He said it would be best to let the people themselves decide if New Mexico would be a slave or free state.

VOA: special.2009.03.12

But there would be no further attempt to make it a slave state.

VOA: special.2009.05.21

But he said someone had to make clear to anti-slavery Democrats that the union would be dissolved if the constitutional rights of slave owners were not honored.

VOA: special.2009.07.09

"Before we not that smart. Now we know what going on, how much they cheat us, how much they want us to be slave for them."

VOA: standard.2010.05.14