Many  members  took  part  in  the  debate. Some  contended  that
the  California  of  the  Spaniards  and  Mexicans  extended  unques-
tionably as  far  eastward  as  New  Mexico  and  included  all  the
Salt  Lake  region  and  that  the  convention  had  been  called  to
form  a  constitution  for  California  as  they  found  it  and  for  noth-


THE  CONSTITUTIONAL  CONVENTION. 767

ing  less;  while  others  contended  that  the  purpose  of  the  conven-
tion was  to  provide  a  government  only  for  the  people  it  repre-
sented and  not  for  the  Mormons  of  Salt  Lake  or  the  sterile
mountains  and  grease-wood  plains  that  stretched  in  lonely  mo-
notony between  them  and  the  Sierra  Nevada. Gwin  urged  that
the  question  of  representation  made  little  difference. It  was
well  known  that  all  the  delegates  in  the  convention  south  of  a
certain  line,  which  strangely  enough  corresponded  with  the
famous  Mason  and  Dixon  line,  were  opposed  to  a  state  constitu-
tion and  in  favor  of  a  territorial  government;  yet  they  had  to
submit  to  the  views  of  the  majority. So  of  the  Mormons:  if
they  wanted  to  be  represented,  they  should  have  asked  for  it,
and  under  any  circumstances  they  would  have  to  submit  to  the
majority. He  had  no  idea  that  California  would  continue  to
embrace  all  the  territory  described;  he  did  not  so  desire;  he
expected  the  time  would  come  when  there  would  be  twenty
states  west  of  the  Rocky  mountains. But  no  one  could  be  blind
to  the  fact  that  there  was  great  agitation  on  the  slavery  ques-
tion; that  the  people  of  the  country  were  preparing  for  a  con-
flict, and  that  it  was  important,  if  possible,  to  allay  the  excite-
ment and  leave  no  room  for  bringing  on  trouble  in  reference  to
any  part  of  California  in  the  future.*

The  result  of  th6  debate  in  the  committee  of  the  whole  was
an  approval  of  the  Gwin-Halleck  proposition;  so  that,  if  it  had
finally  prevailed,  California  might  have  extended  as  far  east  as
Salt  Lake  and  embraced  upwards  of  four  hundred  thousand
square  miles  of  territory. But  subsequently,  in  the  convention,
Hastings  moved  a  substitute,  very  nearly  in  the  language  pre-
viously offered  by  Shannon,  and  it  was  adopted  by  a  vote  of
twenty-three  to  twenty-one. A  notice  to  reconsider  was  made
and,  after  another  debate,  sustained. Another  debate  occurred
and  Hastings*  substitute  was  rejected. 