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Show 68 .A roLITIC.A.L TEXT-BOOK FOR 181l0. ne sa.id of Texas, tha\-~ 1 In conclusion he said : •· \Vhlle !lho was Ml a. State wrak anu nlmost powl'rles!'l in "I twe, thnrt•for·o, no polltlral llPCCsslty for· tho annrxatfoa rc !sting invasion, 'sht• was her~!wlf irrt•:~islil>lo as an ltwading of Texas to the nion; no !l.<lvanragt•s to IJ.e u<'rlrcd from It, 111111 a conquering power·. t'he baJ unt a spariiO populallon, and OhJt•ctions to it of a strong, ami, In my JUtlgnwnt, dccl.sh·e au 1 neltlwr men uor money of htJr· own, to ruietJ anti equip nn chanwt.·r. arruv for her own ch:ft~n~11 ; but Jet b<•r once rnleo the flag of "I bt•ll.t•ve ll lo he for· the lr~lrrrst ~uti lmpplnr11s of the fo reign conq nest-kt her on co prochllm a crus1\tiO ag11inst tho whol11 U n10n, to ,·crnaln as It Is, w rthout duninu.ion a11u whhvut rich :->talc! to tho south or her-o.nd In a momPnl vo!un~errs adthtion." woultl flock to her standard In crowd:~, from a/Ill~ Stotts 111 tl!c g re-r.t l}(tl/ry of the .l/i.•.•iMiJ.lpi-nu~n of untcrprlsc and valor1 be; fvre whom no .M cx.lcnn tn101>~ coui<l slant! for an hour. '1 h t>) \VOuld leave their own lowu!\, arm thrmsclvrs, o.nd travel on their own cost ami would come up In rhouHIInds, to plant the lone star of the Texan bnnnrr on tho Mexican capitol. '1'1wy would tlr·lvo Santo. Anna to tho f;uuth, 1\lltlln boundlrss wealth of cn.ptn rcd towns, and rifled <·hurchcs, and a lazy, vicious, aut! luxurious pr-Iesthood, would soon crtablc Tcxnii, to pay her soldiery, anut·cducm ht•r tlllc deht, nnt.l push her victorious n.rffi.:l to tho \'l'ry shores of tho Pacific. Anrl wou ltl not all LUis extrnd tho bound!:! of Slavery? Yes, tho t·csull would be, that, beftH·e another quartrr of n crntnry, Li10 exleo!llon of ShH·cry would not stop short of Ute 'Vt•stcrn Ocrnn. lVe hwl lmt two alternalivCII 1Jefore tt.7; either to rl!uive Tt:xM i11to ou1· (rt.Uornity of Stnte3, mHl tliu311l(r.kf hrr 011r otcn, or to l fotl Vtl ~er to conquer Mexico, a11d be<"ome our most W.wgcrous (mel jonrudable ri~-.al. "To talk or rcslrn.lnlng the people of tho g reat Valley from eml"rnllng to join her armies, wa.s all in vain ; and It wa equally vain to caleulato on their de~·nt by nny Mcxka.u forces, aided by England or not. Tllry Juut grme once.ulrtxuly; it r~a.' thry th<tt mnquerl'd Scmtr' .A 111lll at Smt Jnrwto; arul !hrec-j'ourt}VJ of tliem, afl('r winning that glorious tit•ld, ho.cl p•'acen.l>ly returned to UH•ir homes. But once set brfore thr·m the corHJnrst of tho ricl1 Mexican provincrs, and yon might n!l well attempt to stop the wine!. '1'hls Oovcr·nmenL ml,~;hl sonrl Its troops to thu frontier·, to turn them back, and they would rul\ over· them like a hunt of butr:\IO. "Nothing could keep these unolcrl loafers from rushing oo. till they kickcu the ~pn.nlsh priests out of tho temp los they profaned." Mr. Wise procretlcd to Insist tbnt a majority of tho people of the United i::ltarcs wero In favor of tho annexation ; 11t o.ll events, he would rlRk It with tho Domocrncy of the North. "Sir," said Mr. Wi!!o, "Ills not ouly tho duty of U1o Government to demand the liquldatiou of our claims, IUld the liberation of our citizens, but to go f'urtht•r, nnrl urmaud the non· lnmslon of Texas. Sllltll we sit still whllc tho Rtl\rHianl of in· aurreotlon Is rals<'d on our borders, arul let a borde o/ shr.c~'lf, aJidllu:timUialld .Jfe.:ci<xm.~ rofl IIJJ to the l10undF1ty line of A rlwn· /laS mtcl Louisian<r.P No. It Is our duty at oncu to say to Mexico, • lf 1JO" 8trike Te.xa.