The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1861-02-15
Ule 9ailp 9onrmal,
Speech of Hon. John Sherman of
Ohio, ON tAe State of the Union,
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,,
January lS. 1861.
I CONCLUDED Z

IN IhE hODSE OF REPhESENTATINE Nd,
January Is, 1861.
CONCLUDED
There is a Territory west of Arkansas
covered by treaty stipulations with the
Indians. Ry our treaties with the Indian
tribes this Territory cannot be admitted as
State, or included within the jurisdiction
of State and, therefore, it is idle to talk
about it. The only Territory, then, which
remains, is the Territory bounded on the
south by Mexico, on the north 1y Kansas
and Utah, and on the west by California,
containing about two hundred and seven
thousand square miles "a narrow, thinly
populated country. When you analyze all
! this controversy, the whole results in a con-
test about Territory of but little value.
Shall New Mexico be free or slave This
| is the question upon which this Government
is to be disrupted, our flag disbonored, and
upon which State after State goes out of
the Union. The question is whether New
Mexico with its poems, with it's wild lands
with its half-breeds and Mexicans, its mixed
population, shall be free or slaveholding
Territory.
Mr.. Otero.-Mr Chairman daughter, I
surely the gentleman will permit me to in
terrupt him.
Mr.. Sherman cannot yield. shall
soon be through and the gentleman will
have an opportunity to reply.
Mr.. Otero.-The gentleman should yield
to reply against so infamous and malicious
libel against the character of the people
represent.
A vOice.-He must yield.
Mr.. Sherman.-The gentleman says |
must; say won't; and this is the end of
it. | will, however, say [ wish no disre-
70 4ba
| desired to speak frankly of the character
of that population; of its sparseness of
the aridness of its soil
There are three propositions made in re-
ference to that territory. The first is to
leave it alone. By the act organizing New
Mexico, the people Of that territory have a
right to form themselves into a state; to
frame their institutions, not inconsistent
with the Constitution of the United States,
and to apply fol, admission into the Union
with or without slavery, as their Consttu-
ton may approve. The same organic law
provides that their Territorial Legislature
may pass laws not inconsistent with the
Constitution; but it provides also that these
laws may be sent here for our approval
and if we disapprove them they shall not
be laws. My colleague (Mr. Bingham) last
session introduced bill to declare our dis |
approval of some of the provisions of those |
laws. The Senate did not agree to the bill, |
and that territory still stands, nominally, |
slaveholding territory. | am told that there |
is one negro slave man there, and eleven
negro slave women, and large number of |
poems.
Mr.. Otero.-The poems are the gentle
mans peers.
Mr.. Sherman.-The poems, too, are the |
gentleman's peers, for they elected him. |
They are made citizens of the United States,
and are voters, and they have sent the gen.
tleman here.
The next proposition is, that we shall |
admit New Mexico as a State at once. She |
has one hundred and six thousand inhab- /
tants. 1t is proposed to admit her as /
State; and, of course, that will allow her /
to frame, regulate, change, and modify her /
own Constitution. | must confess it struck /
me favorably, and gave my assent to it
There are, however, serious objections to il.
not in regard To slavery, but in regard to
other questions which l might mention. | .
doubt very much whether their people want |
a State Government indeed think may
say that the people are not able to pay /
the expense of a State Government l be- +
lieve can say, from the best information,
that they do not desire State Government.
dition. Their population is sparse, and |
their settlements remote from each other
Under these circumstances, the difficulty in
the admission of New Mexico does not grow
out of the slavery question, but out of other |
questions, and especially out of their sys-
tenn of peonage. Y ct | am willing to stand I
by the declaration which l made to my con-
and | will vote for the introduc- |
tion of New Mexico as a State; and that is I
the uItinaa thule to which I will go. t
We have another proposition offered by t
the distinguished Senator from Kentucky |
[ Mr.. Crittenden. 1t has been variously !
modified. [ cannot vote for that PROPOSE
ton; and will state freely the reason In
that proposition l find this clause:
"In all the territory south of said line of /
latitude, slavery of the African race is here
by recognized as existing, and shall not be
protected as property by all the departments
of the Territorial Government during its
continuance"
This provision, protecting slavery in New
Mexico by constitutional enactment is ex-
tended to all the territory hereafter to be
acquired. Why, sir, on a recent occasion /
proposed to amend this section by providing
that in future no territory should be ac-
quIred except by treaty, requiring a concur
renee of two-thirds of the States and that
the act Of acquisition should form it into a
State. Gentlemen from the South voted |
against it; and they frankly confess they
do not look to the extension of slavery in
New Mexico, but look to future acquisition
| think we have had experience enough in
this matter, and l trust in God that. if this
country hangs together, we will acquire no
more territory, and that we may live in
peace and quiet. Not that am opposed to
the acquisition of territory per se but rather
than have the family quarrel over the ter
ritory, rather than have this quarrel between
the North and the South over again,
would forego to the end of time the acqui-
sition of single foot of territory
cannot vote for the proposition of the
Senator from Kentucky, simply because it
protects tie institution of Slavery in the
Territory of New Mexico it takes away
from Congress all power over the subject;
it takes away from the people of the Ter
ritory all power over the subject it makes
this Government establish nrotect and nm (