Page:The History of Slavery and the Slave Trade.djvu/620

, so that but a small portion of the original remained, and it passed only as "a bill to provide for the territorial government of Utah." It was sent to the house, where it was received with merriment. Its dismemberment was called "upsetting the omnibus." Subsequently, all the bills originally included in Mr. Clay's omnibus were passed. California was admitted as a free state; the territory of New Mexico organized; the boundary of Texas established; the territory of Utah organized. The bill also to abolish the slave-trade in the District of Columbia, and the fugitive slave law were passed. These acts are substantially as follows:

Whereas, the people of California have presented a constitution and asked admission into the Union, which constitution was submitted to congress by the President of the United States, by message, dated February 13th, 1850, which, on due examination, is found to be republican in its form of government —

Be it enacted by the senate and house of representatives of the United States of America in congress assembled. That the state of California shall be one, and is hereby declared to be one, of the United States of America, and admitted into the Union on an equal footing with the original states, in all respects whatever.

2. And be it further enacted, That until the representatives in congress shall be apportioned according to an actual enumeration of the inhabitants of the United States, the state of California shall be entitled to two representatives in congress.

3. And be it further enacted, That the said state of California is admitted into the Union upon the express condition that the people of said state, through their legislature or otherwise, shall never interfere with the primary disposal of the public lands within its limits, and shall pass no law, and do no act, whereby the title of the United States to, and right to dispose of, the same, shall be impaired or questioned; and they shall never lay any tax or assessment of any description whatsoever on the public domain of the United States; and in no case shall non-resident proprietors, who are citizens of the United States, be taxed higher than residents; and that all the navigable waters within the said state shall be common highways, and for ever free, as well to the inhabitants of said state as to the citizens of the United States, without any tax, duty, or impost therefor; provided, that nothing herein contained shall be construed as recognizing or rejecting the propositions tendered by the people of California as articles of compact in the ordinance adopted by the convention which formed the constitution of that state.

Approved, September 9, 1850.

Be it enacted by the senate and house of representatives of the United States of America in congress assembled. That the following propositions shall be, and the same hereby are, offered to the state of Texas; which, when agreed to by the said state, in an act passed by the general assembly, shall be