~, y rm ~tlihe 11~ ;' nncllf En,~;lanrl. standing by, should dare to lnlcrmoddl ', nnrl ask, ' J)o yoor take j'fLI't trilh 1'e:ta8 f 1 his prompt !l.llllWCr ShOuld be, ' J'es, Ull<l agn.mst you.' ·· Sucl1, lletooulcllei gentll!nten lrnr>~n, teas the ~JJirit of the toll ole 2>CO]Jie of the great v<tlle!l of the lVe..t.'' Several other members or Congress, in the same debate, expressed similar views and deei rcs, and they are still more frequen tly ex1>ressed in conver ·at ion. ~'he lion. 'fhom;t.S W. Gilrnot·, a member of Congress f'rom Virginia., and formerly a Governor of that State, numbered as one of the "Ouard," and of course undt!rttood to be in tho counsel:~ or the Cabinet, In a letter bearing uate the lOth day of January last, originally designed as a private and confidential letter to a friend gives it as his deliberate opinion, after much examinatio~ ancl reflection, that 'l'EXAS WILL DE ANNEXED TO 1'1!1( UNION; and he enters into a specious argument and preBents a variety of reasons in favor of the me~ure. lie saya, among other things : ''llavlng acquired Louisiana and Florida, wo hM·e an lntcr:•• st and 11. frontier ou the Oulf of Mexico, and nlong onr Interior to U1e Pttclfic, which will not permit us to close our eves or fold our ~trms, with lndilrcrenco to the evrnts which a ·f,:.,..: years may disclose In th rLt quarter. We hiLVO already hnd ono qucsllon of I.Joundary with 'l'cxas; oUwr qum!llous must soon arise, under our t·evcnuo laws, nnrt on other points or neccsa~': Y Intercourse, which IL will be difllcnlt to adjust. The in.\li· Cuttfi1M of Tex-as, a1ul lter relation.• toith otltcr go•;ornmenUI are yet in (hat corulition tohidt inr[i,res Iter JJeoplc (who w·e our' Otm countrymen,) to unit!! their d~~linie6 rc illt our.,. Tms MUST ne D? .l!E !lOON, OR NOT AT ALL. '17teo·e are numerou., ldbr~ of ] 11• dw.n& along botltjrOilliers, ultirlt can easily become tlte cu.uac: or the illhtrumcmt uf border 1rar8.' 1 ~one can b~ so blind now, as not to know that the real de..tgn and ObJect of' the ou~h i~, to •• .ADD N~;w w,;to 11,. TO BKH END OF TUK LF.VKR." It WllS upon that ground that Mr .. We?ster placeu his oppo~ition, in his speech on that subJeCt m New-York, in March 1837. In that speech after stating that he saw lnsurmo~ntable objections t~ the annexation of Texas, that tile purchase of Louisiana and Florida. furnished no precedent for it, that the cases were not parallel, and tnat no such policy or necessity as led to that, required the annexation or ~·ex as he said· "G enllf'men, we all see, that hy whorn'\O(J \'Pr P' ll!lscssed • Texas Is likely to be a sluveholdln" countr·y; un!l 1 frankly o.vow my entire unwlllingnr•sR to do an ything which shall eXLcnd the Slavery of lhe African mc·e on thi11 c-ontinent, or add other sln.veholdlng StateA to the Union. Wht•n I say that I re~ard Slavery as in itself' a great mor·nl, soc-ial, and pollllcnl evtl, I only usc language which ha~ IH'Pn adopted by distingnlflhed men, themselves citizens of S!o.veholdlng States I shall do nothlng, therefore, to favor or eocout·age tta furth. cr WeWIIon." To p1·event the success of this nefarious 11roj ect-to preserve fr-om such gros~ violation the Constitution or our country, adopted cxprcs ly "to .~ecure the ble8sin(Jil oj libe1·ty," and not tl1e perpetuation of lavery-and to prevent the iiiH!l'dy and violent di~~olution o r the Union -we Invite you to unite, without dii!tiuction or party, In nn immediate exprc :~ion or your views on thi!i subject, in such manncr aH you may deem be:ot calculated tc answer the end propoi!etl. JouN Qut:o~cv A UAM:l, N.\THANH:L B. DORDKN, SETH 1\1. 0An;:l, THOMA !:! 