ritories, such persons as may there be deemed to be Slaves, so
long as any persons of the same description are allowed to be
held as Slaves by the laws of this State.

... "It shall be their duty, as soon as may be, to pass such laws
as may be necessary,

"First, to prevent free negroes and mulattoes from coming to, and
settling in, this State, under any pretext whatever."

Upon the motion to admit the State the vote stood: yeas, 79, nays, 93.
Upon a second attempt to admit her, with the understanding that the
resolution just quoted should be expunged the vote was worse than
before, standing: yeas, 6; nays, 146!

The House now rested, until a joint resolve, admitting her with but a
vague and ineffective qualification, came down from the Senate, where
it was passed by a vote of 26 to 18--six Senators from Free States in
the affirmative. Mr. Clay, who had resigned in the recess, and been
succeeded, as Speaker, by John W. Taylor, of New York, now appeared as
the leader of the Missouri admissionists, and proposed terms of
compromise, which were twice voted down by the Northern members, aided
by John Randolph and three others from the South, who would have
Missouri admitted without condition or qualification. At last, Mr.
Clay proposed a joint committee on this subject, to be chosen by
ballot--which the House agreed to by a vote of 101 to 55; and Mr. Clay
became its chairman. By this committee it was agreed, that a solemn
pledge should be required of the Legislature of Missouri, that the
constitution of that State should not be construed to authorize the
passage of any act, and that no act should be passed "by which any of
the citizens of either of the States should be excluded from the
enjoyment of the privileges and immunities to which they are entitled
under the Constitution of the United States." The joint resolution,
amended by the addition of this proviso, passed the House by 86 yeas
to 82 nays; the Senate concurred (Feb. 27, 1821) by 26 yeas to 15
nays--(all Northern but Macon, of N. C.). Missouri complied with the
condition, and became an accepted member of the Union. Thus closed the
last stage of the fierce Missouri controversy, which for a time seemed
to threaten--as so many other controversies have harmlessly
threatened--the existence of the Union.

By this time there was scarcely a State in the North but that had
organized anti-slavery, or abolition, societies. Pennsylvania boas