Richardson tell them that the present law
forbid whlti men settling there; that ther
are, however, between 600 and 1.J00 In the
region and between 60,000 and O.OOO emi
grants every year traveling th roads for
the Pacific coast beyond. Howard of Texaa
rKtn in a long speech over this ruthless
violation of Indian rights organizing a ter
ritory over tholr heads without their con
sentand Is suited how long It la since
Texas grew so tender of redskins. The mo
tive beneath Is plain. This Is a fight be
tween Chicago and Bt. IxjuIs, on the one
hand, looking forward to the opening of
the Platte valley Pacific railroad; New Or
leans and Texas, on the other, trying to
block the northern route until they can
push one through on southern parallels;
and New York City helping the southerners
In order to maintain her own hold on the
California trad by sea and the Isthmus of
Panama. The collateral evidence to prove
this Is convincing, but cannot be a noted
here.
J The Polk administration had sent out tha
governor appointed to Oregon by tha Gila
river route In IMS. Jefferson Davis, In a
speech on th question of making a
twenty-year government contract with the
Panama railroad .company In 18ft when
the Illinois members opposed, saying that
si rival proposition would be submitted by
a road to be built Inside the United States
--declared himself In favor of a Pacific
railroad ' "whether through th valley of
te O I la, or by Pueblo da Los Angeles,
Whether to Ban Diego, Monterey or Sin
Francisco. " There Is Just on significant
reference to slavery In the debate. Howe
of Pennsylvania asks the sturdy champion
of free soil, Giddlngs, a member of tha
committee which reported the bin, why
there Is no provision excluding slavery
from tha new territory. Giddlngs replies
that by the Missouri compromise slivery
Is perpetually prohibited In the Louisiana
purchase north of 34-30. Howe asks if Gld
dlnga has any recollection of a comprom
ise sine then, referring to that of 1850,
and Giddlngs rejoins that th latter doaa
not affect the Nebraska question. Bo with
thttt single reference to slavery the bill
passes tho house by northern and western
Votes, M to 43, and goes the next day to
the senate. There Senator Douglas, at
the head of tho senate committee on terri
tories, reports It unaltered on the 17th
of February. It Is not until the morning
light of March 4, 1853, Is breaking through
the windows upon the all-night session of
a senate about to die that Douglas gets a
chance to call up the Nebraska bill. Sen
ator Rusk of Texas is on his feet In an
Instant, "I hope the bill will not be taken
up. It will lead to discussion beyond all
question. Atchison, pro-slavery democrat
from Missouri, pleads with the south to let
the bill be taken up. He says ha did not
expect opposition from the quarter of
Texas, Arkansas and Mississippi; that h
had found that there was no prospect, no
hope of a repeal of the Missouri compromise-
and that tha tide of population pres
sing naon the border would Inevitably
break aver and take possession of the In
dian lands and the maintenance of peace
and order on the frontier demanded organ
isation now.
The debate goes on for hours while th
anda of an expiring session run out. At
tha end of it a motion to lay the bill on th
table prevail by a vote of 23 to 17. It Is
thai vote analysed which proves the real
nature of tho opposition to the Nebraska
bill th combination of commercial rivals -with
slava Jealousy which is determined to
prevent a Pacific railroad up the Piatt
valley. Right con out of twenty-three votes
to lay on the table make the solid south
both whig and democrat against Douglas
bill; the other five are from the commercial
States of the northeast. Every one of the
seventeen votes for the bill Is from the
north and northwest except- the two- votes
from Missouri. Before another Nebraska
bill could be debated In congress th south
ern Interest had rushed th Gadsden treaty
from Mexico t Washington, paying 310,
000.000 for a atrip of desert In Artaona ami
New Mexico, Whose enly n was to open
better route for a southern PaelAe railroad.
Tho new emigres met and on December
14, 1N3, Senator Dodge of Iowa Introduced
practically the same bill that bad been
killed March 4. Senator Douglas reported
this bill from the committee on territories)
on January 4, 153, with boundaries changed
on the north, with the provision that when
Nebraska waa admitted as a state or states
It should be "with or without slavery, a
their constitution may preset lb at th
time at their admission"; and with sect Ion
tl, or "the stump speech In th belly of tha
bill," aa Benton called It. declaring that tt
was th true Intent and meaning of th act
to carry into practical operation th prin
ciples of the compromise of 1860 first, that
all questions pertaining to slavery In tha
territories and the new states formed there
from were to be left to the decision of the
people residing tn them; second, that all
questions involving title to slaves or ques
tions of personal freedom were left to local
courts with right to appeal to the United
States supreme court; third, that th fugi
tive slave law was to be carried Into execu
tion in th territories as well aa the state.
