The herald., 1893-09-17
CALIFORNIA AND DON PIO PIC0,
The Story of the States Ad-
mission Told Again.
An Intelligent Resume of Ancient
Local History.
An Eastern View OF the Last Mexican
Governor-Extracts from Speeches
in Congress When State
hood Was Proposed.

Chicago Herald: The 9th day OF Sep
tember, 1850, was great day Tor Cali
fornia and for the United States o.
America. On that day California was ad'
mitted into the federal union--became
state with full powers and entitled to q
due ehare of representation in congress.
The 9th of September has from tha;
time to the presentbeen celebrated each
wear by old Caliiornians in every part oi
her grand domain. On Saturday, at the
California state building, gathered thou
esnds of Californians then and now In
the city, where oratory recalled in glow
ing periods the splendid history of the
golden commonwealth and the listening
multitudes evinced their interest and
pride by giving rapt attention, and In
bursts Of appliance. Other multitudes.
peope OF sister states, were there and
heard from living lips how Californians
cne and all regard California. 1t may
not bs apparent to gone. possibly to
moet, why so much is made OF Admis.
sion day. No other state ever in
terrupts general business and calls
out its people to observe with
noise and show the anniversary
of it's admission into the union. But
California is an exception in this case as
in all things besides. Her origin. her
long su omission to Mexico, her practi-
cal independence under line of native
governors, of whom Don Pho Pico was
the last; finally her acquisition by the
United States and her independent or
ganization and her becoming state of
the republic, were all different to any
thing else in territory or circumstance
that this country has ever known. Her
organization was voluntary and invinci-
BILE, and her coming into the union was
amid great strife, at time when the
statesmen and orators of the middle
period of the republic were at their best
aud also were about departing this life.
The admission of California was q
splendid triumph for herself-it was, too,
the victory of freedom as against slave
ry for the country at large. For eight
months, from January to September,
1S50-during the whole time the COM
promise measures were in high debate
the case of California was daily under
discussion in congress. And outside
congress, in every part OF the country,
the people made it the theme of excited
talk, as it was of newspaper rhetoric. 1t
is not, therefore presumptuous on the
part of California to come to the worlds
fair celebrating her glorious day. She
has a right to do so, and it ia her privi-
lege to challenge the approving atten-
tion of the other states represented in
jackson park.
PRESIDENT TAYLOR AND CALIFORNIA.
The first mention of California's de-
sire to come into the union and the first
hint that she would soon be ready that
was ever heard in congress were con-
tained in President Taylor's special
message, read in the senate son January
"a. 1850. The message WAS in response
to call OF the senate for information as
to the military government of Califor-
mia, which then included Utah and New
Mexico. Rumors had reached Wash
ington of the enterprise of Lieutenant
Fremont and other officers and emf
grants looking to the formation of a
state, in advance of authorization by
congress, and the leading southern
senators had taken alarm lest slavery
should be prohibited. President Taylor
made calm and plain statement of
what had been done, ard then improved
the occasion to notify the senate that
California might soon be applying to
be admitted as state. He said:
''it is understood that the people of
the western part of California have
formed plan of a state constitution
and will soon submit the same to the
judgment of congress and apply for ad-
mission as a state. If the pro-
posed constitution shall, when submit
ted to congress, be found to be in COM
pliance with the acquisitions of the con-
stitution of the United States, I ear
neatly recommend that it may receive
the sanction of congress-"
Upon the question of reference of the
presidents message to committee, the
debate of the whole question relating to
California began. Illinois was repre-
eented in the senate by Mr.. Douglas
and General Shields, and both were in
favor of admission. Mr.. Douglas moved
q reference to his own committee, that
on territories, but he distrusted the ma
jority and intimated willingness to
have the message take some other
course. Mr.. Benton asked for a special
committee on the subject, and suggested
that Mr.. Clay move it and be its chair
man. Pending its discussion, which
lasted for many days, Mr.. Clay, on Jan
uary 29th, introduced his compromise
measures. Those measures were intend
ed by their author to remove forever the
question of slavery from the peril of de-
bate, and accordingly Mr.. Clay pro-
posed this resolution as to California:
THAT California, with suitable boun-
daries, ought, upon application, to be
admitted as one of the states of this
union, without the imposition by con-
gress of any restriction in respect to the
exclusion or introduction of slavery
within those boundaries.
Here was the pinch. 1t had been re-
ported in Washington that the constitu-
tion with which California would pre-
sent herself to congress for admission
did contain restriction excluding
slavery. Southern senators immedi-
ately prepared to resist admission in all
ways in their power. Mr.. Benton was
a friend of the inchoate state, and his
endeavor early in the-debate was to con-
vince southern senators that slavery
had no chance there, even had the con-
stitution been silent on the subject.
His contention was that slavery, having
been abolished by the Mexican law be-
fore the United States acquired the
nothing further was required
TO show that provisions relating to slay-
sry inserted in the constitution of Cali-
Iornia, or resolutions in relation to it in
congress, were 'things of nothing
empty provieions-a cloud without
rain" 1t was to this question of Cali
ornia's proposed admission that Mr..
WebaLar particularlv an1ka on tha 9TH