FREE -SOIL SPEECHES. 483 



Webster, on account of his speecli in Congress on the 

 7th of this month. In this speech Mr Webster declared 

 his opinion to be, that there was no territory in the 

 possession of the States in regard to which legislation, as 

 to slavery, was possible, or, if possible, could do any good. 

 The vast territory of Texas so large that a bird could 

 not fly over it in a week was already, he said, secured 

 to slavery by treaty, so that the faith of the nation was 

 bound up in the acknowledgment of slavery there ; while 

 as to New Mexico and California, slavery was impossible 

 there, from the nature of its climate and soil ; so that, 

 were it proposed in any bill to apply the Wilmot proviso 

 to these countries, (no slavery north of 36 30 ,) &quot; I would 

 vote against it. The use of such a prohibition would be 

 idle as respects any effect it would have upon the terri 

 tory ; and I would not take pains uselessly to re-affirm an 

 ordinance of nature, nor to re-enact the will of God.&quot; 

 To the first of these reasons of Mr Webster, it was 

 answered, that the treaty with Texas was unconstitutional, 

 and not binding in which a statesman, however, would 

 scarcely concur. To the second, that it was not true ; 

 and upon this the chief issue was joined. Mr Webster 

 explained his meaning to be, that such slavery as exists 

 in the southern States, for the cultivation of sugar, cotton, 

 tobacco, &c.j could not exist in those States, and there 

 fore, &quot; why re-enact the will of God.&quot; But it was 

 answered, that the same thing had been said of Texas, 

 though since annexation the statement had been proved 

 to be untrue, and that too little was yet known of the 

 physical geography of New Mexico and California to 

 entitle any one to give a positive opinion on this point. 

 But even supposing cotton and sugar could not be grown, 

 yet slavery as of old, in New York and New England, 

 and in still older times under the Greeks and Romans 

 rmVht be maintained in various forms, and for various 



O / 



purposes, in these new States, if the Federal Govern- 



