CONGRESS, TJ. S. 



203 



was absolutely precluded from voting to place 

 the member on the committee by the consid- 

 eration that there was not a single representa- 

 tive of the Democratic party on the committee 

 from the sixteen free States of the Union. 



Mr. McClernaud, of Illinois, asked what was 

 the cause of this offensive discrimination ? Is 

 it because the Northern Democracy have be- 

 come insignificant in numbers and influence ? 

 No, sir. He continued: "Although defeated 

 in the late election, they polled, according to 

 official and unofficial returns, one million three 

 hundred and forty three thousand one hun- 

 dred and eighty -four votes ; and, including the 

 vote of the national Democracy in the South, 

 their whole vote is one million five hundred 

 and sixty-four thousand six hundred and fifty ; 

 thus showing that the vote of the Northern 

 Democracy alone is greater than that which 

 elected either Pierce or Buchanan, and is larger 

 than that ever before polled in any Presidential 

 election. 



"And how is it with the other political or- 

 ganizations in the country? Let facts speak 

 for themselves. With a popular vote, accord- 

 ing to the same returns, of five hundred and 

 eighty thousand two hundred and forty-nine, 

 in the same election, the Union party is repre- 

 sented by three of its members on the com- 

 mittee. With a popular vote of six hundred 

 and seventy-five thousand seven hundred and 

 eighty-two, the Breckinridge party is repre- 

 sented by six members ; while the Republican 

 party, comparatively with bat few more votes 

 aggregately than the national Democracy, and 

 no votes in most of the slaveholding States, 

 and only twenty-six thousand five hundred and 

 eight votes in all of them, is represented by six- 

 teen members. If so, then the Republican party, 

 with only one million eight hundred and forty- 

 six thousand two hundred and three votes, is 

 represented by sixteen members ; while all 

 the votes opposed to it, in the late election, 

 amounting to two millions eight hundred and 

 twenty thousand six hundred and eighty-one, 

 are only represented by eleven members. 



" How unjust such constitution of an impor- 

 tant committee ! There is no parallel or pre- 

 cedent for it in parliamentary history, so far as 

 I know." 



On a division, the House refused to excuse 

 the member from Florida from serving on the 

 special committee. Ayes, 95 ; noes, 101. 



Upon a call of the States and territories for 

 bills and resolutions to be submitted to the 

 Committee of Thirty-three, the following prop- 

 ositions were received and referred : 



By Mr. Thayer, of Massachusetts : That no 

 territory should ever be acquired, to be owned 

 by the United States or to be governed by Con- 

 gress ; that there should be no congressional 

 legislation whatever on the subject of slavery ; 

 that every congressional district should be an 

 election district. 



By Mr. Cochran, of New York : That the 

 Constitution be so amended as to make all ter- 



ritory north of 36 30' free territory ; and in 

 all territory south of that line neither Congress 

 nor any territorial Government shall pass any 

 law prohibiting or impairing the establishment 

 of slavery. No law shall prohibit or interfere 

 with the trade in slaves between the slavehold- 

 ing States and territories ; importation of slaves 

 from a foreign country prohibited ; the surren- 

 der of fugitives and the right of transit anfl. 

 temporary sojourn to be guaranteed. 



By Mr. Adrain, of New Jersey : The non- 

 intervention by Congress over the subject of 

 slavery in the territories to be adopted ; all 

 territories, on application, etc., to be admitted 

 as States, without regard to whether their Con- 

 stitution permits or prohibits the institution of 

 domestic slavery ; all laws of States in conflict 

 with the Constitution to be repealed ; no ob- 

 stacles to be put in the way of the execution 

 of the fugitive slave law by State Legislatures. 

 The people should be permitted to regulate 

 their own internal affairs without interference. 



By Mr. Morris, of Pennsylvania: That the 

 committee review the personal liberty laws, 

 and report which of them are in conflict with 

 the Constitution, and also what amendments 

 they are susceptible of to effectually prevent 

 kidnapping. 



By Mr. Stewart, of Maryland : That the com- 

 mittee inquire if any measures can be adopted 

 to preserve in their purity the constitutional 

 rights of all the States within the Union ; if 

 this appears impracticable, then further to in- 

 quire as to the most reasonable mode by which 

 their rights may be secured in a state of sepa- 

 ration; each sovereign State, in that event, 

 being repossessed of its delegated authority to 

 the Federal Union, and adjusting the relative 

 liabilities of each, with such other measures of 

 fair settlement as may appear to them just ; 

 and recommend some plan by which, in that 

 event, disputes that arise may be fairly and 

 speedily adjusted. 



By Mr. Leake, of Virginia : That Congress 

 should be deprived of all power and jurisdiction 

 over the subject of slavery in the States or Ter- 

 ritories, or District of Columbia, and also over 

 the internal slave-trade, except to protect slavery 

 by legislation in any territory or district where 

 it exists ; that no Territorial Legislature shall 

 have jurisdiction over the subject; that the 

 rights of owners, in sojourn or in transitu with 

 their slaves, shall be guaranteed ; that fugitives 

 shall be given up on demand, or, where lost in 

 consequence of State legislation, to be paid for 

 by such State. 



By Mr. Smith, of Virginia : That the com- 

 mittee consider the policy of declaring out of 

 the Union every member which shall, by her 

 legislation, aim to nullify an act of Congress. 



By Mr. Jenkins, of Virginia : That the com- 

 mittee inquire what amendments are necessary 

 to the fugitive slave law ; also, to provide for 

 the better security of the rights of slaveholders 

 in the territories ; also, what checks are de- 

 manded by a sense of self-preservation on the 