What was Douglas ssotlv In proposing
thus to make Nebraska at cockpit where
slavery aad freedom should tght It out?
Tha- common republican opinion then and
THE ILLUSTRATED BEE,
since was that Douglas was conciliating
the south to pave. his own path to the
presidency. Is there not another sufficient
reason without this one? For ten years
he had been trying to open this country
lying straight In th path of commerce
and emigration from his own state; for
five years he had seen Pacific railroad
projects blocked by commercial rivals,
south and east. He hod seen those Inter
ests strong enough to kill his bill the
spring before even when strongly supported
by the slave state of Missouri. He knew
that a hasty treaty with Mexico was be
ing pushed to prepare the way for a Pa
cific railroad that woutd build up tho
rivals of both Chicago and St. Louis. No
one knew better than he that commerce
and migration to the Pacific would fol
low the route of the first railroad. No
one was closer than he to the railroad and
commercial interests of Illinois. He had
secured the first United States railroad
land grant for the Illinois Central. Tho
Rock Island, first of all Illinois roads, had
Just reached the Mississippi. Railroads
would soon be built across Iowa, The
natural route to the Pacific waa across
Nebraska prairies. If opened to white
settlement It was certain the rush of pop
ulation would carry the road on Its shoul
ders and with It the trade not only of the
west, but of the world to Chicago. The
price to pay was to satisfy the slave sen
timentalists of the south to offer them,
prima facie, an equal opportunity with
" " 1
TERRITORY OF NEBRASKA FROM 1S64 TO 188V.
A WHITR EARTH RIVER.
B PORTION RKMOVED BY FORMATION OF COLORADO.
C PRKSBNT LIMITS.
the north in settling the new territory,
knowing as Douglas knew that the supe
rior energy and push of the free state
migration would win In Nebraska as It
already had In Oregon and California.
Such an offer would cut the ground
from beneath the feet of the New Orleans-
Texas-Mississippi opponents of tho bill.
They could no longer unite the south
against the measure on the score of pre
tended sympathy for the Indian. It Is
significant that Douglas wrote the plan
for the amended bill alone. The south
Itself waa surprised. It was like picking
up 'privileges In the road. Human-like,
its first thought after tha shock of sur
prise wit for "more." Senator Dixon of
Kentucky on January Id moved an amend
ment expressly repealing In plain words
the Missouri compromise of 1820. Douglas
at once went to Dixon's seat and re
monstrated. Dixon stood firm, saying the
Missouri compromise was not repealed by
that of I860, and the south wanted tha
question settled beyond doubt. On th
aeoct day Douglas took Dixon out for a
drive. . When th drive waa ended Douglas
had adopted th Dixon Idea and promised
to put It la the bllL There waa but on
mora atep needed to make success certain
that waa th support of the Pierce admin
istration, and with that the support of
very pie counter patriot from Maine to
Oregon. Th man next 'to President Pleroa
was Jefferson Davis. Sunday, January 22,
Douglas called on Davis and unfolded his
plan. Davis took Douglas with him at once
to th president a rare thing for the latter
to receive a Sunday political visitor. Tha
two visitors carried from th Whit Hons
Pierce's promise to snake th bill aa ad
ministration measure and tha bill was as
good as enacted,
Monday morning, January M. Douglas
introduced no longer the Nebraska bill
but th Nebraska-Kansas bill. providing
for two territories and declaring that tha
Missouri compromise having been super
seded by the compromise of I860, Is no
longer operative In the two territories. Th
next day tha Washington Union, organ of
th Pierce government, declares th
amended bill an administration measure
and a test of democratic orthodoxy.
