1850 American Gold Tycoon

Chapter 108: Fremont’s Fury

Fremont sat in his seat anxiously awaiting the results of the vote, his heart beating very fast.

Soon, the voting results were announced: 46 votes in favor, 11 votes against, and 4 abstentions.

Fremont's heartfelt speech only won the sympathy of a few senators.

Except for Texas and a few southern state senators who voted against Fremont, almost all the remaining opposition votes came from the new western states.

The representatives of these new states do not have a large say in Congress. The old states in the east have the most say in Congress, especially the thirteen states since the founding of the People's Republic of China.

This is true even for the relatively balanced Senate, let alone the House of Representatives, where Eastern representatives account for the majority. Because members of the House of Representatives are allocated based on the population of each state, eastern states have an inherent advantage.

Fillmore was powerless to help with this result. If Fremont could win more than one-third of the opposition votes, he could also use the president's veto power to veto the bill.

It's a pity that Fremont didn't even get a third of the vote.

Fillmore was also worried about the serious consequences of forced land resumption in California.

It's just that the spokesmen of these consortiums in Congress don't care about this. They only have gold and US dollars in their eyes.

"Motion to reclaim California's land grant from the Mexican government passed"

Fillmore announced the result in a sad tone.

Even if this is a result he does not want to see, he can only accept it, because this is the rule of the American political game, and even if he is the president of a country, he can only act under the constraints of these rules.

"Fremont, I'm sorry."

Fillmore walked off the stage and came to Fremont. He gently patted Fremont on the shoulder and comforted him.

He knew that this bill would do great harm to a new state. After the introduction of this bill, California's appeal to eastern people would be greatly reduced, and California would become a paradise for eastern financial groups.

It was a victory for Fillmore and Fremont, surrounded by cheering Senate members. They cheered the victory heartily in Congress.

In the days that followed, California's gold would not only flow into the pockets of eastern conglomerates and nobles, but also into their pockets.

Calhoun also showed a proud smile. He also knew that he didn't have much time. This bill would be the last one in his life and would bring a successful end to his political career. Calhoun Very happy with this.

"Mr. President, you should be happy about this. The successful passage of this bill is a good thing for the federal government. The revenue from the auction of California land will be used to replenish the treasury of the United States."

Secretary Webster told Fillmore.

Fillmore sneered. He knew very well that the Secretary of State from New Hampshire seemed to be clean and honest, but in fact he was a sanctimonious hypocrite.

When Fillmore was still a lawyer, he personally sent money to Webster, who was already a prominent figure in the political arena, in order to win a real estate lawsuit.

But in the end, Fillmore still lost the lawsuit. Although more than twenty years have passed since this incident, you and he still remember it fresh.

"Mr. Webster, how generous do you think these consortiums will be to the federal government?" Fillmore said in a very cold tone.

"Since you insist on going your own way, as a senator from California, I have to remind you that I, Fremont, will never accept this result! Neither will the people of California!"

A grieved Fremont rose up, stepped onto the podium, and tore Calhoun's speech and bill into pieces.

"If you want to take away the land in California, please do it over the corpses of the people of California! I will return to California and fight with you to the end just like I fought with the Mexicans!"

After that, Fremont, whose vision was blurred, left the Congress directly.

The senators in Congress did not take Fremont's words seriously. In their eyes, Fremont was just a political newcomer who spoke openly.

A newcomer couldn't make much of a splash, and they didn't take Fremont's words seriously.

"I guess this guy must be from the South!"

"I bet five dollars that they must be from the South. Only the South can be so barbaric and fight at every turn, as if they want to declare war on the whole world."

"We northerners will never have such an uncultured senator."

"You guys, please lower your voices." Seward reminded those congressmen who were talking about Fremont. "Fremont personally cannot represent the entire South."

The congressmen's eyes fell on the wheelchair pushed by Seward. Mr. Calhoun, who was slumped in the wheelchair, seemed a little unhappy.

They then realized and stopped talking about Southerners, because Mr. Calhoun's home state was South Carolina.

Although Mr. Colhoun's ancestors were also Northerners, he was born and raised in South Carolina.

After Fremont left, two Texas senators also put on their top hats and left Congress.

"Ron, I think we should send Bell a telegram."

Espy said to his companion Ron after walking out of Congress.

"I think so." Ron agreed. "Mr. Bell should be informed to suspend the withdrawal of troops from the New Mexico area. Oh, damn, what New Mexico area? Those places originally belong to our Texas."

If what Fremont said is true, Californians will defend their land, which is good news for them Texans.

If Californians were tough enough, that annoying guy Mason would probably be transferred to California from the U.S.-Mexico border.

As a result, Texas will face much less pressure.

Whether out of sympathy or in Texas' own self-interest, they should side with California.

Neither Ron nor Espy wants Texas to become the next California.

News that Congress had passed the bill to withdraw the Mexican land grant from California quickly spread via telegraph to New York and major cities in the East.

The aristocratic families and financial groups in New York had long anticipated the result. Wall Street even laid out a map of California, dividing the known and unknown gold-producing areas and all possible places into pieces with straight lines.

Representatives of the New York consortium represented by William Backhouse Astor, also known as Little Astor, pointed at the map of California, as if the entire California was already the cake on their table, allowing them to eat.

In order to pass the bill to recover the California-Mexico land grant, their New York consortium contributed the most and should get the most and the richest gold-producing land.

"Mr. Vanderbilt, I hear you and your short-sighted guys are spending a lot of money in California."

Buckhurst noticed Vanderbilt looking at him with cold eyes, and his words were full of schadenfreude.

"I think your investment in California is going to be in vain. If you are willing to join us and bid in this land auction, we would not mind giving you some prime land."

"Backhouse, you are a complete nuisance just like your stingy father." Vanderbilt smiled faintly, "I have the richest gold production in California, and Staten Mining Company can produce gold every day. It brings me tens of thousands of dollars in income, why should I participate in your land auction?"

"But unfortunately, the mining areas you occupy are illegal, and your gold is also illegal! It will be confiscated sooner or later!"

Backhouse was jealous when he learned that Vanderbilt's Staten Mining Company was bringing in at least tens of thousands of dollars a day to Vanderbilt.

"Not necessarily, we have legal procedures. I have to remind you, Backhouse, that California is not a territory now and there is a legal government there. The resolution of Congress to confiscate California land is unconstitutional."

Vanderbilt's confidence comes from his confidence in Liang Yao. He has always judged people accurately. He believes that he has not judged the wrong person, and Liang Yao will never give in easily.

"Some of the proposals in this year's compromise bill are also unconstitutional, so what's the result?" Backhouse countered.

"I think you're going to be disappointed pretty quickly, and Californians are not going to compromise."

After speaking, Vanderbilt no longer wanted to argue with Backhouse.

In the face of gold, not only Liang Yao and he would not compromise, but he believed that thousands of gold prospectors and miners in California would not compromise either.

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