0. Cllt1"ri!.NUil:N, WJLI.tAM SLAiliC, J OHN l\JAT1'0CKS, 'VJI.LIAM II. O.H.IIOUN, 0Jtl~ISTOPIIKH MOROAN, Jo~HUA H. OnwtNO:!, J osuu& l\I. llow.AHD, SH~o.RLOCK J . ANDHKW~, VICTORY DmnsEn:, lliL.\ND ll.ALL. WASliiNOTON, .Jfareh 3rd, 184-3. [NOTE.-Thn t\hO\'C nddrt'S-'l ,.,.ns drawn up by Ilon. Seth M. Clall•s, of Kcw-York, n.t tlhl suggestion of J ohn Quincy Adalll!l, anti sent to nwrnber::~ of Coogrrss o.t iliclr rrsltlcnccs, artet th • close oft ho !WSslnn, for thrlr slgno.t urcs. J\fany moro U1ar thu ahovo npprov.:d heartily of its pOi>ltlons and objects, nnd would h:wo signed ll, IJul for· lls premature puullcnllon, through mlstn kr. Mr. ' 'nnthrop, of Mnss., wo.s one of tht'H", with Oov. llrlggs, of course; Mr. Fillmore declined signing ll.] The letters of Messrs. Clay and Van Duren, taking ground ngninst annexation, without the con. cnt of Mexico, as an act of bad faith nnd a ggn•'l~io n, which would neces :wily result in war, which nppcarcd in the spring of 18-14, make !'light ullnsion , if any, to the Slaver.v aspect of the ca e. In a later lette r, Mr. Clay declared that he did not oppose annexation ou !tecou11t of Sl:tvcry, which he r cgat·ded as a tl'mporary institution, which, therefore, ought not to stand in the way of a pcrmn.ncnt acquisi· Lion. And, though Mr. Clay's la t le tter on the subject, prior to the election of 18<14, r eiterated and e mpha~izcd all his objections to annexation under the existing circumstances, be diu not in· clndc the existence of Slavery. The defeat of Mr. Van Buren, at the Baltimore Nominating Convention-Mr. P olk being selected in his stead, by a body which had been suppo cd pledged to renominate the ex-Presi· dent-excited considerable feeling, especially among the Democrats of New-York. .A number of their leaders united in n. letter, termed the "Sect·ct Circular,, n.dvisin..,. their brethren, while they supported Polk 0 and Dallas, to be careful to vote for candidates for ConfTress who 0 would set their faces as a flint acrainst annexa· tion, which was signed by 0 G&OROR P. BARKU, DAVID DUDLEY FtKLD, WILLIAM c. llRYANT, 'fiiKODORE SKDOWICJC, J. W, EDMONDS, 'l'liOll.AS W. 'ruCKKR1 IS.UO TOWNS!iND. Silas Wright, then a Senator of the United States, nnd who, as such, had opposed the Tyler T1·eaty of Annexation, was uow run fot· Governor·, ns the only man who could carry the State of New-York for Polk and Dalla~. In a d?mocratic speech at Skaneateles, N. Y., Mr. Wl'lght had recently declared thilt he could ne~er consent to Annexation ou any terms whrch woulu give Slavery an advantage over Freedom. This sentiment wus rcitcratctll\tlll amplified in a great Convention of the Demo· TilE STRUGGLE FOR SLAVERY RESTRICTIO~ . erncy, which met at Herkimer, in the autumn of this year. The contc t proceeded with great earn estness throurrhout the Free tatcs, the supporters of Polk and of Birney (the Abolition candidate for Pre ·iclent), fully fl.CTrccing in the assertion th<tt Mr. Clay's position was equally f1norable to Annexation with .Mr. Polk's. Mr·. llirney in a letter p11bli::;hcd on the eve of the El ction, declared tlint he r<·gardcd Mr·. Clay's election as more fnv ut·ablc to AllllCxation than Mr. l'olk' , uecause, while equally incliued to fot·tify u.nd extend ~l ave ry, be posse sed more ability to wfiucncc Uongre ·s in its favor. Before tlli time, but as yet withheld from, and unkrto~rn to, the public, Mr. Calhoun, uow Pre. ident Tyle r':::; Sccrctar·y of State, and nn early and powC'rl'ul advocate of Annexation, had addres::;Pd LO !l on. Wm. R. King, our Embassador at l'ari,.;, an o/Jieial diPpatch from which we run.ke the follol\itlg extract · : MR. C.ALIIOUN TO MH. KING. D~<:PAilTM~:NT OF ST.