the life of stephen a. douglas-第4章

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e　the　great　question　of　constitutional　law　between　those　who；　like　Calhoun；　believed　slavery　the　creature　of　the　Federal　Constitution；　and　those；　who；　like　Webster；　believed　it　the　creature　of　local　municipal　law。　　But　it　promised　a　temporary　respite　to　the　vexed　question。　　He　had　already；　in　the　House；　advocated　the　extension　of　this　line　through　the　Western　Territories。　　He　believed　that　adhesion　to　this　venerable　Compromise；　now　as　sacred　as　the　Constitution　itself；　was　the　hope　of　the　future　and　succeeded　in　persuading　the　Senate　to　adopt　his　amendment　as　the　final　solution　of　the　vexed　problem。　　It　was　rejected　in　the　House　and　the　question　indefinitely　postponed。

In　the　Territories；　meanwhile；　events　moved　fast。　　While　Congress　had　been　wrangling　over　the　new　possessions；　gold　was　discovered　in　California。　　A　tumultuous　rush　of　people；　unparalleled　since　the　Crusades；　at　once　began　by　all　routes　from　every　region　to　the　new　El　Dorado。　　More　than　80；000　settlers　arrived　in　1849。　　A　spontaneous　movement　of　the　people　resulted　in　a　Constitutional　Convention；　which　met　at　Monterey　on　September　3d　of　that　year；　and　adopted　a　Constitution　which　forever　prohibited　slavery。　　It　was　submitted　to　a　vote　and　adopted　in　November。

Congress　met　on　December　3d　and　resumed　the　Sisyphean　labors　of　the　last　session。　　Douglas　was　chairman　of　the　Committee　on　Territories；　to　which　were　referred　all　measures　affecting　the　recent　acquisitionsaltogether　the　most　momentous　of　the　sessionwhich　stirred　the　deepest　passions　of　Congress　and　held　the　keenest　attention　of　the　people。　　In　the　early　days　of　December　he　submitted　to　his　Committee　two　bills。　　One　provided　for　the　immediate　admission　of　California；　the　other　for　the　establishment　of　governments　for　Utah　and　New　Mexico　and　the　adjustment　of　the　Texas　boundary。　　On　March　25th　they　were　reported　to　the　Senate。　　Meanwhile　Taylor；　in　a　special　message；　had　recommended　the　immediate　admission　of　California。　　Senator　Mason　had　introduced　a　bill　providing　more　effective　means　for　the　summary　return　of　fugitive　slaves；　in　effect　converting　the　population　of　the　free　States　into　a　posse　comitatus　charged　with　the　duty　of　hunting　down　the　fugitive　sand　returning　him　to　bondage。　　The　clash　of　arms　had　begun。　　Both　sides　were　passionately　in　earnest　and　resolved　to　encounter　the　utmost　extremity　rather　than　yield。　　The　Democrats　had　a　small　majority　in　the　Senate；　while　in　the　House　neither　party　had　a　majority。

The　Free　Soilers　held　the　balance　of　power；　but　by　a　refusal　to　cooperate　with　the　conservative　opponents　of　slavery　extension　left　the　control　of　the　House　in　the　hands　of　the　Democrats。　　The　chief　business　of　the　early　weeks　of　the　session　was　the　delivery　of　defiant　speeches　and　the　presentation　of　resolutions　defining　the　opinions　of　various　segments　of　distracted　parties　and　revealing　the　chasm　that　was　opening　between　the　friends　and　opponents　of　slavery。

On　the　21st　of　January　the　rival　Whig　chiefs　of　the　Senate　held　a　confidential　conference。　　Clay　submitted　a　plan　of　compromise　covering　the　whole　field　of　controversy。　　Webster　promised　his　cordial　support。　　A　week　later　Clay　presented　the　first　draft　of　his　famous　slavery　Compromise。　　He　was　under　the　sincere　illusion　that　he　had　been　spared　by　Providence　that　he　might　save　his　country　in　this　great　exigency　and　that　his　bill　would　secure　long　years　of　peace　and　harmony。　　At　least；　as　many　of　them　were　old　men；　it　would　postpone　the　evil　day　until　they　had　been　safely　gathered　to　their　fathers；　and；　according　to　the　political　morals　of　the　age；　the　next　generation　must　take　care　of　itself。　　Douglas　moved　to　refer　the　resolutions　to　the　Committee　on　Territories；　but；　on　motion　of　Foote　of　Mississippi；　they　were　referred　to　a　select　Committee　of　Thirteen；　consisting　of　three　Northern　Whigs；　three　Southern　Whigs；　three　Southern　and　three　Northern　Democrats；　with　Clay　as　chairman。　Douglas　was　not　on　this　Committee。　　It　was　composed　of　old　Senators　whose　established　reputations　were　expected　to　give　credit　to　any　proposition　of　compromise。

