FEDERAL RELATIONS OF OREGON
289
House, that it be laid on the table. By a vote of 112 to 97 this was done and a motion to table the motion to
test of the
reconsider was carried, 114 to 96. 43 Thus in a few minutes all the work of the Senate was undone and the House pro-
ceeded with the discussion of
its
own
bill.
"I regard this vote of the House's as most unfortunate," recorded the President in his Diary** "The majority, I learn,
was made up
of every Northern Whig, of about half the Northern Democrats, & of 8 Southern Whigs. Those of the Democratic party whose sympathies are with the Barnburners
New
York, or who are timid & afraid to risk their popuhome, united with the Whigs to defeat the bill. * *
The political factions in Congress are all at work and they seem to be governed by no patriotic motives, but by the effect which they suppose may be produced upon the public mind of
larity at
pending Presidential election. A heavy responsibility upon these, and especially upon the 8 Southern Whigs, who have united to defeat this mieasure of compromise of this most delicate & vexatious question. If no Presidential election had been pending I cannot doubt the compromise Bill would have passed the House. If it had done so the agitation would have ceased and the question would have been at rest." in the
rests
He
thought
take
more
it
probable that the Northern candidate would
distinctly anti-slavery
who had been nominated by
ground
(i.
the Democrats
Van Buren, who were dis-
e..
satisfied with the Baltimore platform) that no candidate would have a majority in the electoral college, and so the election would go to the House. The Whig leaders in both Houses, he learned, desired to adjourn early and so prevent
any action on the
territories, thus
enhancing, as they supposed,
the chances of General Taylor, their candidate. In addition to the ever-present slavery issue, which occupied most of the attention of the House, there was some objection
form of the land grant provisions and to the veto power given to the governor in the House bill. The to the particular
^
43 Globe, XVIII, 1006-7.
44 IV, 33-4.
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