\TR, } Wasltinulcm , August 12, 1844. SIR-I have l<tid you r dispatcli, No. 1 before tile Pre8idcnt, who instruct:~ me to lllake know~ to you that he _ha~ rl!:Ld it with muclt pleasure, e:~pccially the portion w_htch rci ;Lle~ tv you~· cordial reception by the Kiug, and h1s a sumnce uf fn ·nd ly feeling:~ toward the Uuited date~. 'l'hr~ l'rc~ident, in particular, highly appreciate~ the declamtion of tht.: J\ing, tlrat in no event would any etcp. be takc_n b_v hi~ gov( .. lllllellt in the sligl11tcst degree host1lc, or wl11cll would gjvc to the L"nit ed States ju~t. cau e of compla.int. lt was the more gmtifyin" from the fact that our prt·vinus i11formation wa · calc~lated to ma.k~ the impres~i un th;Lt th t.: go\·crnmeut of Jo'rance was prepur~(] to unite 11 ith G rt·ar. H. itain iu a joint protest ~gal!l t the annexation of Tc xa~, and a j oint elrort to tnduce he: (; O\' C. III!Jcnt to 1\ ithdraw the propositiou to annex, on C(lu rl ition t.hat l\l exico should be made to acknowledge Iter independence. He is happy to infer from your d;sputch that the information so far· ns it relates to France, is in all proJability without foundation. You. did not go) fu rther than you ought, in assurIng thl! Krng th;tt the object uf Annexation would be pursut:tl w:u, unabated vigor, and in giving your opinion \hat n detldl·d majority of the American people were in it.~ fa\·or, anti that it would certainly he annexed at no diStant da.v. I feel coufideut that your anticipation will be ,fully rral:zed at oo cl.stant period. Every tlav ll'ill tend to weaken that combination of political c:luses "llich Jed to the oppoRition of the measure, :wd to strengthen the con\·ictiou that it W<t~ not only exp(•dieot, buL ju~;t. and necessary. ~ut .to d '!icend to particular~: it ~ certain that whtle l'.nf(lan11, like Jo'mncc, de~ires the indc'JH:tldence of Texas, wiL!J the view to commercial connection~, it is not less. s.o that _one of the lcadiug motive~ of Jo.;ngland for ?esmng It, l~ tl1c hope tl1at, through her diplomacy u.nd tntluenec, N('gl o :Slavery u1:ty be auolishctl there and ultimately, hy consequence, In tile l 'uited States' atHl throughout the whole of thi::t continent That its ultimate abolition tlu:oughout the entire coutincnt is an object ardently de:ured by her we have decibive proof!! lu the declaration of the J<:art' of Aberdeen, delivered to this Department, !~n <l or which you will flnd a copy among the docurneu t:; t ransmitted to Congress with the 'l'exan treaty. 'l'ha.t she dt!sires its abolition iu 'J'exas, nnd has .L'Ied her Influence anti diplomacy to clfect it ',here, the eame d?cument, with the correspondence of tbls Depart· ment Wlth lllr. Packenham, :LI~o to be found amoug the documcntll, furnlshe!:l proof not Jcs:~ conclusive. 'l'ha.t one of the ohjccts of abolishin" it thcr·e I~ to facllit.n.te Its abolition in ~he United tatcs, and throughout the c 1 ontlneut, is mao1fest from the declaration of tho A bolit1 on party and societies both in this country aud in Engand. In fact, there is good 1·eason to believe that the :.c!lem_e of n.bolislting it in 'l'oxas, with a view to its nbothon In tho United Stn.tes, and over the continent orlgiou. ted with the prominent members of the party 'tn the In the consummation of this granrl S<'hcmc, which Eng· land hopes to accomplish through '1'exaH, I! she can d efeat the Anm•xation, uut that her lntcrcsta and tho:~e of all the Continental power~ of Europe arc uirccUy and deeply opposeu to it. The election of Jame: K. Polk as Pre,ill<'nt, and George M. DallaH n. Yice-Pr-csiu nt, ( ~ov. 1 4.4) having virtually scttletl, uffirmatiYely, the question of annexincr Texas, the XXVlllth Congre . comn1 need its secouu R<'ilt'ion nt Wnshingtou, on the 2d of Dee 'tnl>cr, 1 ..J. J-Jt r. John 'l'yler being still acting Prc~ident up tv the end of the Congrc s, March 4th fol lowirw. Dec. 19.