Worcester daily spy., 1860-10-08

In the house of representatives, February
16, 1860, Mr.. Bingham Of Ohio, on leave, in
troduced the following bill, which was referred
TO the committee on the judiciary =
MR.. BINGHAM's BILL.
"a bill to disapprove and declare null and void all
territorial and parts OF acts heretofore passed
by the legislative assembly OF New Mexico W -ch
establish, protect legaliZe involuntary seryi-
tude or slavery within said territory, except as
punishment for crime, upon due conviction.
BE il enacted By The senate and house Of repre-
sentatires Of the United States Of Amer1ca, IN con
gresS assembled, That all acts and parts of acts
heretofore passed by the legislative assembly
of the territory of New Mexico, which in any
wise protect, authorize, or legalize, involunta-
ry seryitude, or the enslavement of human be-
ings within said territory (cXcept as punish
ment for crime, upon due convicuon), be, and
the same are hereby, diSapproved by the con
gress OF the United States, and declared to be
null and void, and of no effect.
SEC 2 Ind be ii further enacted, That the
following provision OF the act of said legisla
tive assembly, approved January 26, 1859, ell
titled An act amendatory Of the law relative
to contracts between masters and servants,
be, and the same is hereby, disapproved, and
declared imperative and void, to wit No
court of this territory shall have jurisdiction,
nor shall take cognzance Of any cause Tor the
wants, for neglect of their duties as servants.
SEC g. Aad be 1t further enacted, That sec
lions two, three, four five, seven, eight, ten,
eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen,
nineteen, twenty, twenty-on twenty-five,
twenty five, twenty y.siX, twenty seven, and
twenty-nine, OF the act entitled An act to pro-
vide for the protection Of property in slaves
i'll this territory passed by said legislative as
sembly of said territory, and approved Febru-
airy Sd, 1853, be, and the same are hereby,
disapproved by congress, and declared null
and void; and all courts and territorial or fed
eral officers, within said territory, are hereby
prohibited from exercising any authority un-
der or by virtue Of any Of The said sections of
said territorial acts.
This bill was directed against two very
atrocious slave codes that had been enacted by
the territorial legislature of New Mexico
One OF these authorized a system OF white
slavery and the other the system OF African
chattel slavery as it exists in what are called
the Cotton states" The white slave code re-
lated to white men, and dealt solely with what
we in New England call "hred help" On the
IUtn or May, ABOUT Two months after Mr. Bing-
hams bill was first introduced the committee
on the judiciary reported it back to the house,
saying that it should pass, and giving in their
report, tile two slave codes which it proposed
to annul.
MIR. BINGHAMs REPORT
"HoUsE OF REPRESENTATIVES,, May TO- 1860.
Mr.. Bingham, from the committee on tie judiciary,
made the toLlotoing report
The Judiciary committee, having had under
consideration the bill referred to them, entitled
"A bill to repeal all acts of the legislature of
New Mexico authorizing slavery or involun-
tary servitude, except as punishment Tor
'crime,' report the same back to the house of
representatives., with an amendment, and rec
ommend that the same do pass, and that it be
put upon its passage.
And the committee further report that for
the organization OF said territory of New Mex
leo by the act of September 9, 1885, ~. S.
Statutes at large, vol. 8, p. 449, sec ~ it is
provided that all laws passed by the legisla-
tive assembly and governor shall be submit
ted to the congress of the United States, and
if disapproved shall be null and void"
The remainder of the report consists of the
two slave codes entire. The bill of Mr. Bing,
ham passed the house by seven majority but
it was rejected by the democratic" senate.
In the house, all the republicans voted for it,
but Mr., Thayer OF this district, who voted
against it. There were 81 yeas to 80 nays,
and Mr.. Thayer was the only republican in
congress who opposed the bill The yeas and
nays were as follows -