WILMOT PROVISO. The name applied to an amendment proposed in the United States Congress in 1846 by David Wilmot (q.v.), a Democratie Representative from Pennsylvania. to a bill appropriating money for the purchase of territory from Mexico. 1M August S, 1846, Presi dent Polk sent to Congress a special message asking that body to appropriate money to be used in adjusting the boundary dispute between the United States and Mexico. In response a bill appropriating 82,000.000 was introduced in the House, and it was expected that the money would be used in buying the Mexican claims to the dis puted territory. In the debate that followed, Wilmot moved an amendment which pro vided "that neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall ever exist in any part of said territory, except for• crime, whereof the party shall first be duly convicted." This amend ment was adopted in the House by a vote of 83 to 64, and the entire bill was then passed. When it was taken up in the Senate, however, Lewis, of Alabama. moved to strike out the proviso: brit Davis, of Massachusetts, spoke against the motion, and eolith:nod his opposition until Congress adjourned. In the following De cember the President again asked for the meas ure. and, as most of the Northern State Legisla tures had declared in favor of it, hills were soon reported in both Douses. On Fehr uary 8. IS-17. Wilmot again moved his proviso to one of these hills (appropriating $3,000,000 instead of the original $2.000,000). and it was again adopted, on February 15th, by a vole of 115 to 106. Mean while, however, the Democratic Senate had passed a similar bill without the proviso, and this bill came up before the House. That body in miler of the whole voted to amend the Senate bill by adding the proviso, but the pro viso was rejected by the Senate and the hill was finally passed without it In the contest the pro-slavery men had natu rally fought the proviso, and in the effort to preserve harmony between the Northern and Southern wings of their party the Democrats were forced to evolve the doetrine of popular sovereignty (q.v.). Those who, like Wilmot,
were unwilling to accept this doctrine split off from the party. Time principle contained in the proviso continued to lie a humming issue even after its temporary rejeCtion. Attempts were made to apply the principle in organizing the territory that was acquired from „Mexico, and it formed the basis, in part, of time Free Soil Party, and later of time Ilepublican Party. it was rejected in time Compromise of 18:0. and its previous application in time souri Compromise (q.v.) of 1820 was Wiped out by the liam-as-Nebraska Bill (q.v.) of 1854; and in the famous case of Dred Scott it was held to he out of harmony with the Constitution. Ulti mately, however. it was established by the act of June 19, 1862, which forbade slavery in "any of the territories of the United States now existing, or which may at any time hereafter be acquired." Consult: lei, and For shire Power (Roston, 1872-771; Schouler, History of the United States of Amer ica Under the Omstitution (New York. new ed. 1899) ; You Hoist, Constitutional and Po litical History of the States (Chicago, new ell. 18991 ; and Stephens, Crmstitutione/ Vicu of the Late War Between the .S'tates (Phil adelphia. 1868-70).