Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1844-04-02
1.-THE EDITORS OF TIE ENQUIRER.

| T04THE EDITORS OF TIE ENQUIRER
Ieaas and The Pennsylvania Legisiatrc-Ne Meaning @
"New States"-Nationat 7equisiton Of Ttr,i;ory, b.
CessionS, by Sales from the Sqtes-Ly Conqnest ana
Purchase from "foreign" Porers-1he Lesisintir'
History Of als Clause Jor tie admission " ".iep
| States-!hr Wsbster in conflict ,riM Mr. Madison
| and Tie Contention -Journais-1he Lao OF Prece
dents, &c, &c
WASHINGTON CRY, March q, 1914.
Dear Sirs-On the lst Of the present month, not a
Legislator to be found Pennsy lvanias Metropo-
lag, who dared openly espouse the Remuneration II
Ieras-and but three weeks had been chfonced with
The things that were ere her patriot faiseeng and in
trepd Legislature, nailed TO the table, for ases, Reso
uons denuncialory of the policy that favored tina,
measure! We indeed in the midst Of r .volu-
ton mighty thorough and ustounding 4 shilling
pamph'et-in humbl-st guise, loosely stched-witt-
out cover void of all pretenson-heraded forth but
by single name-studded indeed with statistics
crowded with facts, fellcitous in illustration cogent
in reasouing-but without weapon ors-forces lis
mighty way through legons of prejudice, which bow
down before it, and own it's dominion! A fresh and
beautiful confirmation this of the cheering adage that
"TRuTH IS MIGHTY, AND WILL rkEvAIL"! The little
David OF truth, armed os aforelne with his Sing aud
his stone has encountered again the gigantic Gliah
ro,ing in his strength, and burly with thews and
Gle and brawn-and there he lies, powerless for mis-
chief and gasping for life Since thi. little pamphlet
went its way upon its pilgrim errand, and wormed
modest course through all The Saracens of nidety-
thousands upon thousands vending tn tler ward
TO the great National Jerusalem of union and peace,
now and evermore. So mote it be
But Mr.. Webster has still further claims upon my
attention, and all knightly courtesy forbids, tina, |
should rob him Of his dues. hope TO marshal 10 my
aid fresh appliances, aud borrow he ps from other
Sources to lenethen my lstter-tlll can reach the
truth, ut the lowest bottom, aud bring to the surface
For, the Constitution, am admonshed, may be Hhen.
ed unto the Law-which one Edward Coke, aforetime,
quantity "hkens unto deep WE'LL into which every
man putteth in his bucket, and draweth out according
10 the strength Of his understanding" So with the
helps aud appliances to boot, summon for the
noncc-well loosen the windlass and down with our
bucket
Having in MY last letter attempted to show, from
various facts precedent to- and cotemporaneous with
the Constitution that not the design OF The Ame-
rcan statesmen of those times, 10 preclnde,by cons,
uona obstacles, either the annexation oil foreign ter
rtory to the United States, the formation OF new
States out Of such territory, and admit them into the
Union, to admit foreign States into the Union, as
ne1 States and circumstances were adduced, making
it more than probable, that the Convention contempla
ted that Canada and yet more probably that Louisiana
would al some day be added to The u. Sites this
brings me TO the Constitution Itself, for the solution of
the question.
The FIRST clause there that arrests attention, is
this: anew States may be admitted by Congress into
the Union" What is mean. by ".Neac States" an
States assurpdy, which are contra-distnguished from
Union with them. These constituted the 'nec States,
in the sense Of the Constitution Within wha, degrees
of latitude or longitude these States 10 lie ]?
