The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1843-10-28

designs, and the great elementary principles
which entered into its formation" The Con-
s,itulion, lac says, was "sdoped expressly TO
secure the blessings Of Liberty and not the
pefpetualion Of slavery"
IL might be sufficient answer 10 this argu
men. 10 say, that il would have applied equally
well TO the annexation of Florida, in which Mr..
Adams bore so conspicuous part. but we
cannot help remarking that The view here taken
of the Constitution, and its objects, Is one when
no American can counienance without inviting
and jIstifyiDg foreign interference IN our affairs
The trainers of the Constitution were not
college de propaganda fde: nor is the Const-
tuition framed by them even democratic con
sttulion recognizing the principle that the ma
joriiy should govern in all cases The Decla
ration OF Independence was termed by an eccen-
iric statesman ga tantarronade of distractions :"
but the Constitution is quite different thing
Ii is a cautiously worded, busness-like compact
between States previously independent of each
other, by which, in order to form more efl'cIen,
union for national purposes, than the old con-
federacy, and after much and anxious delbera-
ion, they hesitalingly entrusted certain powers
to the General Governments, and reserved GER
tain rights. The institution Of slavery was ex-
pressy recognized, and lis security carefully
provided for without such provisions il is well
known that there would have been no union and
no constitution. They form an essential part OF
il. l, is preposte Gus TO assert that the annexa-
ton of ve-holding State or Territory is for
hidden by the spirit of a Constitution which
never would have existed if il had not expressly
recognized and carefully provided for the instilu-
ton of slavery.
SO far from being able 10 maintain that the
annexation Of Texas would be violation either
Of the terms or spirit of the national compact,
Mr.. Adams, we think, will require all his logic,
when the question comes 10 be debated, to de-
fend himself from the charge of having been in
suumen,al, by the Treaty OF Florida, in viola
ting not only the Constitution, but the stipu-
alons of solemn treaty, as well as all the
maxims of sound national polity, in alternating
from the Union the territory now occupied by
Texas.
The true question before the country would
be, not the annexation of Texas, but the resti-
tuition 10 the Union Of that part Of Louisiana
lying between the Sabine aud the Rio Grande.
The whole territory now occupied by the Re
pubic of Texas once belonged TO the United
States. We presume that hardly any AmerI-
can acquainted with the political history of his
country will dispute this fact, and least OF all,
Mr.. Adams, who proved our title to The terrific
nv, even 10 the satisfaction Of the minister Of
the foreign power which laid claim TO il. Upon
this subject, we shall now merely quote The fol-
lowing passage from Mr.. Clay's speech On the
treaty negotiated by Mr.. Adams, generally call
ed the Flor da Treaty:
"Mr. Clay presumed that the spectacle would not
be presented Of questioning, in this branch OF the
Government, our title TO Texas, which had been
stantly maintained by the Executive for more than
fifteen years past under three several administrations.
He was the same time ready and prepared to make
out title, if any in The house were fearless
enough to controvert it, He would for the present,
briefly state, that the man who is most familiar with
the transact tons of This Government, who largely
participated in the formation Of Constitution and
all that has been done under it, who, besides the emf
nent services that he has rendered TO his country
principally contributed to the acquisition OF Louisa.
ma, who must be supposed from his various opportu-
mites best 10 know its limits, declared, fifteen years
ago, that our title to the Rio del Norte was as well
founded as il was to the island Of New Orea.a- |
(Here Mr.. c. read an extract from memoir pre- |
sented in 1905, by Mr.. Monroe and Mr. fnckney, TO |
Mr.. Cevallos, proving that the boundary Of Loulsia
extended eastward to the Perdido, and westward
to the Rio del Norte, in which they say The facts
and principles which justify this conclusion, so
satisfactory to their government TO convince that
the United States have not better right the island
Of New Orleans, under the cesson referred TO, than
they have to the whole district of territory thus de-
scribed.D The title 10 the Perdido on the side
and to the Rio del Norte the other rested the
same priDcpe-the priority OF discovery and OF oc
cupation by France. Spain had first discovered and
made establishment at Pensacola France at Dsu- |
phn island in the bay of Mobile. The intermediate |
81 ace was unoccuped; and the principle observed |
among European nations having contiguous settle |
meats, being that the unoccuped space between them
should be equally divided, applied to it, and the
Perdido thus became the common boundary SO, |
west oil the Mississippi, La Sale, acting under |
France, in 1862 3, first discovered lha, river. In
1885, he made establishment, on the bay Of ct. |
Bernard, west Of the Colorado, emptyiDg into it, |
The nearest Spanish settlement Parnuco and the |
kio del Norte, about the midway line, became the |
boundary
Tue question arises, how came this immense
territory between the Sabine aud the Rio |
Grande, rs large as New England and the mid
die States united dvanageously located, and
in soil and climate, TO be exchanged
for the territory of Florida, and exchanged no,
on even terms, but IN the condition Of paying to |
Spain, Tor on behalf of SPAIN an enormous
bonus in money and other considerations
The answer is sufficiently humiliating to ma |
tional pride. The Chief Magistrate of our ma
ton at that time was as pure patriot as ever |
breahed /; bot mild. confding aud unsuspicious
in his nature, aud wholly free from sectional
ta
His Secretary OF State, the head OF his cabinet
and manager Of our foreign relations was MIR. |
John Quincy Adams, man who had spent so
much of his life at the courts Of Euro,,e as to
have become alien in feeling and thought TO