On　May　8th　the　Committee　reported；　recommending　the　immediate　admission　of　California；　the　establishment　of　territorial　governments　in　New　Mexico　and　Utah　with　no　mention　of　the　slavery　question；　the　settlement　of　the　Texas　boundary　dispute　and　the　enactment　of　a　law　providing　for　the　more　effectual　return　of　fugitive　slaves。　　Substantially　it　was　Douglas'　two　bills　joined　together；　with　Mason's　Fugitive　Slave　bill　annexed。　　It　was　a　mass　of　unrelated　measures；　jumbled　together　for　the　illegitimate　purpose　of　compelling　support　of　the　whole　from　friends　of　the　several　parts。

Clay　spoke　for　two　days　in　support　of　his　great　masterpiece　of　compromising　statesmanship。　　He　insisted　that　it　should　be　accepted　by　all　for　the　reason　that　〃neither　party　made　any　concession　of　principle；　but　only　of　feeling　and　sentiment；〃　and　ingeniously　sought　to　soothe　the　anger　of　the　North　by　the　assurance　that　the　principle　of　popular　sovereignty　embodied　in　the　bill　was　not　only　eminently　just　and　in　harmony　with　the　spirit　of　our　institutions　but　entirely　harmless；　inasmuch　as　the　North　had　Nature　on　its　side；　facts　on　its　side　and　the　truth　staring　it　in　the　face　that　there　was　no　slavery　in　the　Territories；　proving　that　the　law　of　Nature　was　of　paramount　force。

On　March　4th　Calhoun　attempted　to　speak；　but　found　himself　unable　and　handed　his　speech　to　Mason　who　read　it　for　him。　　He　rejected　Clay's　Compromise　as　futile　and　denied　utterly　the　right　of　the　inhabitants　of　a　Territory　to　exclude　slavery。　　He　accused　the　North　of　having　pursued　a　course　of　systematic　hostility　to　Southern　institutions　since　the　close　of　the　Revolution；　and　cited　the　Ordinance　of　1787；　the　Missouri　Compromise　and　the　exclusion　of　slavery　from　Oregon　as　instances　of　Northern　aggression；　and　now；　he　said；　the　final　and　fatal　act　of　exclusion　was　attempted。　　He　denounced　the　action　of　the　people　of　California　in　organizing　a　State　without　congressional　authority　as　revolutionary　and　rebellious。　He　grimly　announced　that　the　South　had　no　concessions　to　make；　even　to　save　the　poor　wreck　of　a　once　glorious　Union。　　He　plainly　told　them　that　if　the　Union　was　to　be　saved　the　North　must　save　it。　　It　must　open　the　Territories　to　slavery。　　It　must　surrender　fugitive　slaves。　　It　must　cease　agitating　the　slavery　question。　　The　Constitution　must　be　amended　so　as　to　restore　to　the　South　the　power　of　protecting　itself。　　If　they　were　not　willing　to　do　these　acts　of　justice；　nor　that　the　South　should　depart　in　peace；　let　them　say　so；　that　it　might　know　what　to　do　when　the　question　was　reduced　to　one　of　submission　or　resistance。

Three　days　later　Webster　delivered　his　famous　7th　of　March　speech。　He　criticized　with　severity　the　Northern　Democracy　for　its　eager　and　officious　subserviency　to　the　South　throughout　the　whole　controversy　arising　out　of　the　Mexican　War；　hinting　that　it　had　been　even　more　eager　to　server　than　the　South　had　been　to　accept　its　service。　　He　said　that　the　Mexican　War　had　been　prosecuted　for　the　purpose　of　the　acquisition　of　territory　for　the　extension　of　slavery；　but　that　the　nature　of　the　country　had　defeated；　in　large　part；　the　hopes　of　the　South。　　He　declared　that　the　whole　question　of　slavery　was　settled　by　a　higher　law　than　that　of　Congress　and　that　there　was　not　then　a　foot　of　territory　whose　status　was　not　already　fixed　by　the　laws　of　the　several　States　or　the　decree　of　the　Almighty；　that；　by　the　irrepealable　laws　of　physical　geography；　slavery　was　already　excluded　from　California　and　New　Mexico。　　He　〃would　not　take　pains　uselessly　to　reaffirm　an　ordinance　of　Nature；　nor　to　reenact　the　will　of　God。〃　　He　denounced　the　Abolitionists　and　urged　upon　the　Northern　States　the　duty　of　faithfully　and　energetically　enforcing　the　abhorred　Fugitive　Slave　Law。

