protracted to the long period of ten months, and having proved more
stormy than any other session since the adoption of the Federal
Constitution. The effects of the above measures time only can
determine. While to the South, the abolition of the slave trade in the
District of Columbia, is most obnoxious, being, as is affirmed, a
precursor of further action by the general government in relation to
the abolition of slavery, the fugitive slave bill has received the
loud and decided condemnation of individuals and assemblies at the
North. The opinion, however, of the Attorney General, that this latter
bill does not suspend the writ of Habeas Corpus, has served in a
measure to allay the wide-spread hostility to it, as such suspension
was supposed to be contemplated by it, and was condemned as
unconstitutional and unjust.
FOOTNOTES:
[90] This office, first tendered to James A. Pearce, of Maryland, was
declined; also by Hon. Charles J. Jenkins, Georgia, and Hon. Henry S.
Geyer, of Missouri; but it was accepted by Hon. T. M. S. McKennan, of
Pennsylvania, who resigned at the close of a single day.
[91] Edward Bates, of Missouri, was originally appointed Secretary of
War, but declined the appointment.
Transcriber's Notes:
Obvious punctuation and spelling errors have been fixed throughout.
Inconsistent hyphenation has been left as in the original text.
The illustrations referred to as being on page 610 and 872 in the list
of illustrations does not exist.
Incorrect page numbers in the list of illusatrations have been corrected
to the real page numbers in the original text.
Page 838: The discovery of Venzuela by Ojeda is listed as 1449,
independant references place this at 1499. Changed the text to match
historical references.
Page 862: The resignation of Ramon Frier is listed as 1816,
independant references place this at 1826. Changed the text to match
historical references.