DIARY 163
ford enclosing his father's letter to me. By this time it was 12 M. and the House commenced to ballot for Speaker. Brown lacked two votes of an election. Here a disclosure was made that Brown had written a letter to Wilmot. This disturbed the Southers [Southerners], who had voted for Brown. Brown read the letter, and much dissatisfaction being- expressed by some southern members who had voted for Brown, whereupon Brown withdrew. Here great confusion ensued, after which the House adjourned. No Speaker. After supper I directed ten papers to so many of my constituents, and walked out ; returned, and until supper held a conversation with Mr. Hamilton of Maryland relative to slavery & Wilmot Proviso &c. Mr. Hamilton said the South did not assume their present position relative to the new territories so much on act. of the privilege of having slaves in them, or the liberty to do so, but because they feared that if they stood by quietly that the Anti-Slavery question would gain ground so much in the North as to lead the North to make attempts on the abolition of slavery in the Slave States themselves. I assured him that not a single man could be found in the North who dared to support such a notion, without the consent of the slave states themselves, and that as a corresponding fear to that named by him on the part of the South, the North also feared that if they stood by and saw slavery enlarge, that one day the free states might be overpowered by it and the Union itself overthrown. And here, after considerable dis- cussion, I asked him 1st, whether free territory did not flourish better than slave territory? 2d, whether a new ter- ritory admitted now kept free for a hundred years to come would not be a more prosperous part of the Nation, than it would if slavery existed in it? and then, whether it was not the duty of all legislators to provide for that state of things which would make their Government the most prosperous, to all of which he answered affirmatively. I then replied that in his answer we all found our duty in regard to new ter- ritories. After this I called on Col. Benton relative to Oregon. Found him affable, and wished me to call any evening. Then
