The herald., 1893-09-17

be connected with great scheme of ma
tional compromise" He wanted tn
votes of the friends of California 70
slavery in the District OF Columbia ant
for the fugitive slave law. Mr.. Bentoi
derided this. It was now that Jefferson
Davis came up G senator from Mississippi
and his maiden speech was in depreca
tion Of the admission Of California with
out recognition in her constitution oi
the right of the south to take thithe
her slaves.
Mr.. sEwARD's GREAT SPEECH
Now Mr.. Seward rose and pronounced
his magnificent Grafton, of which th'
following are lew of the opening para
graphs:
"Four years ago California, a Mexican
province, scarcely inhabited aud quite
unexplored, was unknown even to oui
usually immoderate desires. except by q
harbor, capaciouH and tranquil, which
only Statesmen then foresaw would be
useful in its oriental commerce of far
distant, ii not merely chimerical future.
"a year ago California was q mere
military dependency of our own, and we
were celebrating, with unanimity and
enthusiasm, its acquisition. with its
newly discovered but yet untold and un-
touched mineral wealth, as the most
auspicious of many and unparalleled
achievements.
To-day California is a state, more pop
ulous than the least and richer than sew
eral of the greatest OF our so states. The
same California, thus rich and populous,
is here asking admission into the union,
and finds us debating the dissolution OF
the union itself?
!
Shall California be received? l an
swer, yes. For myself. as an instructed
representative Of one of the states, of
that one even of the states which ia
soonest and longest to be pressed in
commercial and political rivalry with
the new commonwealth, answer, yes.
Let California come in. Califor-
nis, that comes from the CLINE where
the west dies away into the rising east !;
California, that bounds at once the em-
pire and the continent; California, the
youthful queen of the Pacific, in her
robes Of freedom, gorgeously inlaid with
gold--is doubly welcome"
Mr.. Douglas had not taken his usual
part in the great debate, but had been
chiefly occupied with steering" duties
under Mr.. Clay, connected with the
batch OF compromise measures. The
unal T6lcIcAC6 VI LILO AdtlNOInih Ultt uhO
not been made and he still professed to
be Indifferent as to what course it should
take. But his colleague, Gen. James
Shields, had decided opinion which he
did not hesitate to express. From his
elaborate speech Of April 9TH this para
graph is taken:
"Sir, California furnishes the strongest
demonstration of this age in favor of
the inherent capacity of man for self
government when left to the free exer-
else of his native faculties. And it is
the loudest condemnation of those sys-
tHms OF government which frat debase
and then brutalize man and then pun
ish and oppress him because he is de-
based. Without the aid of law, or
rather by virtue of better law than
ever was enacted by congress-the law
Of truth and justice in our hearts-the
people of California organized their
society, framed constitution and estab-
lished government. and they now pre-
sent that constitution for our accept
ance; and sir, if we have the law of
truth and justice in our hearts, We will
receive this constitution at once, and
welcome California into the union"
THE BILL REFERRED.
At length the California bill was re-
ferred to the committee of 13, but such
was seen to be the temper of the major
ity of senators that that committee at
once resolved to report bill for the ad-
mission of California that could be acted
upon separately from the other "com-
promise measures. Still there was OBJ
lection urged in the senate to separate
action, whereupon Mr.. Benton broke
;~~ h.-ra 1f fa11
vote upon the measures before Us, be-
ginning with the admission of California.
Let us vote her in. The people who
have gone there have done honor to the
American name. Starting from thou
sand points an meeting as strangers far
removed from law or government, they
have conducted themselves with the or
der, decorum and justice which would
have done honor to the Oldest estab-
lished and best regulated community /.
They have carried our institutions to
the farthest verge of the land--to the
coast of the Pacifc-and lit it up with
the lights of religion, liberty and eel
ence-lights which will shine across
the broad ocean and illuminate
the dark recesses of benighted Asia.
They have completed the work of the
| pilgrim fathers. Would to God that
those who landed on the rock and on the
banks of the James river more than 200
years ago, and who crossed the stormy
Atlantic in search of civil and religious
liberty, and who did go much for both
in their day and generation, could now
look and see what has been done in our
day could look down from their celes-
tial abodes, and see the spark which
they struck from the flint, now blazing
with light which fixes the gaze OF the
world--see the mustard seed which they
planted, now towering to the skies, and
spreading it's branches from the Atlantic
to the Pacific, with what rapture would
they welcome the pilgrims of California
in this family circle, while we, their
descendants. sit here in angry debate,
repulsing our brethren, calculating the
value of the union, and threatening to
rend it aeunder il California is admit
ted /"
PASSAGE OF THE BILL.
The bill to admit California was re-
ported by the committee on May 23d,
but it was not passed by the senate un-
til August 18th. The vote stood, yeas,
81; nays, is. Two DAYS after Mr.. Hun
ter of Virginia submitted protest to
the admission OF the new state, signed
by himself and Mr.. Mason, his colleague,
and by A. p. Butler and r. B. BarnwelI,
South Carolina; H. L. Turney, Tennes-
gee Pierre Soule, louisiana; JefferRon
Davis, Mississippi; David r. Atchinson,
s1r; Toa r