The northern galaxy. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1844-1848, 1844-03-13
SPEECH OF MIR. SLADE,
AT THE WING STATE CONVENTION.
Concluded merit lreek

L come now 10 inc purpose oil Inc an
movement. From its com.
to this hour, it has obeyed
single impulse-that of determination to
sustain the SLAVE po,oer. Of this will, as
briefly as possible, present the evidence.
BY the Constitution of Mexico, adopts
ed in 1924, it was declared that no per-
son should thereafter 'be born, or intro
duced, as slave into the Mexican ma
tion." The abolition of slavery thus made
prospective only, was rendered absolute
and complete on the 18th of September
ls29-the anniversary of Mexican Indi-
pendence.
The abolition of slavery in Mexico
brought in contact with the South. anoih-
er frontier of freedom. How should that
frontier with all lis anti>slavery influence
be removed and how should the barrier
to emigration with slaves,be thrown down.
were questions which came to agitate ex-
tensively, the Southern mind. Annera-
ton furnished the answer. And it furnish
cd an ansv er TO another question whore
shall be found territory for the mannfdct-
ure of Stare STATES for This Unionl
Thomas II. Benton, United States Sem
ator from Missouri,participated in The dis
cussions of the subject; and in series of
essays, under the signature of American
u.s." published at St Louis, urged the Im-
portance of the acquisition of Texar, ex-
pressly on the ground oftho space and ad'
vantages which the county would afford
for "the future existence Of slare states,"-
nine of which, he said, might be formed
from it, "as large as Kentucky" The
juxtaposition with the slave holding states
of nonslaveholding Empire, was also ur'
ged by him as motive for the acquisition.
These essays, to use the language of a
South Carolina paper of that date, "oper
ated upon the public mind in the West,
with electrical force and rapidity." The
whole South was moved by the same i'm
pulse. Here is one among the many ey'
idencss of it. A Charleston paper observed.
at is not improbable tina, he (Presi>
dent Jackson) is now examining the pro-
priety and praciicability of retrocession
of the vast territory Of Texas; an enter
prize loudly demanded by the welfare Of
the West, and which could not fail to ex'
ercse an important and favorable infiu'
ence upon the future destinies Ct the
South. by increasing the votes of the slave
holding States in the Senate Of the U. 5. J"
But the addition of nine slave states
with the augmented votes in Congress
were not the only motives disclosed for
the acquisition of Texas. To the cravings
for more power was added lust for the
gains of Stare breeding. The following
are samples of the evidence on this point.
Judge Upshur (now Secretary Of State)
said, in speech in the Virginia Conyen-
ton in 1929, that if Texas should be OBJ
tanned, which he strongly desired, it would
raise the price of SLAVES, and be great
Advantage 10 Slare holders in that State
In 1882, Mr. Gholson said, in the Vir-
ginia Legislature, that the price of slaves
fell twenty-five per cent, within two hours
after the news was received of the pass
age of the law of Lousiniana prohibiting
tho importation of slaves; and that ne be-
lieved the acquisition of Texas would
raise the price fifty per cent.
These evidences ofthe State of public
sentiment at the South, show the lending
impulse under which Texas was flooded
with armed omigrants," and her revolt
from Mexico urged to its consumation.
That consumation was the formation OF a
Constitution in March 1886. The 9th
section, under the head of General Pro-
visions" exhibits the monster which had
been so long undergoing the process of In
cubation. Here it is
"Sec. 9. All persons of color who were
slaves for life previous to their emigration
for Texas, and who are now held in bond
age, shall remain in the like state of SER
yitude; provided the said slaves shall be the
bona fde property of the persons so holding
said slaves as aforesaid. Congress shall
pass no law to prohibit emf grants from the
United States of America from bringing
their slaves into the Republic with them,
and holding them by the same tenure by
which such slaves were held in the Uni
ted States; nor shall the master have
mower to emancipate his or her slave or
slaves, without the consent of Congress,
unless he or Sne snail seHu HIS vi Hci sio y
or slaves, without the limits of the RePub'
lie. No free person of african descent,
either in whole or in part, shall be permit
ted to reside permanently in the Republic
without the consent of Congress, and the
;mnor,ation or admission ofAfricans or ne
proes into this Republic excepting from the
limited States of America, is forever prohi-
bited, and declared to be piracy"
Such is the fundamental law Of Texas
len reduced again to bondage, who had
become, of right, free by the force Of Mex
lean law the free importation of slaves
from the United States perpetually secur'
ed: emancipation interdicted to Congress
and to slave holders, but with the consent
of Congress, or the Punishment of the
emancipated free Africans forbidden a
permanent residence and monopoly Of
Slave breeding for the Texan market
Granted to "the United States of Ameri
cal" A constitution worthy of the Goth:
and Vandals who overrun the territory o.
a friendly republic. in the face of a sol
emn treaty of universal peace, and a true
| and sincere friendship, for the purpose o.