who, like Calhoun, believed slavery the creature of the Federal
Constitution, and those, who, like Webster, believed it the creature
of local municipal law. But it promised a temporary respite to
the vexed question. He had already, in the House, advocated the
extension of this line through the Western Territories. He believed
that adhesion to this venerable Compromise, now as sacred as the
Constitution itself, was the hope of the future and succeeded in
persuading the Senate to adopt his amendment as the final solution
of the vexed problem. It was rejected in the House and the question
indefinitely postponed.

In the Territories, meanwhile, events moved fast. While Congress
had been wrangling over the new possessions, gold was discovered
in California. A tumultuous rush of people, unparalleled since the
Crusades, at once began by all routes from every region to the new
El Dorado. More than 80,000 settlers arrived in 1849. A spontaneous
movement of the people resulted in a Constitutional Convention,
which met at Monterey on September 3d of that year, and adopted a
Constitution which forever prohibited slavery. It was submitted
to a vote and adopted in November.

Congress met on December 3d and resumed the Sisyphean labors of the
last session. Douglas was chairman of the Committee on Territories,
to which were referred all measures affecting the recent
acquisitions--altogether the most momentous of the session--which
stirred the deepest passions of Congress and held the keenest attention
of the people. In the early days of December he submitted to his
Committee two bills. One provided for the immediate admission
of California; the other for the establishment of governments for
Utah and New Mexico and the adjustment of the Texas boundary. On