A third act in this unhappy series gave to Texas ten millions of
dollars for the alleged surrender of claims to a part of New
Mexico. This had little bearing on the general subject of
compromise; yet anti-slavery men criticized it on the ground that
the issue raised was insincere; that the appropriation was in
fact a bribe to secure votes necessary to pass the other
measures; that the bill was passed through Congress by shameless
bribery, and that even the boundaries conceded to Texas involved
the surrender of free territory.

The abolition of the slave-trade in the District of Columbia was
supported by both sections of the country. The removal of the
slave pens within sight of the Capitol to a neighboring city
deprived the abolitionists of one of their weapons for effective
agitation, but it did not otherwise affect the position of
slavery.

Of the five acts included in the compromise measures, the one
which provided for the return of fugitive slaves was most
effective in the promotion of hostility between the two sections.
During the six months of debate on the Omnibus Bill, numerous
bills were presented to take the place of the law of 1793.
Webster brought forward a bill which provided for the use of a
jury to establish the validity of a claim to an escaped slave.
But that which was finally adopted by a worn-out Congress is
characterized as one of the most barbarous pieces of legislation
ever enacted by a civilized country. A single incident may
indicate the nature of the act. James Hamlet, for three years a
resident of New York City, a husband and a father and a member of