The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1844-02-08
1870


US, but she will Justly claim the univer-
sal sympathy and aid Of nations, to ena-
Bile her to vlndicate her desecrated soil
and insulted sovereignty.
The wrongs of Mexico, the wishes Of
Texas, the armed arbilrameht Of other
nations aside, the case is still far from be.
ing stripped Of its embarrassments. 1t
matters not so much what other men may
,nlnk of US, as that we may think well Of
ourselves happy, happy indeed are they
who condemn not themselves. Ii we had
our own consent, and also the consent of
the North to this annexation, still deem
il questionable whether Texas, as free
State, could conslitutionally be admitted
into the Union. | do not deny that, the
necessity of The case, the dread alterna.
ives of war, might not, under the treaty
making power, compel US 10 cede away,
or TO acquire territory Whether the pro-
vinces of Louisiana and Florida were ac-
quired eonstilutonally or not | shall not
at this late day undertake 10 question:
They were admitted, however, by the SOW
ereign proprietor's consent, one of them
living around the mouth of the Mississippi
Iiver, threatened with eternal cmbarrass-
ment the trade of the whole of the great
valley of the west, no breach of violated
national faith was insinuated, no dlsas-
trous wars threatened, and yet able ia.
risis and patriotic statesmen, denied the
constutonaity of the acquisition, and
threatened its ratification with resistance
aud dissolution.
Bu where is the necessity for the an.
nexalion of Texas--even if she desired it
even if Mexico did not denounce war
even ii there was no violation of national
tai h, even if she was not slave State
where, | ask is that overwhelming neces-
sity which generates power not given
by the Constitution nor anticipated by its
aulhors2 1t is not territory that we want:
our wide unoccuped domain stretches
from the Mississippi to the far Pacific;
we have already more land than we are
able to defend from savage incursions or
British usurpation. 1--WE want more
slave States to offset the analical free
States" Let the world hear it: you ad.
nit, sir, that we want Texas to extend
slavery am ong men. Vulnerable emo
tions agitate my bosom: ask The char
ter OF my liberty-of your liberty; | call
upon the Declaration Of American hide
pendence upon which it is founded. |
invoke the spiri, of freedom which in the
day of suffering and threatened despair
inspired its utterance, as solemn protests
against this most unholy scheme. Shall
we not blush TO draw the veil which has
IDLY shielded US from the contempt and
loathing Of mankind, for procIaiming lib
erty and practicing servilude; shall we
no longer gull them by the hypocritaI
plea of necessity, the sole defence of ty-
rants Anew, we ncnr the guilt OF
slavery. and are ready to do battle even
unto death for its extenson-lhen ex-
punge from your annals the declaration
OF rights -repeal the law f'2O, which
makes the slave trade pracy-down with
the gbbet and bind the laurel upon the
brow of the suspended cuI prit-wihdraw
your feet from the coast of Afiica-tell
Great Britain and the world, that you
have been enacling a solemn farce, when
you talked SO loudly of liberty-,hat ty.
rauny is the best government, and slavery
the truest liberty-that now at last you be.
gin to be in earnest-ify years con.
sraint wearies the impossible muscles of
the most wooden face-you give it up
now you hold slavery sacred at home,
and like the oriental prophet OF Medina,
you are ready 10 propagate your faith by
fire and sword throughout the world
that henceforth and forever your watch
word shall be, "sIavery or death" lcare
not for the precedents of The past. de-
clare that there is no power in the FEEDER
al Constitution BY which slave Stale
can be admitted INTO this Union. Slave.
~ cannot exist b. the law of nature: it
cannot exist by act of Congress. Slave
~ did exist by the laws of the sovereign
Sales In the formation of the Constitu.
ton they thus far retained their sover.
eighty. denying it TO that extent TO the
creature Of their united will-ifthey vest
ed in Congress the power TO make
slave, then they at the same time yielded
the power to unmake him. If then the
Congress can make slave State, they
can unmake slave State; and if she has
that power, it is her bounden duty not
10 add new slave States to the Union, but
10 purge it Immediately of this fatal dis
ease which threatens death to the llber-
les of the whole country,
They who contend, then, for the ad.
mission of the slave State of Texas, are
handling two edged sword, it cuts both
ways, the assumption of such a power
must, therefore, be abandoned at once and
forever. The contemplate jargon that
slavery already existing in Texas or 9TH
sr territory, acquired by conquest, pur-
chase, or voluntary cession, by municipal
aw Congress may form them into slave