Editing Compromise of 1850 (section)

===Clay proposes compromise===
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 | footer = Original proposals submitted by [[Henry Clay|Clay]] in January 1850
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On January 29, 1850, Senator Henry Clay introduced a plan which combined the major subjects under discussion. His legislative package of eight bills included the admission of California as a free state, the [[State cessions|cession]] by Texas of some of its northern and western territorial claims in return for debt relief, the establishment of [[New Mexican Territory|New Mexico]] and [[Utah Territory|Utah]] territories, a ban on the importation of slaves into the District of Columbia for sale, and a more stringent fugitive slave law.{{sfn|Smith|1988|pp=111–112}}{{Sfn|McPherson|1988|pp=70–72}} Clay had originally favored voting on each of his proposals separately, but Senator [[Henry S. Foote]] of Mississippi convinced him to combine the proposals regarding California's admission and the disposition of Texas's borders into one bill.{{sfn|Smith|1988|pp=132–139}} Clay hoped that this combination of measures would convince House members from both North and South to support the overall package of laws even if they objected to specific provisions.{{sfn|McPherson|1988|p=74}} Clay's proposal attracted the support of some Northern Democrats and Southern Whigs, but it lacked the backing necessary to win passage, and debate over the bill continued.{{sfn|McPherson|1988|p=74}} Seven months of agonizing politicking lay ahead.{{Sfn|McPherson|1988|pp=70–72}}