But while these politicians' combinations
were being formed th north was rising In
rebellion. Whig and democrat and abo
litionist had now a common creed. Tha
very day tha Union declared support of
tha bill a teat af saraoeratlo faith appeared
In print tha "Appeal of th Independent
Democrats," signed by Chase, Giddlngs,
Sumner, Gerritt Smith, Edward Wade. Alex
DeWItt, a fiery review of tha Nebraska
bUI and a stirring call of th free states
to action. Th free states responded. Mass
meetings, newspapers, pulpits, voiced a
mighty chorus of protest. The legislatures
of five northern states sent In solemn reso
lutions against th bllL Douglas found he
must drive hard to get the bill through,
and ho drove. From January SO to March
3 the 1411 waa debated In the senate in the
intervals of other business, with Douglas
urging every day toward a final vote. Tha
night of March 3 Douglas spoke from mid
night until daybreak, closing the debate,
and the bill passed by a vote of 37 to 11
Fourteen northern democrats, fourteen
southern democrats and nine southern
whlgs voted "ay." Four northern demo
crats, six northern whlgs, two free sollers,
one southern whig (Bell of Tennessee) and
one southern democrat (Sam Houston of
Texas) voted "nay." One Important amend
ment had been made, proposed by Senator
Clayton of Delaware, that only citizens of
the United States should vote or bold of
fice In the new territories. This waa de
signed to shut out foreign immigrants who
had declared their intention to become citl
sens and passed by tha cloa vote of 28
to n. . .
The bill now went to the house, where
Richardson waa atlll at the head of the
committee on territories. He moved, March
21, Its reference to that committee. Cutting,
democrat of New Tork, moved to refer it
-t - snissslsir I . . ,V tw a
I 4 n vrH I
' 1 1 .i ' ' 1 1 1 k
to the committee of the whole, and In spit
of all Richardson and Douglas could do,
the house did so by a vote of 110 to 95.
There were fifty bills ahead of it, which
must be disposed of before it could b
reached. The opposition of the north waa
growing louder every day. It astonished
those who had reckoned on an uprising.
Three thousand New England clergymen
out of a total of 3,800 of all denominations,
sent In a. protest. Five hundred clergy
men from the northwest sent in another to
Douglas himself, which he felt compelled
to present with some caustic remarks to
the senate. Now was shown the power of
the pie counter. The Pierce administration
made It known that no democrats need ap
ply for office who did not push for the Nebraska-Kansas
Mil. Important appoint
ments were held back until the bill was
passed. Every democratic congressman
felt the mighty force of the party machine.
The house business wss expedited and on
May 8 Richardson moved to go Into com
mittee of tb whole for the purpose of
laying; a ski, one by one, the eighteen re
maining bills ahead of his own Nebraska
bill. This waa done, th minority fighting
very Inch, and Richardson then moved to
substitute the senate bill, minus the Clay
ton amendment, for his own bill.
Th democrats of the north found th
Clayton amendment too heavy a burden to
carry. It meant the driving of foreign-born
voters out of their party en masso. De
bate went on until May 11, when Richard
son rose and moved to close debate the
next day at 12 o'clock and on that de
manded the previous question. The opposi
tion implored and threatened, but Richard
son would not yield. Then began a nil
buster, similar to the one that marked
the repeal of the silver purchasing clause
In the summer of 1S83. Every known means
to prevent a vote was employed by the
minority. All day the 11th. all night, nil
the next day and until midnight was spent
In ceaseless roll calls on dilatory motions.
Both sides were worn out and adjourned.
On Monday, May IS, the fight waa re
newed. The Pacific railroad bill here ap
peared on th scene, Inseparable from the
fate of Nebraska. It bad been made a
special order for consideration that week.
It required a two-thirds majority to post
pone the special order. There wns not a
two-thirds majority in favor of the Ne
braska bill, but there were enough oppo
nents of the Padfl railroad among
those voting against th Nebraska measure
Jun 8, 100i
to rrre Richardson th two-thirds
Jority for Its postponement. The motkaa
then passed to clow debate at the end of
the week. General debet waa closed, but
there still remained, under the rules, tha
privilege of moving amendments and mak
ing five-minute speeches upon them. How
to cut off the flood of amendments and
five-minute speeches waa the knotty prob
lem for the majority. It was solved by
Alexander H. Stephens of Georgia, wh
moved to strike out the enacting clause.
