The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1844-08-16
TEXAS ANNEXATION.

The Wings Of the North oppose the annexation
of Texas the ground that it will perpetuate sla
very. The wings of the South opposet because
it will abolish slavery in Maryland. Virginia, North
Carolina, Tennessee, and Kentucky. Oh, ye
beauties!
Alexander Barrow, U. S. Senator from Louis
lana and whig, in his letter in the National In
telligencer, says:
"But this is not all. We know that in some Of
the States, such as Kentucky and Tennessee, the
disposition to get rid Of their slaves, and TO turn
their attention 10 manufactures, increasing, and
that in Others such Maryland and Virginia, slave
labor produces but small return upon the capital
invested. II is from these States that the South
has been principally supplied with the slaves that
she needed Let Texas be annexed, and such an
opening will be presented that, in all probability,
some, if not all ofhese States will be drained Of
their slaves, as the South does not possess more,
fas many she requires, and would not be. there
lore, able to furnish them. What, then, becomes
of this bugbear of the balance of political power.
should all or most of these States join themselves,
as in the course of time they would probably do to
The non-savehoding States? The beam will be
kicked with vengeance aud we shall run the risk
of losing from our side and support States already
populous and influential, for the uncertain prospect
of securing the aid of country yet unsettled, and
to settle which will necessarily weaken ourselves
Gen. Waddy Thompson, of Sourth Carolina,
another whig, and late Minister to Mexico, has
just published letter against annexation, and his
principal reason is that it will abolish siautry IN
the Southern States Hear him.
"Will any one deny any Of these propositions!
l. That the most efficacious measure in favor Of
abolition would be to destroy the value Of slave la
Dor in the old slave states! 2. That any large in.
crease of the quantity of cotton produced would
have the effect ito educe its price to that point, or
even lower; say for example, sudden increase Of
five hundred thousand bales? and, 8. That the an
nexltion of Texas would cause such an increased
production? Much the larger portion of the pro-
duce efslavc labor is cotton. It is the price ofcot-
ton which regulates exclusively the value ofsaves,
as of almost every other article. Let il be borne in
mind, too, that Texas is admirably adapted 10 the
production OF sugar, long staple cotton, and tobac-
co-the only other articles, with the exception OF
rice, which are produced with slave labor. But
ifthe price of cotton Is not ruinously reduced by
over production will not be denied that slave Ia
Dor can be employed in Texas with at least twice
the profit which it yields in the average Of the slave
States of the Union Our slaves will then be car
ried to Texas by the force of law as fixed as that
by which water finds its level The slaves will
very soon disappear from Maryland, Virginia,
North Carolina, Tennessee, and Kentucky, and
ir period very short for such an operation, those
States will become non-slaveholding States; and
whenever that is the case, they will not only no
longer have common interest with the remaining
slave holding States to defend the institution. but
will very soon partake of that faDatica spirit OF q
false philanthropy which prevailing the whole
world"