Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1844-05-07
POLITICAL.
Firm m. Gibbs.
From ,ke Gl"bs.)
TEXAS AND TIE UNITED STATES.

From ,he Gi"bs)
TEXAS AND TIE UNIFIED STATES.
LETTER FROM SENATOR BENTON
To the Members OF ths u. C""g'tes, IN answer l.
their c.mmuncs,"n to len, expressing The wish I"
Texas 10 be adm tied into thu American Y mon
WA>HIsGros City, Apnl30. 1874
Gentlemen have seen 10 The newspapers the pun
l,shpd COPY of your COMMUNICATION To me, ihtenheo of
,hs information of the American Congress, and ex
messing The desire Of Texas to be admitted into tn
American Union, and shall take pleasure IN using I'M
original whenever It shall arrive, accordng 10 your
wishes saw when it shall arrIve-for thus original
has no, vet come my hands and. therefore, cauno'
now b. communicated II Congress; and The copy bang
nnb shed during nv brief absence Ir M the city, ie
myself LAID under the necessity OF gvmg public an
swrr to your ieer order to avoid the appearance OF
a d,sre spectiul ,naren,ion Il" you. r quest
You have Judged rightly. gentlemen, IN addressing
your communication TO me. and proposing 10 make me
the organ of YOUR wishes the American Congress be-
ing as am the first opponent OF The treaty which ais
mrmbered your territory from our Unoh Inc rst adSo
cate for its recovery the supporter oil all prudent mea-
sures for tha' purposes the enemy CT all movements
which would involve the question in sectional or patt-
zan politics; and the firm believer in the speedy AND
happy recovery OF the dISmembcrcd territory, and The
nuated rivers if the question could be kept Tree from
Improper connexions aud confined to the patriotic basis
Of nat onalitv and honor
was m mber Of the bar in ST. LOUIS. IN the then
Territory Of Missouri in The year Isis wh,n the news
papers announced the progress of The treaty which was
signed in the February following, and which threw away
Texas dismembered the valley Of the Mississippi, mutt
lated two of nnblct rivers brought foreign bound
ary to the neichborhood of New Orleans and established
desert barrier between Missouri and Mexico TO inter-
rupt their trade and shelter the deprcdators upon The
lives and property Of their citizens was not Then IN
politics. and had nothing 10 do with public affairs; bu'
saw and felt the whole enormity oil this gralu
to,s and unaccuunable fee. az instantly raised
nv voice against in articles published IN the ST. Louis
papers, and in which given in ADVANCE all The M
tional against throwing away The country winch
are now after lapse Of twenty live years, gwen bv
others for getting it baci. was young and ardent
then and had some fire in and not only wrote
against the treaty but against lis authors and their mo-
tyes and even mpreca,cd upon the heads OF The
statesmen who should conlnneto favort Mr.. ADAMS,
the negotiaor aud the ostersbe author OF The treaty,
was the statesman against whom ali my censre was d.
rected and certainly sincere in my then belief OF
his great culpabt bu, the declaration which ne has
lately made on floor Of the House OF Representatives
absoyes HIM from all censure on account oil that treaty
and places the blame the ma jory of Mr. Monroes
cabinet by whose votes he governed contrary 10 ms
own opinions in establishing the boundary which so
much condemned.
The voice OF mere individual not in any public
station and thousand miles from the seat Of Govern
ment, mpedimen, TO the progress OF the treaty
il went forward ives signed IN the month OF feorua
~ 1919 approved by Mr. Monroes Cab'uet-nnan
mously ratified by the Sena'e-and greeted with the
universal applause Of the public press
But all this concurrence OF authorities and OF ap
plause made no impression upon me | continued &c
look upon The treaty with lndgnatl"n and nmaz men'
and the more So because the published correspondence
eho We'd that the sacrifice of our territory WAS graui
tous and wan,on that the Spanish Government had
off red than had accepted. thai w. had vo
untary sacrificed rivers, boundaries and territory
and continued to assai the treaty under the condr nj
belief that such unnatural boundary could n"t
stand and ha, the sacrificed terr'oy would eventual
" be restored the country from which it had been
torn.
The Treaty of 1919, between the United States and
Spain 81 far ms applied II the South western Bnun-
dairy of the Unt~d States, was one Of the most grn-
tutous sacrifices madn BY nation, winch not
conquered, and actually occupied by c"nqueng army.
1t gave up natural B,nndsry-a great r,vsr, desert,
and mountan-on the most vulnerable flank III thu
Unionihe flank cater With thu largest forep
power our Continent and ptox,mste TO one OF our
greatest and most exposed ci'res. Instead Of this
tura Boundary Tar removed from cies and popuG-
ton, sub>t'u arbitrary hue, under longitude
far in thu Of country, and along
wholly within our natural boundaries, and incapable oi
beng fort d, excsp, al the expsusc OF hundreds OF
IN lions |, gave up 800 600 square miles Of Terri
tory, enough make five g'eat Sta'e', and all
of it not only valuable in itself but valuable beyond all
price, from its pos within natural l'm"s ],
brought fnr-cn tr"nuer-ihe frontier Of non Stare
holding Empire tn he ne'Rhn rh""d OF NJ . leans
and almost the heart of hs valley "t the nj ssss'pp
[, mutatad two of great rivers, h. Arkansas and
of which had their sources and their NOUNS within
our natural boundaries, and were wholly ours by ex
listing treaties; placed foreign pave upon their banks
and gave hat power right, according TO our ocn
assertion IF the cfnaii"as right 10 nav'gae those
v. rs hr ugh irr,tries 10 their outlet IN the sea
l. gave away MT only The southern ard sunny province
&c I.xas but what never Texas, but past Of the
val ey Of the Mississippi, lying between the Red river
sod The Arkansas, and extending To the hyperhorean
yeoon Of Nor,h latitude ~ F'u-lly, II established
dssr egion of great extent tween the Stale ui Mt
ou,, and The peoy,nce of NV Mexico to interrupt and
mar the inland commerce and the social ntercours~
between the United States and the Mex cans, on the
impor,ant ne of commun'cation between 81 LOUIS
and Santa F.; and al these SACRIFICES OF r
rt nv rivers and eair,a boundaries, they were mad
in favor of ceholdng power, whose d'mn,"ns
were thus brought contact with The slaVeh'io'ne
State oi LOUISIANA, aud al most contact WIN the slave
holding (hen Territories, now States oil NJ ssouf ano
Arkansas.
Such sacrifice of great national interest so rnoni
uously CONQUERED in by the public authorities, gave
the first great shock tay condr nee public boots
the treaty Of the next year with the Brush Govern
men for The oint pa'ion of the Oregon, gave M
the cnnd great shock; and the two shucks together
shook me so much that came INTO pubic ite 10 ie2o
with very little concern for my own position, when
sbould chance find myself standing SOLITARY an'
alone upon great na'i"pai questions.
came 10 the Senate Of the United ) ales IN IN
fall of 1920 the recovery o. Texas heing leading 70
;eet in nv mind and the 50, bscsuse Missou'
ga. the creates ST sufferer by its loss During Mr. Mon
1Tbe magnificent valley cf the Mississippi is ours win a.
~ eonnains spngs floods and woe 10 lie statesman ina
- Ia drop of ia water-onr inch