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Show 138 NOTES ON writers ant.l speakers, to prove what nobody .t.lcnics,-what, indccU, is perfectly notorious,-that at the tune of the form: ttion of the ll,cdcra.l Constitution nobody dreamed of tl1o extension of sla.vc territory, and very few, (hardly a.ny, indeed out of South Carolina and Georgia,) even of the extension of sluvcry, but that men generally were looking forward to its gr:tdual and not very distant extinction. nut then, it is equally true that nobody dreamed of the extension of territory at a11, whether slave or free; anU hence there is no provision for extension in the Constitution. And yet, since its adoption, the extent of our territory has been nearly tripled, and a. considerable slice of the new portion, -more than one-fourth, a.nd that the best for agricultural purposcs,-is now slave territory. And still the cry is, More! and that not merely at the South, but even louder at the North, where it is fast becoming generaL Witness the following from the New York Times, (Weekly,) of May 1-1, 1853: "The selection of Mr. Buclwnan for St. James', and Mr. Soule for the Escurial, if significant at all, signifies ,that the United States has an inextinguishable appetite for Cuba; a fact of which no evidence is wanted. lias it not infcstc<l all our diplomacy; prevailed in all our Presidential mcssa. ges; been inexhaustibly expressed in Congress and by the press? The rnost consm·valivc of us admit tlwt tlte absorption of tlte island is only a question of time. '£he selection is utterly devoid of other meaning." And the following from tho Boston Journal, of May 23, 1853: "Whether the administration will be slow to take offence at the folly of our Mexican neighbors remains to be seen; but an important movement is undoubtedly in contemplation. Sooner or later the limits of our territory must and will be extended further South. Its course is as plainly UXCL!•: TOM K GABTN. l!JO m~rkcJ out ~s the path of the sun in heaven; but it is only bhnd cnthusmsts, hot·hcaded politicians, and reckless demagogues, that would precipitate matters before the time. l~.nlightencd .Mexicans, like General Arista, foresee it, and ~\'ISh for such a..rcsult; but the true course for us to a.dopt IS to leave !1-IcxJco to herself. Her tyranny and anarchial rule will alienate the northern provinceS, which will shake off her yoke, successively following the example of Texas, and become independent States. The people of the United s.t~t~s ':ill emigrate thither and settle among them, carrying cmhzatwn, the love of republican liberty, and the ability of sclf·governmcnt; and when in this way they become regcncrotcd, and fit to be admitted, they will drop like ripened frmt mto the lap of the Union, becoming really valuable acquisitions." · As to the Sandwich Islands, it seems to be generally conceded that we arc to have them during the present administration; probably, within the present year. And this we call "manifest destiny." I rather refer it to the lcadings of Providcnce,-that "Divinity thnt shapes our ends, • Uough-hew them how we will;"- that leads us by a way we knc\V not, working out by our (often unconscious) agency his purposes of wisdom and love; " .From seeming evil still educing gooU," and carrying the world, slowly but surely, forward, to its final redemption. And what arc to be the consequences of all this to tho negro? First and foremost, increased value to his labor, and consequent kinder treatment from his master: Then, a more rapid elevation in the scale of being: And finally, a speedier exodus to the land of his fathers. |