The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-05-28

was excluded by Mexican law, from
the whole of the newly purchased ter
ritory and the constitution adopted by
the California convention expressly
prohibited it.
The south, under a Democratic ad-
ministTatiOn, had brought on the war
for the sake of maintaining and ex-
tending southern power through the
extension Of slave territory. The OUT
come Sad been the acquisition of a do
main far exceeding its hopes. But now
1t appeared that freedom might gain
more than slavery, after all, and Cali
fornia, the richest province of the
whole, threatened to slip at once from
southern grasp. PrO-sIavery Wings
united with the Democrats in Oppos-
ing the admission of California unless
the government would give assurances
OF protection to the interests of slavery
in the rest of the new purchase; and
they called upon the president to aid
them in their purpose by refusing his
signature to the California bill The
stern old warrior answered that he
would sign any constitutional law
passed by congress, anc led his ques-
TONERS to infer that he favored the
application of the WilmOt DrOVisO to
the territories. To threats by southern
congressman that they would dissolve
the Union he replied by declaring him
self ready to take the field in person
to enforce his cOuntry's laws and to
hang without mercy the very states
men to whom he spoke should they be
taken in rebellion. He was To be no
tool of the slave power it was clear.
Indeed, his chief counselor was now
the young and ardent William n. Sew
ard of New York, whose far-sighted
aim it was to make the Wing party
the great exponent and agent of the
opposition to slavery extension. This
sentiment had always existed in all
the states north and south; it had al
ways been strong in the Wing party
and was gaining ground in the Demo-
cratic party. Northern abOlitiOnists
with the exception of the extreme
GarrisOnian wing, which was always
numerically smalD would have been
won by a sincere and straightforward
course on the part Of the Wings to a
hearty alliance to that party. Had
Taylor lived and had the other Wing
leaders been able to see that now as
never before there lay before them an
opportunity to make their party a truly
national party--a compact fully organ
lied political force, based upon an
issue in the broadcast sense popular
and national; had they but held calmly
and firmly to the principles already
associated with the party name, the
principles of nOn-interference with the
affairs of the individual states and I'M
Hinching resistance to slavery in the
territOries-then, indeed, would the af-
tercourse of our history have been diff
ferent. The times were ripe as never
before for the final triumph of nation
alism over the threatened sectional dis
ruption and the great parties were the
bonds, the only bonds which might
have hppn made cfVn41cr tn
the Union intact.
The Compromise of 1850.
But once more Henry. Clay came for
ward to smooth the troubled surface of
the political waters with the oil of COM
promise. He trusted to be able to heal
all wounds, adjust all differences. save
the Union and unite in brOtherIy har-
mony the distrustful factions bv the
mutual concessions which he demanded
from north and south. The gist of q g
eight resolutions which were to effect
all this was, as stated by himself, for
! bearance by the north to insist l1no,
| the application Of the WilInot proviso
TO Utah and New Mexico; forbearance
| by the south to insist upon the express
introduction of slavery into those ter
r1tories. The particular points were
only the feathers to fly the arrow -
California was to be admitted as
free state; the slave trade should he
abolished in the District of Columbia
but slavery should remain; a stringent
tugItive-slave law which the slave
holders had long demanded. should he
enacted; the claim of Texas to a large
part of New Mexico should be ouieted
by large money indemnity. No inter
ference with the Missouri COMPROMISE
was suggested and no application of
the doctrine of popular sovereignty
was 10 De made to the new territories.
After long debate and vario,1e
| changes in form the measures were
finally passed. The doom of the Wbje
party was now sealed and the great
tragedy of our history drew on.
y