ex-
pressing that opinion, from the fact that
q bill organizing the Territories, but
not embracing this clause for the repeal
Of the Missouri compromise, passed
this House by more than two-thirds
vote, and was only lost in the.Sonato
for want Of time.
Mr.. Harris, Of Alabama judge,
Mr.. Clerk, from what the gentleman
from Virginia says, that if he had been
here in the last Congress, or in the
Congress in which the compromise mea-
sures of 1850 were adopted, he would
have voted against them all.
Mr.. Garlic. No, sir, / do not think
that | have SO expressed myself. At
the time that the compromise measures
OF 1850 were pending ] was honored
Il II a.