Horace Greeley, The American Conflict: A History of the Great Rebellion in the United States of America, 1860-65: its Causes, Incidents, and Results: Intended to exhibit especially its moral and political phases with the drift and progress of American opinion respecting human slavery from 1776 to the close of the War for the Union. Volume II.

[261] proposed¹ a more comprehensive measure; contemplating the gradual extinguishment, at the National cost, of Slavery in all the Border Slave States, and moved its reference to a Select Committee of nine. Mr. Mallory, of Ky., moved that this proposition do lie on the table; which failed: Yeas 51; Nays 68; and it there prevailed: Yeas 67; Nays 52.

The Committee having been appointed,² Mr. White reported³ there — from a bill offering $300 per head from tile Treasury for the legal emancipation of the slave of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Missouri, or either of them. The bill was committed, but not acted on; having been reported too near the close of the Session. Next winter, Mr. Henderson,⁴ in the Senate, and Mr. Noell,⁵ in the House. submitted bills of similar tenor, providing for compensated emancipation in Missouri alone. Each encountered a bitter opposition from the Democratic and most of the Border-State Members ; but Mr. Noell's finally passed⁶ the House — Yeas 73; Nays 45. The Senate acted on Mr. Henderson's bill, which provided only for very Gradual Emancipation — he declaring that if Congress should offer his State $10,000,000 for an act of Immediate Abolition, he would oppose its acceptance. The Senate debated hotly and tediously the rival advantages of Immediate and Gradual Emancipation: the Democrats opposing both, but inclining the scale in favor of the latter; which prevailed-26 to 11-and in this shape the bill passed:⁷ Yeas 23; Nays 18. On reaching the House, it was referred — Yeas 81; Nays 51-to the Select Committee aforesaid; which was only enabled to perfect it on the last⁸ day of the session; when the House refused-Yeas 63; Nays 57-to suspend the rules in favor of its immediate consideration, which required a vote of two-thirds. So perished the last effort to compensate the loyal States for the Emancipation of their Slaves — the Democrats and all the Border-State members who were not friends of the Administration unanimously resisting it in every shape and to the extent of their power.

We have seen⁹ that the XXXVIth Congress, after it had become Republican through the withdrawal of the representatives of the Gulf States, organized the new Territories of Colorado, Nevada, and Dakotah, by acts which maintained a profound silence with regard to Slavery. The hope of thus winning a portion of the slaveholding interest to active loyalty in the approaching struggle having been disappointed, Mr. Arnold, of. Ill., submitted¹⁰ to the next House a bill abolishing and prohibiting Slavery in every Territory of the Union; which Mr. Lovejoy, of Ill., duly reported¹¹ and pressed to a vote; ultimately modifying the bill so as to read as follows:

An act to secure freedom all persons within the Territories of the United States;

To the end that freedom may be and remain forever the fundamental law of the ;land in all places whatsoever, so far as it lies within tile power or depends upon the action of the Government of the United States to make it so, therefore--

Be it enacted, &c., That Slavery or involuntary servitude, in all cases whatsoever (other than in the punishment of crime, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted), shall henceforth cease, and be prohibited