-Mr. Johu n. 'Weller, (th n lllembcr from Ohio) by leave, introduced a joiut I'C'. olu· tion, No. 5 1, providing for the annexation of Texas to the Uuitcd St:tte , which he movc·1 to the Committee of the Whole. Mr. E. S. liamlin, of Ohio, moved a refet·cr1cc of said r-esolve to a Comntittec of one from caclJ State, with in. tructions to r eport Whether the annexation of Texas woultl not extenrl ~nd perpetuate ~lavery in the Slave 'tales, nnd al·o, the mterual Slave-trade; and whether the Ur•ited State~~ Ooverument has any Conatitutlonal power over :)lave.-y in the States, either to perpetuate it there, or to do it away. 'l'he question on commitment w:tR in ~i ted upon, and first taken-Yea , 109 (Derllocrnts) ; Nay.', 6 1 (Whigs); whereupon it was helJ that Mr. ll:uuliu's amendment was Lief< atcd, nnd the o r-iginal propo ition alone committed. January 10th, 184.5.-MI·. John P. Hale, of Kcw·ilJLnl})~hire, (thNl a Democratic HcpresenLarive, now a Hepublican Senator) propo ed the followiug as an arnendment to any net or resolve COll Lemplating the annexation of 'l'cxa to this Uniotl : Provided, '!.'hat Immediately a fter the question of boundnry hetwecn the United States of America and J\lcxico shall have been defini tiveiy settled by the two Uovemmcnts, and before any State Conned out of the 'J'erdtory of Texas shall be admitted into the Union, the said Territory of Texas shall be di\·idetl as follows, to wit: beginning at a point <on the Gulf of 1\fexico, midway b et\\·een the !'\ orthern and Southern boundaries thereof' on the coast; and thence IJy n. line running in a Northwestcrly direction to the extreme boundary thereof, so as to divide the same as nearly as p o~>sihle into two equal parts, and In that portion of said 'l'er-1 itory lying South and West of the line to be run as aforesaid, there shall be neither, lavery nor involuntary sen-it udc, otherwise than in the punishment of crimes, whereoflhe party shall have been duly convicted. .And prov·ided jttrtlter, 'J'hat this provision shall be considered as a compact between the people or the United States nod the people of tho said Territory, and forever remain unalterable, unless by the consent of three-fourths of the States or the Onion. Mr. Jl ale a kctl a suspen::;ion of the rules, to enable him to oflcr it now, and ha\'C it printed and committed. Rcfu·cd-Yca~<, 92 (not two thirds); Nays, 81. Yea.~-All the Whi~s* and lllO~ t of the Democrats from the Free States, with .M c r'S. Duncan L. Clinch and Alexander II. StcphCilS, of Georgia, and George W. Summers, of Virgiuia. Nays-.. A.ll the members from Slave States, except the above, with tbc following from Free States : :MAUIE.-Sbeppard Cary-l. N tnr-IIAMPSUIR!il.-Edmund Durke, Moses Norris, jr.-2. NK\V-YoRx.-James G. Clinton, Selah B. Strong-2. Pt.:N)OSYLVANIA.-Jamcs Blnck, Richard Drodhee.dt (Unit~d States ; ancl was tir~L broached by them in the so called) World's Convcutron, h eltl in London in the :r,ear 1 40_, and tlu·ough its agency brought to the n otice Cl the llntlHh Government. II. D. Foster, Jo8e-piL R. Inoer8oll, 11lic1Lael D. J&n~. OUio.-Joseph J. McDowell-1. bou.NA.-Wm. J. Brown, J . W. Davis, John Pettlt--8, Now, I hoi II, not only that France can haYc no interesL • Except the two here given in Ilalic.l. |