Seward；　speaking　a　few　days　later；　insisted　that　it　was　their　clear　duty　to　admit　California　under　any　Constitution　adopted　by　it；　republican　in　form；　and　assured　then　that　had　its　Constitution　permitted　slavery　he　would　still　have　deemed　it　his　duty　to　vote　for　its　admission。　　He　protested　against　the　Fugitive　Slave　Law　as　necessarily　nugatory　and　utterly　impossible　of　execution　because　unanimously　condemned　by　the　public　sentiment　of　the　North。　　In　answer　to　the　crushing　argument　that　the　Constitution　carried　slavery　into　the　Territories　and　that　cheerful　obedience　must　be　yielded　to　the　supreme　law；　he　announced　the　startling　doctrine　that　there　was　a　HIGHER　LAW　than　the　Constitution；　to　which　their　first　duty　was　due；　that　slavery　was　a　violation　of　this　HIGHER　LAW　and　hence　the　Constitution　itself　was　powerless　to　establish　it　in　the　Territories。

On　the　13th　and　14th　Douglas　spoke。　　The　speech　was　able　and　adroit。　　It　was　marred　by　the　introduction　of　party…politics　into　a　discussion　of　such　gravity。　　He　was　always　prone　to　lapse　from　statesmanlike　dignity　to　the　level　of　the　politician　and　viewed　most　matters　primarily　in　their　relation　to　he　transient　questions　of　party　politics。　　He　undertook　the　ambitious　task　of　replying　to　the　speeches　of　Webster；　Seward；　and　Calhoun。　　He　repelled　the　charge　made　by　Webster　that　the　Northern　Democracy　had　surrendered　to　the　slave　power　in　supporting　the　annexation　of　Texas　and　the　Mexican　War；　declaring　that　they　had　supported　those　measures　from　patriotic　motives；　and　that　he　was　〃one　of　those　Northern　Democrats　who　supported　annexation　with　all　the　zeal　of　his　nature。〃　　〃With　a　touch　of　the　Northwestthe　Northwestern　Democracy；〃　sneered　Webster；　who　contemptuously　looked　upon　him　as　a　crude　blustering　youth　from　the　far　West。　　But　Webster；　whose　contempt　for　his　coarse　taste　was　justified；　had　misjudged　his　resources　and　power。

〃Yes；　sir；〃　replied　Douglas；　〃I　am　glad　to　hear　the　Senator　say　'With　a　touch　of　the　Northwest'；　I　thank　him　for　the　distinction。　　We　have　heard　so　much　talk　about　the　North　and　South；　as　if　those　two　sections　were　the　only　ones　necessary　to　be　taken　into　consideration　*　*　*　that　I　am　gratified　to　find　that　there　are　those　who　appreciate　the　important　truth　that　there　is　a　power　in　this　Nation；　greater　than　either　the　North　or　the　Southa　growing；　increasing；　swelling　power；　that　will　be　able　to　speak　the　law　to　this　Nation　and　to　execute　the　law　as　spoken。　　That　power　is　the　country　known　as　the　great　West；　the　Valley　of　the　Mississippi；　one　and　indivisible　from　the　Gulf　to　the　Great　Lakes；　stretching　on　the　ones　side　and　the　other　to　the　extreme　sources　of　the　Ohio　and　the　Missourifrom　the　Alleghenies　to　the　Rocky　Mountains。

〃There；　sir；　is　the　hope　of　this　Nation；　the　resting…place　of　the　power　that　is　not　only　to　control　but　to　save　the　Union。　　We　furnish　the　water　that　makes　the　Mississippi　and　we　intend　to　follow；　navigate　and　use　it　until　it　loses　itself　in　the　briny　ocean。　　So　with　the　St。　Lawrence。　　We　intend　to　keep　open　and　enjoy　both　of　these　great　outlets　to　the　ocean；　and　all　between　them　we　intend　to　take　under　our　especial　protection　and　keep　and　preserve　as　one　free；　happy；　and　united　people。　　This　is　the　mission　of　the　great　Mississippi　Valley；　the　heart　and　soul　of　the　Nation　and　the　continent。　　We　know　the　responsibilities　that　devolve　upon　us；　and　our　people　will　show　themselves　equal　to　them