This took precedence over any other mo
tion to amend. The friends of the bill,
under Instruction, voted for Stephens" mo
tion. This was equivalent to rejecting tha
bill and made It necessary at once for th
committee of the whole to rise and report
to the house. The bouse voted down th
report of the committee of the whole, and
then had the bill in Its own hands. Th
end was reached and at midnight. May Z2,
the roll was called on the passage of tha
bill, with the Clayton amendment stricken
out! The vote was 113 to 100-44 northern
democrats, 67 southern democrats and 13
southern whlgs for the bill, and 46 north
ern whlgs. 42 northern democrats, T south
ern whlgs and 3 - southern democrats'
against.
On May 25 the senate agreed to the housa
amendments and on May 30, 1854. President
Pierce signed It snd Nebraska territory was
born, after the fiercest political fight tn th
nation's history. The slave sentimentalists
of the south bad swallowed the Douglas
bait. They had secured the "equality
their constituents had clamored for the
right tu take their slaves with them Into
Kansas and Nebraska territory an empty
privilege. To get this they had welded
northern whlgs, democrats and abolitionists
Into one compact organisation. They had
driven the German Immigrants Into tha
new organisation. And they had opened
tha northern path to the Pacific to settle
ment and survey. What use to agitate for
a Pncttlc railroad across the sands of Art
aona and New Mexico while the fertllav
prairies and valleys of Nebraska and Kan
sas were filling with frontiersmen and tha
broad emigrant trail up the Platte grew
broader every year. Its margin dotted with
ranches? Is It any surprise that in New
Orleans, in Texaa and . In Mississippi the
newspapers of the day- report no rejoicing
over the passage of the Nebraska bill?
There, at least, were southerners smart
enough to know they had lost a battle a
battle for commercial supremacy, the foun
dation for all other supremacy. And Is It
not more surprising that alt these fifty
years historians and writers have Insisted
In treating the Niebraska-Kansag struggle
as the product of the ambition of one man
to be president, rather than what It reallv Is
a phase In a mighty struggle for a world's
highway and commercial empire, In which
the presidential ambition of one mas
played but a subordinate part?
Nebraska Territory ISM-ISO'.
The territorial life of Nebraska began
with the arrival of Governor Francis Burt
of South Carolina, who reached Bellevuo
October 7, 1854. and died there October 18.
His only official act was to take the oath
of office. His successor wan Thomas Cum
ing of Michigan, secretary of state. Ha -made
Omaha the capital of Nebraska and
all she is today Is the result of that act. It
took a man of Iron nerve to fix the capital
at Omaha, to fix the apportionment for tha
first territorial legislature so as to hold it
there, to face the storm from squatter sov
ereigns who denounced his high-handed
acts and demanded his removal. Acting
Governor Cuming had the nerve and to him,
Omaha owes her place on the map. Th
first census, taken Octobor 31, 1864, showed
2,732 white settlers In Nebraska, more than
half of these really residents of lwa and
Missouri. Omaha had about 150 people and
. a brick building built near Ninth and Far
nam and donated by the ferry company,
was tho place where the lirst territorial
legislature met January 16. 1855. The lead
ing features of the session were the capital
fight, In which Omaha held what she had,
the adaption of the Iowa code, the granting
of numerous ferry and bridge charters, tha
enactment of a prohlbl'-ory law and a claim
club law. The land in tbe eastern part of
the territory had been acquired by treaties
with the Omahas, Otoes and MJs.so.urls In
March, 1854. It was not surveyed until 1S55
and 1856. The settlers were therefore all
"squatters," and us such they organized
claim clubs designed to becure each of them
320 acres of land whereby the law of tbe
United States they were entitled to only
160. The claim clubs were the government
the first two years. Distinguished men Ilk
John M. Thayer and A. J. Poppleton Wera
presidents. They stood together and drova
off newcomers who tried to settle on their
claim!".
The census of JJ55 shorved 1,494 ppople In
Nebraska. A scare over some Sioux In
dians near Fontanelle cost the territory
$9,000 and gave General Thayer his first
military experience. The treasurer bor
rowed 34,000 at lb per cent interest to pay
legislative bills. The first crop of Ne
braska wild eat banks were given charters
by the legislature. Their charters gav
them the right to begin a banking busi
ness and Issue then paper n-tes as soon
as they hod 350,000 capital "tserft-ed."
J. Stfrilng Morton and Dr. George L.
MlUer were among the hard fighters against
these bank charter, but many of tAe rneuv.
