1. That all territory of the United States north of 36° 30' should be free, and all south of it slave soil.
2. That slaves should be protected as property by all the departments of the territorial government.
3. That states should be admitted with or without slavery as their constitutions provided, whether the states were north or south of 36° 30'.
4. That Congress should have no power to shut slavery out of the territories.
5. That the United States should pay owners for rescued fugitive slaves.
As these propositions recognized the right of property in slaves, that is, put the black man on a level with horses and cattle, the Republicans rejected them, and the attempt to compromise ended in failure.
%423. A Proposed Thirteenth Amendment%.—One act of great significance was done. A proposition to add a thirteenth amendment to the Constitution was submitted to the states. It read,
"No amendment shall be made to the Constitution which will authorize or give to Congress the power to abolish or interfere within any state with the domestic institutions thereof, including that of persons held to labor or service by the laws of said states."
Even Lincoln approved of this, and two states, Maryland and Ohio, accepted it. But the issue was at hand. It was too late to compromise.
%424. Abraham Lincoln, Sixteenth President%.—Lincoln and Hamlin were inaugurated on March 4, 1861, and in his speech from the Capitol steps Lincoln was very careful to state just what he wanted to do.