Nothing informs US, or mIts-but the Constitution
condes all to the discretion of Congress May foreign
new States be admitted into the Union Yes-lf Con-
press SAYS So Thus says the Constitution, and thus
say l. Let the States come with Republican
form of Government, and Congress is empowered 10
confer on them capacity for entry into our National
Confederacy II is vast discretlonlul! of response
b,l;ty indeed but it exists, and may be- exercised
and binds the nation when il is done. The power 10
wage war involves also vast responsibility. II may
result, in the ruin and the overthrow of The Union and
of the States Yet It is oil conded to The discretion Of
Coarress-nnd become the foes the friends oil
nations, as il shall decide
Some, there are who deny the nation capacity 10
acquire territory Bat the acceptance Of cessons from
the States is the acquisition of terrtory-and this has
been done, and done repeatedly. Bat can the nation
purchase territory Assuredly it may, and has done
Georgia made eession terms, bat, ia effect, il
was sale. 1t was onerous IN It's nature and IN It's oh
Iiratoas, and those elements constitute sale. The
purchase Of Louisiana and Florida other instances
Ii you question their validity as precedenis, beca
they were ATTRACTIONS of the Constitution, and resolve
them into original questions say, agreed-and thus
meet the objections.
Congress, we agree, may declare war. Then,
while encountering the pers, surely the spoils Of
war which and pertain 10 other Nations,
and pertain to US. We take enemys ships at sea-
nat changes the ownership, III we secure the prize
They become ours, by title valid purchase itself
| could make it, Such are the rights of war upon the
sea. On the land-we invade and conquer Territory
the enemy is subdued-sues for peace the basis of
The ui possidetis, and cedes that Territory TO by
Treaty. May we take it /? The laws Of Nations the
laws Of war say So How has this nation been shorn
of those rights of war, which all other nations exercise
aud enjoy THIS Nation has where abridged itself
of this National right, and surely other Nation can
take it away. The Constitution allows it, for it sane
and tn !
pcrils it awards lis spols Hence take proved,
thai we acquire Territory by conques,tlence, had
we the ability, coupled with the desire, nder just pro-
vacations, could have the Canadas, the Loui-
sanas, the Flordas by conquest and held them, and
held them rghtlully and under the Constitution and
have formed them into States, and introduced them
into the Union. lie who is convinced oil thIs needs
no argument 10 establish that what may lawfully be ac-
CURED by blood, may be acquired by treasure Peace
may give us what makes Were il other
WISE and all Nations brought under our dsqua-
icotons incentives 10 war would have eEj All
the Nations who coveted Territory, would be prompted
10 foment quares, and wage war; and wresl IRON an
other, by the us major its just possessions,
"without money, and without price And, II not un-
der our disquafca,ions, then should wage war on
unequal terms-for, others would fight US, exempt
from the very penalties the most dreaded, and the most
ruinous Hence, the other hand, he who is not
convinced must BIZ treated out OF the reach Of
son. and be given up to hs infdelIty But have d.
verged from the ooect, 80 return 10 tne Oohsutulo
and the Legislative history Of the clause cited from 1t
On the Goth of May, 1857, Messrs. Randolph,
pinckney, and Patterson, laid their several plans of
Constitution before the Convention. See the Madison
Papers, Cd vol 73i-745, and SOS On the subject oil
new st,tes, &C., their several plans these:
Mr.. Randolp 's.-"Tha provision ought TO be made
for the admission of States lacfuHy arising 1rithin
the limits Of The United States whether from voluntary
Junction of Government and Territory, otherwise
with the consent of number of voices in the national
| Legislature, less than the whole
| Mr. Pnckney s-"The Legislature shall have power
to admit new States, the terms with the orr
gnal States, provided that two-thrds of the members
present, in both Houses, agree ="
Mr. tersons-"1hat provision be made for The
admission o. States into The Union.
| These plans were all referred TO the committee Of
detail who, the 9th of August Qbid. l24D report
ed on this ma ter as folloSs:
"ARr XVII New States, hmf"iy const;tuted o.
established, ,cihin the limits IF the States, may b.
admitted by The Legislature into this Government, bu
TO such admission, iwoihrds of the members present
in each House sholl be necessary. If State shall
arise, within the limits of any OF the present States
the consent Of the Legislatures of such States shall