316 



CONGRESS, U. S. 



will have had twenty-two or twenty-three 

 millions of money, and will have all their 

 slaves still. Then suppose they choose to con- 

 tinue slavery. How are we to enforce it 

 against the State? We have its plighted faith, 

 but we have before had plighted faith in this 

 country and that faith violated. If we allow 

 the time to go to 1876, we agree to give $10,- 

 000,000, and they have their slaves and work 

 their slaves for thirteen years. They will have 

 the money ; they will have its accumulated in- 

 terest; and still what security have we except 

 their pledge ? 



" Sir, I see the importance of making Mis- 

 souri a free State now, and I shall vote for a 

 practical measure for that purpose. I believe 

 emancipation in Missouri to be of transcendent 

 importance an importance that I can hardly 

 measure and I want its benefits now. I want 

 certainty ; I want to know that the thing is to 

 be accomplished when I vote to tax the toiling 

 men of my State to free the State of Missouri." 



Mr. Kennedy, of Maryland, was opposed to 

 the bill, and thus expressed his views: "I 

 merely desire to say, without going into any ar- 

 gument, that I am against this whole system of 

 legislation for the emancipation of slaves in the 

 border Slave States. I will only say now that 

 while I am not disposed to oppose any local 

 proposition coming from the State of Missouri, 

 and while I might, from feelings of kindness, 

 yield my own views on such a question, I am 

 not prepared to commit myself to a policy 

 which acknowledges that the General Govern- 

 ment has any power under the Constitution of 

 the United States to appropriate money for the 

 emancipation of slaves. I have determined, 

 sir, not to connect myself with a record of this 

 sort. I do not mean that \t shall be said here- 

 after, that I, as a representative of a State lying 

 in the pathway of the great North to the cap- 

 ital, have interposed any objection to the pros- 

 ecution of their views so far as the suppression 

 of rebellion is concerned ; but I must be allowed 

 to say that in the course of the last two years, 

 in carrying out the purpose of ending the war, 

 ns it is said of which certainly no man is more 

 desirous than I am I have seen all the sover- 

 eign rights of my State utterly disregarded. I 

 do not mean now to challenge a controversy as 

 to the right of the majority to exercise any pow- 

 er in their hands to put down and to suppress 

 rebellion. I only beg, as a representative of 

 that State, holding the rights of the State sa- 

 cred and above all usurpation of authority, if I 

 may be pardoned for using a word so harsh, 

 that while we take that ground, I am not to 

 commit myself in any way whatever to a poli- 

 cy that is hereafter to rise in judgment against 

 you ; I will not indorse that which I believe to 

 be subversive of law ; and pardon me, senators, 

 when I say that I think it is not a means of re- 

 storing the Union." 



The bill, with several amendments proposed, 

 was referred to the Committee on the Judi- 

 ciary, who reported it back with amendments, 



which were considered on the 7th of Febru- 

 ary. 



Mr. "Wilson, of Missouri, thus explained the 

 features of the bill : " In my opinion the pro- 

 visions of this act cannot be complied with 

 without an alteration in the constitution of 

 the State of Missouri ; and if that alteration is 

 sought to be made by constitutional means, by 

 the ordinary provision incorporated into our 

 constitution, which requires one Legislature to 

 propose amendments to our constitution, to 

 be ratified by the next succeeding Legislature, 

 twelve months do not give the necessary time. 

 It is manifest to me that the Legislature of 

 Missouri in its legislative capacity has not the 

 power to comply with all the provisions of this 

 act without an amendment to or a violation of 

 the constitution of that State; and, for that 

 reason, I desire that this time may be extend- 

 ed, so that these alterations in the constitution, 

 if desired by the people of Missouri, may be 

 made according to our constitution. . 



" This bill, among other things, requires that 

 this act, to be passed by the Legislature of Mis- 

 souri, shall forever prohibit slavery in that 

 State. That is a power that is not conferred 

 on the General Assembly of the State of Mis- 

 souri, and it will require an alteration of and 

 an amendment to the constitution of that State 

 before it can be complied with. 



" Again, sir, this act requires that the peo- 

 ple of Missouri shall forever surrender a consti- 

 tutional right which is exercised by every State 

 of this Union ; that is to say, they are to enter 

 into a compact with the United States of Amer- 

 ica that slavery shall be forever prohibited in 

 that State; thereby relinquishing, in the form 

 of a compact, a right which is reserved, as I 

 understand it, to every State in this Union. 

 Certainly an ordinary legislature, exercising 

 only legislative powers, cannot surrender- a 

 constitutional power which is enjoyed by the 

 people of that State. Many of the States of 

 this Union have abolished slavery within their 

 limits ; but I am not aware that a single State 

 of the Union has been called upon by the Uni- 

 ted States to enter into a compact that they 

 will never admit slavery in the future. I grant 

 that the people of the State may so alter their 

 constitution and adopt a provision prohibiting 

 slavery within that State ; but that they will 

 bind themselves to any other Government to 

 surrender a constitutional privilege forever, 1 

 do not believe the people of Missouri will con- 

 sent to." 



Mr. Davis, of Kentucky, in opposition, said : 

 " Mr. President, it is perfectly apparent that this 

 measure is to pass. Notwithstanding that fore- 

 gone conclusion, I will occupy the attention of 

 the Senate a few minutes in opposition to it. 

 I have been unable to find any authority by 

 which Congress can appropriate money for thi J 

 object. "When the subject was up last, many 

 gentlemen assumed that Congress had pledged 

 itself, by voting for the resolution which tho 

 President of the United States recommended in 



