ours to the Gulf of Mexico," the tears came
into his eyes. My remark that the North abhorred the institution of
slavery, wounded the Southern men sorely. They were not indignant, but
grieved rather. At any rate, such was their aspect, and for many days
the remark was repeated or referred to with the hope, apparently, of
inducing me to retract or qualify it. I allowed it to stand as a
truth which they might well accept.

When the day came for the final vote upon the first resolution relating
to slavery as reported by the Committee of Thirteen, a meeting of the
New York delegation was called in consequence of the engagement of
David Dudley Field to argue a case in the Supreme Court. Mr. Field was
one of the six Republican members, and associated with them were five
Democrats and Conservatives.

As each State had one vote, his absence would set New York out of the
contest unless the Democrats would agree that Mr. Field's vote should
be counted in his absence. This proposition the Democrats refused to
accept, and they gave notice that the vote of New York would be lost
unless Mr. Field remained and voted. Mr. Field left, and the vote of
the State was lost. There were twenty-one States represented,
including Kansas, which was in a territorial condition when the
convention assembled, and the Territorial Governor had sent a
Conservative, Mr. Thomas Ewing, Jr. His father was a member from Ohio.
When the State government of Kansas was organized, the Governor
delegated a Republican. Both were allowed seats, although manifestly,
Mr. Ewing should have retired.

When the vote was declared, it appeared that eight States had voted in
the affirmative, and eleven States in the negative. The border State
men were sorely disappointed, and some of them wept like children. The
result they must have anticipated, but they had been wrought to a high
condition of nervous excitement, due in part to the circumstance that
they were unable to discuss the business of the convention in public.
The disagreeable silence which followed the announcement of the vote,
was broken by Mr. Francis Granger, who counseled calmness and
deliberation, and finally, he appealed to the States of the majority
to move a reconsideration. This was done by the State of Illinois,
through Mr. Turner, who made the motion. The next day the resolution
was adopted by a vote of nine to eight. Upon this question the
Missouri delegation refused to vote, under the