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Chapter 33
第33章
The compromise of 1850
1850年的折中法案
340. The Wilmot Proviso, 1846.
340．"韋幕特但書"（1846年）
What should be done with Oregon and with the immense territory received from Mexico? Should it be free soil or should it be slave soil? To understand the history of the dispute which arose out of this question we must go back a bit and study the Wilmot Proviso. Even before the Mexican War was fairly begun, this question came before Congress. Every one admitted that Texas must be a slave state. Most people were agreed that Oregon would be free soil. For it was too far north for negroes to thrive. But what should be done with California and with New Mexico? David Wilmot of Pennsylvania thought that they should be free soil. He was a member of the House of Representatives. In 1846 he moved to add to a bill giving the President money to purchase land from Mexico a proviso that none of the territory to be acquired at the national expense should be open to slavery. This proviso was finally defeated. But the matter was one on which people held very strong opinions, and the question became the most important issue in the election of 1848.
怎樣處理俄勒岡及從墨西哥獲得的大量領土？這些土地是否允許有奴隸存在？認識這些問題的歷史需要再往回追溯一下，分析"韋幕特但書"。即使在墨西哥戰爭完全開始之前，國會就遇到過這個問題，所有的人都承認得克薩斯必定為一個有奴隸存在的州，多數人都同意俄勒岡將是一個不允許有奴隸存在的州，因為它在遙遠的北方，不利于黑人茁壯成長。但是，如何處理加利福尼亞和新墨西哥？賓夕法尼亞州的大衛·韋幕特但認為這兩個地方應當只有自由民。他是眾議院的議員。1846年他在一項給總統錢從墨西哥購買土地的法案上附上一個附件，這個附件要求，不在用國家的錢獲得的領土上接受奴隸制。這個附件最終被否決。但是，這是一個引起人民極大關注的問題，并且，這個問題成為1848年大選中最重要的問題。
341. Taylor elected President, 1848.
341．泰勒當選總統（1848年）
Three candidates contested the election of 1848. First there was Lewis Cass of Michigan, the Democratic candidate.
1848年有三名候選人競選總統，第一個是密歇根的劉易斯o卡斯，民主黨候選人；
