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.

,>