Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1844-06-13

annexation Of Terds TO The United States
| / now proceed step farther, and ra :se
a step higher, Mr.. President. in unvelng
the designs and developing the conduct Of
our administration in this hot and secret
pursuit after Texas. 1t is my business
now to shew that war is design aud an
object with j, from the beginning, and
that the treaty-making power was to be
used for that purpose. | know the res.
possibility of Senator-l mean h S res
possibility 10 the moral sense OF his coun-
try and the world-n attrbuting so grave
a culpabitry to this administration.
know the whole extent Of this response
bity, and shall therefore be careful to
proceed upon safe and solid ground. |
shall say nothing but upon proof-upon
the proof furnished by the President him.
sell-and ask formy opinions no credeuce
beyond the strict letter of these proofs. --
For this purpose have recourse to the
messages and correspondence which the
President has sent us, and begin with the
message Of the 22d of April--the one
which communicated the treaty Of the
Senate. That message, alter strange
and ominous declaration that no sinister
means have been used-no intrigue set on
(oot-to procure the consent of Texas to
the annexation, goes on to say
at cannot be denied that Texas is
greatly depressed in her energies by her
long protracted war with Mexico. I'm.
der these circumstances, il is but natural
that she should seek for safety and repose
under the protection of some stronger
power; and il is equally so that her peo-
pie should turn to the United States, the
land Of her birth, in the first instance, in
pursuit OF such protection. She has often
before made known her wishes: but her
advances have, to this time, been repell-
ed. The executive Of the United Stat S
sees no longer any cause for pursuing
such course"
This paragraph is explicit oftte de.
signs of the President, and his reasons for
what he intends. Texas is depressed,
and depressed by her long protracted war
with Mexico: natural that she should seek
for safety and repose, and seek it under
the protection of some stronger power:
natural that she should look to the United
State for such protection: her advances
repealed heretolore: the President sees no
reason to repeal her again. All this is
emphatic Of the Presidents design to pro-
tect Texas by receiving her into our I'm.
ion, and thereby adopting her war with
Mexico, and making it our own.
And, merit, refer to MIR. Upshur's let.
ter to Mr.. Murphy, the United States
charge in Texas, of the 18th of January
last, and present these passages, speaking
as he does by the command Of the Presi-
dent:
"Texas has, for some time past, been
in condition to need the aid AND protec.
tion Of some stronger power. She ought
not to have doubted that the sympathies
OF this country we're altogether with her;
but the want of power in the government
has prevented il from doing any thing
etiectual IN her favor"
$50 far as this government is concern.
ed. it has every desire to come to the aid
OF Texas, in the most prompt and efectu.
al manner. How far we shall be sup.
ported by the people, ! regret to say, is
somewhat doubtful"
at is already well known in Texas
that the President has used every means
in his power to mitigate the horrors OF the
war waged by Mexico against that coun-
try. In his last message he used the most
emphatic language on that subject. He
declares that it is time the war had ceased.
and thus, in effect, announces his own
purpose to put an end to II by any means
which he can consiitutonally command.
lie has no means, except such as he de-
rives from the treaty-making power
These he now offers TO exert, and has thus
given 10 Texas pledge Of his friendly
interest in which IT Is impossible for her
to doubt. THIS conduct on the part Of this
government is far more wothy Of conf
dence than any professions, however We.
hementIy preferred.
"The pending negotiation with Mexico
ought not To present any difficulty, unless
Texas is prepared to go back again un-
der the dominion of that power. As it is
certain she will not consent to this, under
any possible circumstances, the result OF
that negotiation cannot affect uniavorably
the proposition Of annexation 20 this coun.
try. If Mexico should acknowledge the
independence Of Texas, then Texas will
have an undisputed right to dispose Of
herself as she pleases; and if Mexico
should refuse that acknowledgement,
Texas will the more need the protection
which the United States now Offers. She
can require nothing more, in this last
event, than that the United States shall
take upon themselves the adjustment OF
her difficulties with Mexico
| make no comments on these pregnant
paragraphs, not because the gentleman
who penned them is no more; and GER
,ainly no living being has more reason
than myselfto feel for his fate, and for the
awful catastrophe which took his life, and
in the midst ofwhich | was: it is not for
this reason that do not Comment upon
them, for these correspondence Of the
Secretaries are not ihers, but the Pres.
dents. They write By his command.
and all they say IS his. 1t is because the
passages quoted are beyond comment -
They are open and explicit. They 60
to the point as fully and as plainly as
could write il down. They adopt the
Texan war with Mexco-adopt it by
treaty-aud assume lis future conduc,