Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1844-09-13
MIR. CHOATE'S SPEECH.

u lull dIIG dCCuId ItDOit vi thC ouuiSoo VI
Mr. Choate, delivered before the Young
Mems Wing Club Of that city on Monday
evening, 10Th ult.-carefully printed from
his own manuscript. 1t is substantially the
same as the one made by that gentleman at
the late Convention in Spring6eld-an we
transfer it TO our columns, believing we can
not give our readers more acceptable matter.
| His argument on the Texas question is
powerful, aud for its eloquence can hardly
be surpassed.
/ Mn. CHoATE began by saying that he re-
garded The approaching election as one of
more interest to the whole country, and TO
the States of the North in pre-eminent de-
gree, than any which had preceded it. The
peculiarly Of this election, he continued, is,
that while it involves all the questions of
mere policy which are ever suspended on
the choice of President questions Of the
currency, of the lands, of internal improve
ments, of protection, of foreign policy, and
all else while it involves in its broadcast ex-
tent the question, hO,C shall the nation be
governed Pit nvolves-the first Presiden-
tial election that has done so-the further,
more fundamental and more startling ques-
ton, what shall the nation be; 0here shall
the nation be; who, what, and where, is,
and is to be, our country itselfl Is il TO be
ANY longer the Union which we have known !;
which we have loved to which we have
been accustomed Tor is it to be new one,
enlarged by the annexation of a territory,
out of which forty States, of the size of
Massachusetts, might be constructed; ter
ritory, not appended equally to the East, the
West, the Centre and the South not APP
lpended equally to the slave States and the
free States; TO the agricultural and the
planting; to the localities of free trade and
the localities of projections not so append
ed as to work an equal and impartial en-
largement and assistance 10 each one OF
those various and heterogeneous elements
of interest, and sentiment, and position, out
Of whose struggle comes the peace, out OF
whose dissonance comes the harmony, OF
our system-not so-but appended in one
) vast accession to one side, one region, one
, interest, Of the many which compose the
State; so appended as to disturb the rela-
tons of the parts; to change the seat of the
center; TO counteract the natural tenden-
! cies of things to substitute a revolution OF
violent and morbid policy in place of the
slow and safe action of nature, habit and
) business, under permanent law; so APP
pended, in short. as not merely to make a
small globo into a lorge ono, but to alter the
whole figure of the body; to vary the shape
and the range of its orbit to launch il forth
on new highway of the heavens; TO change
its day and night, its seed-time and harvest
: its solar year, the great cycle of its duration
o ITSELF
j. This it is that gives to this election an in
e terest peculiar and transcendent. 1t is {
a question, not what the policy OF the ma
e ton shall be-but what, who, where, shat
> the nation be 1t is not question Of ma
q tional politics, but of national Identity
v For even if the Union shall survive the an
e nexation, il will be new, changed, an
/, other Union,- mot this. Ii will be changed
d not by time, which changes all thngs-man
IS monuments, States, the great globe itself
1t not by time but by power; not by impercep
= tible degrees, but in day; not by sue
|. cessive growth, unfolded and urged forwart
st by an organic law. an implanted force,
n noiseess and invisible nutrition from be
! meath and from without, of which every re
d gion, every State, takes the risk but b.
n the direct action of government, arbitrary
| violent and unjust, of which no part has eve
y agreed to take the risk. 1t is to this ee
At ment in the present election, the annexation
N of Texas, that | wish tonight, passing owe
~ all the rest, to direct your attention.
70 / shall consume but little Of the time @
rs such an assembly as this in attempting t
y prove that the success or failure of this ell
u terprise Of annexation is suspended-for tn
present-perhaps for our day-on the resu
IS, of the pending election You, at leas
Us have no doubt on this point Is there on
a. man now before me, III the first place, VIII
il does not believe, or who does not great
I'D and nationally fear, that if Mr.. Polk is III
or next President, Texas will come in-unde
~ the transformations, and moi so very terribl
n form of territory, OF course, IN the FRI
ne instance, in twelve months--unless som
- great and extraordinary interpositon of tn
NJ people should prevent it ? Does any one
lat if such an one may be supposed among 20
ms to-night-who, opposed to Texas, as yo
, nc are, has yet hankering for Mr. Polk, an
of means to vote for him, if he can obtain ii
a consent of his conscience-who wants
Tot vote for Mr.. Polk but shrinks from the ide
y of promoting anneXation-does any sue
Ter one say, O.! it don't follow that if he
IDS chosen Texas will be annexed? Be il SO
ne but does il not increase the chances Of a
fits fits nexationl Does it not tremendously e
Of nance the difficulties Of resistance? Do
it not, at least, expose you to the terrib
10 hazard of being compelled, hereafter to e
D' counter, by memorial, by convention, by r
monstrance, by extreme and extraordina
), action, that which you can now, peaceabl
''' innocentIy, seasonabe anticipate and pr
vent at the polls? Does not every stot