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[172] limits, to be applied to the payment of the debts and liabilities of said Republic of Texas; and the residue of said lands, after discharging said debts and liabilities, to be disposed of as said State may direct; but in no event are said debts and liabilities to become a charge upon the United States.

Third. New States, of convenient size, not exceeding four in number, in addition to said State of Texas, and having sufficient population, may hereafter, by the consent of said State, be formed out of the territory thereof, which shall be entitled to admission, under the provisions of the Federal Constitution. And such States as may be formed out of that portion of said territory lying south of thirty-six degrees thirty minutes of North latitude, commonly known as the Missouri Compromise line, shall be admitted into the Union with or without Slavery, as the people of each State asking admission may desire; and in such State or States as may be formed out of said territory north of said Missouri Compromise line, Slavery or involuntary servitude (except for crime) shall be prohibited.

The amendment of Mr. Brown was adopted by Yeas 118 to Nays 101--the Yeas consisting of 114 Democrats and 4 Southern Whigs (as yes)--Milton Brown, of Tennessee; James Dellet, of Alabama; Duncan L. Clinch and Alexander Stephens, of Georgia. The Nays were 78 Whigs and 23 Democrats (from Free States), among them, Hannibal Hamlin, John P. Hale, Preston King, George Rathbun, and Jacob Brinckerhoff — since known as Republicans. The joint resolve, as thus amended, passed the House by Yeas 120 to Nays 98--the division being substantially as before.

In the Senate, this resolve was taken up for action, February 24th; and, on the 27th, Mr. Foster (Whig), of Tennessee, proposed the following:

And provided further, That, in fixing the terms and conditions of such admission, it shall be expressly stipulated and declared; that the State of Texas, and such other States as may be formed out of that portion of the present territory lying south of thirty-six degrees thirty minutes north latitude, commonly known as the Missouri Compromise line, shall be admitted into the Union with or without Slavery, as the people of each State, so hereafter asking admission, may desire: And provided furthermore, That it shall be also stipulated and declared that the public debt of Texas shall in no event become a charge upon the Government of the United States.

This was voted down, as were one or two kindred propositions. Mr. Miller (Whig), of New Jersey, moved to strike out all after the enacting clause, and insert as follows:

That the President of the United States be, and he hereby is, authorized and advised to open negotiations with Mexico and Texas, for the adjustment of their boundaries, and the annexation of the latter to the United States, on the following basis, to wit:

I. The boundary of the annexed territory to be in the desert prairie west of the Nueces, and along the highlands and mountain hights which divide the waters of the Mississippi from the waters of the Rio del Norte, and to latitude forty-two degrees north.

II. The people of Texas, by a legislative act, or by any authentic act which shows the will of the majority, to express their assent to said annexation.

III. A State, to be called “the State of Texas,” with boundaries fixed by herself, and extent not exceeding the largest State of the Union, to be admitted into the Union, by virtue of this act, on an equal footing with the original States.

IV. The remainder of the annexed territory, to be held and disposed of by the United States, as one of their Territories, to be called “the South-west Territory.”

V. The existence of Slavery to be forever prohibited in the northern and northwestern part of said Territory, west of the 100th degree of longitude west from Greenwich, so as to divide, as equally as may be, the whole of the annexed country between slaveholding and non-slaveholding States.

VI. The assent of Mexico to be obtained by treaty to such annexation and boundary, or to be dispensed with when the Congress of the United States may deem such assent to be unnecessary.

VII. Other details of the annexation to be adjusted by treaty, so far as the same may come within the scope of the treaty-making power.

This was rejected by 11 Yeas — all Whigs from Free States--to 33 Nays.

Mr. Walker,of Wisconsin, moved to add to the House proposition an

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