The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1844-07-18
|IIa4rs-'''s |''l'''''''
SPEECH
OF MIR. sREEsE. of ILLINOIS,

OF MIR. BREEsE, of ILLINOIS,
Depered In TIC Senate Of the United States, JS"s 8, IN
Secret Session. on the Treaty for the Re-as'sxsaOn o.
Te1as-( The injunction Of secrecy rsnoved)
looscLupEp. -
| WOULD raE ACQUISITION on TEXAS sE OF AMI VAL
| Military men say, (and. among Them one Of the
most Distinguished captains Of this or any other age
as a military d. fence, our boundary being extended
west TO the kio Grsnde, II would be oil great value
General jackson says that river Is oil Itself Jor-
feafioa on ACCOUNT Of its extensive barren and unin
| habtable pIaHs,'' abiding TO The desert 70 The
east of IT, In Is49, the then Secretary ofStste MIR
Van Buren, in his despatch to our minister u Nex-
co. instructing him to purchase Texas, asd RON
duced by deep offhe real necessity OF The ro-
posed acquisition not only guard for our western
ironter and the projections Of New Orleans hn' also
to secure forever 10 the inhabitants oil Tue MISSISSIPPI
the undisputed and undisturbed navigation oil that
river" now partially obstructed By tie cesson to
Spain, and now belonging TO Texas, - isrge part
Of Red river and the territory wstsssd ~
| Mr.. sy, when, in 1885, as Secretary Of yaa'e he
was instructing Minister to acquire Texhs, says,
! ia his despatch of the Goth March; -.eag-s
"The line of the Sabine approaches OR great
western mart nearer than could be wished. .ferhsPs
the Mexican government may not be unwilling TO es-
tablish that Of the Rio Brassos de Dios or the Rio
| Colorado, or the Snow Mountains, or tho Rio del
Norte, in lieu Of It,"
And in his despatch on the same subiect Of the
| 18th March, 1927, says; ~
"The 6xaton of line of boundary of the United
States on the side of Mexico, should be such as not
merely 10 secure certainty and apparent safety in the
respective limits of the two countries, but the
scousness Of freedom from all danger Of attack That
of the Sabine, (Which is our present line,) brings
Mexico nearer our great western commercial mart
| than is desirable"
4
So, too, in 1893 and 1885, our government said
that present boundary was the worst which could
\ be aatAblished--that it surrendered the Arkansas
and Bed rivers, and their many tributaries for thou
sands Of miles to foreign power it placed to-
reign po,cer on the banks of the Red river in imme
date contact with sixty thousand lndisn warriors OF
our own, and with many thousands Of the savage
tribes Of Texas that It enabled foreign power
,cith such aids readily to descend Red river to the
Mississippi, and to cut of supplies for New Orleans,
and subject that city to ruin
In addition TO this sir stated by the senator from
Mississippi, Mr.. Walker and as shown by the
map the northern limit of Texas extends to within
| few miles of, and commands the southwest, and now
the common pass, to Oregon
As the obligation rests upon every nation to make
itself perfect as il can, and to ward of threatening
dangers, by keeping them at a distance, aud thus
promote its security, that obligation will be discharg
ed by the acquisition of Texas.
| The soil and climate of Texas very desirable,
and her productions rich and varied. Cons utng,
as she WILL p anting state, o prodaeer Of our great
staple cotton-and ofone Of the great necessars of
life-sugar -she will, united " it'll US, greatly aug
ment her power of production and add largely 10
the number Of consumers of the bread-stufs and
provisions we in the w est raise ia such album
dance, and for which it is object TO open
markets, so that remunerating prices for our labor
can be obtained To the manufacturing industry OF
the North additional purchasers Of Their beautiful
and necessary fabrics will be found in constantly in
crossing numbers, giving To their shipping interest
also additional and profitable employment Texas
in possession, frauds upon our revenue could
be prevented, to which II Is now much exposed, by
the facilities afforded to emuggers, and which would
be greatly s!imu aicd, il she in alliance with
England and free trade treaty between them
| These, sir, are some Of the prominent advantages
accrung 10 us by the acquisition of Texas; and
which, it is csssisnsy Seiieved W. will certainly
lose, If this treaty is rejected.
is rms THE FAVORABLE MOMENT TO ACQUIRE
rhAS'
Missouri [Mr. Benton 10 particular, that il is not
important that Texas should be now, at this time an
nened that she will be always ready for the mea-
sure that her people republicans cpd will
consent TO be under the dominion or England that
the question is not nerer and those who think
so are deceived. ], for one, Mr.. President conf
IDENTIFY believe, from information in my possession,
and IN comparing the opinions Of those who may be
supposed to have the best means of knowing that il
the Pressatopportunity to acquire Texas be lost it
will never be prcsented to again. Her situation
will be sAch as 10 compel b.r to look elsewhere for
friendsj and IL is matter Of common rumor and
generally believed that British intrigue has be, al
work FOR some years to gain ascendency over her
policy. Not that she is TO become colony of Eng
| Iand-no SIR no one has supposed for q moment
that such desga rs entertained; but that she will
form such alliances with Eagisn1sss TO prevent her
ever after from forming q union with u.s. enter
tain not a doubt. This, lhtn, is "the god,n mo-
ment" and il should not be permitted to escape un.
improved AS, IN matters OF irivate concern, "deays
are dangerous" so in those Of great national mo
ment, representation will steal away the h. ur mot
favorable TO the accomplishment OF the gener
wishes OF the country. And SIR, IL my prophecy /.
fulfilled, and Texas lost to us forever how bitter
viii be our regrets, and the bitter because hey
will be unnotced aud unavsilior In late letter
from the position IN wAch he Is placed, is OF the
greatest value and shosld arrest the public
under date of the 18th Of May last, he says:
" II may ro,o be stated as A FACT on which we NAV
rely with the greatest confidence that If Texas be moi
speedily admitted into our coofedeTacy, she MUST and
ILL be inerifobiy driven int aiiiane es and comm
eai regulations with European pssrsrs, Of cbsrscter
highly injurious and probably hosfis TO this country
Sir, this is he third time Texas hs. consented
and II she Is again rejected, is il MOI more than pro
babie such a revusion Of FEELING will be Produced by
IT, throughout the whole republic n TO change her
love for us into bate, end her desire for a UNION
with us into position by which she could annoy
and harass usf Ebis is but natural, and TO be ex-
| pcctcd -
oTHsR OBJECTIONS TO rpE AsHExArioN ooNsr-
| DrRED. ~
Some other objections, Mr.. President, have been
made 10 the acquisition Of Texas, which will no
tee in very brief manner, and conclude and the
most prominent is the undue enlargement of The
confederscy by which 1t will be weakened md
finally fall to pieces by its cumbrousness Our OK
perience, sir, puts at rest, most sfectually this OBJ
lection--oDe that urged in 's7 when The ITni,p
was composed OF but thirteen Stse MANY rod
and wise men urged then, th IL Hunld be hei,.s -.