s. Gold was discovered in California. There
was a rush of immigrants, and a swift opening and settlement of the
country. The pioneers--hardy, enterprising and democratic--had no use
nor room for slaves. They held a convention, with the encouragement of
President Taylor; framed a Constitution in which slavery was excluded
from the future State--this by unanimous vote, including the 15
delegates who had come from slave States; and the popular vote ratified
the proposed Constitution by 10 to 1. Then they asked for admission to
the Union.

The Southern faction was wrathful. The extremists were for excluding the
new State unless slavery was permitted. But it was clear that slavery
could not be forced on a State against the wish of its entire people.
Then compensation was sought in concessions to be made by the North. The
remainder of the new domain, Utah and New Mexico, was not ripe for
Statehood; but let slavery, it was urged, be established as a
territorial condition. Then came up another grievance of the South. Its
fugitive slaves, escaping over the border line, were systematically
helped, either to make their way to Canada and the protection of the
British flag, or to safe homes in the Northern States. Naturally the
slaves who dared the perils of escape were either the most energetic or
the most wronged, and sympathy for them at the North was active and
resourceful. Along their most frequented routes of flight were
systematic provisions of shelter and help, known as "the underground
railroad." The Federal Constitution required their return, but this task
had been left to State laws and courts, and was performed slackly, if at
all. The total number of fugitives was not large nor the pecuniary loss
heavy, but the South was exasperated by what it considered a petty and
contemptible depredation. So there was a demand that the Federal
government should undertake and enforce the return of fugitive slaves.

Congress opened the session of 1849-50 amid great excitement and
confusion. Once more Clay came forward to reconcile the disputants. Clay
in these last days was at his best. He was no longer swayed by
Presidential aspirations. When in 1849 the Kentucky Constitution was to
be revised, he wrote a letter strongly favoring a gradual emancipation
and colonization. This had no effect, but Clay's unshaken hold on his
State was shown by his unanimous re-election to the Senate. There he at
once entered upon his last great effort at