The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1844-07-01
EXTRACTS FROMTHE SPEECH Or
MR.. J, r. GIDDINGS, OF OHIO
UPON TIE ANNEXATION oF TEXAS.

tDelirereI in the House Of Representatives., L. s.
Nay, 81, ls44.l
Mr. GIDDINs said, that his principal object in nd
dressing the committee, at this time, to call the
attention Of gentlemen TO 10 real question at Issue
before the people Of this nation.
The real issue has been made up; il has been plac-
ed upon the records of the Government and will 70
main there IN all coming time, sub ect to the aspec-
ton OF those who shall come after us. /, has been
published in our newspapers, aud is already before
the people, who the constitutional triers 10 deter
mine the issue The PI esideEt and his cabinet and
the Democrats, aver that this nation shall take upon
itself the support and erpeiGatioR os!arery il. Tar
as and Of the Stare trade beieesa Stare breeding
States and The people Of that Government. They
urged that our army and navy shall be employed
and our national energies put orth character dis
gracad before the civilized world in order 10 attain
that object. They insist that shall violate our
treaty stpuations with Mexico that we shall abandon
DOR principles IN favor of human liberty acknowledge
ourselves nrtcn Of political hyPdcTius; bring die
honor upon the memory Of our revolutionary patriots
turn traitors TO the sacred Of freedom; and
wage an unceasing war upon humanity itself. These
are the matters urged on side, and obiec-
ted to by the other. This is the issue to bo otter
mined by the peopla--by the electors of the north
and OF the SOUTH Of the east and On this ss ue
the Wings, the Democrats and Liberty men arc 70
pass Judgment.
II ia that tho annexation Of Texas to these Uni
ted States is brought forward the proposed means
by which may extend and perpetuate slavery and
continue the slave trade; but that object is merely
collateral 10 the great and Interior design disappearing
slavery and the slave trade The object and pur-
pose for which it is now sought to annex Texas to
the United States is clearly and unequivocay set
forth in the official correspondence between the Se
rotary of State and Mr. Everett, minister tho
court of st. James; between said Secretary and
"chnrge de affairs" in Texas, and between him and
the British minister resident in this city. In every
letter Of that correspondence the object is frankly
vowed, without any apparent delicacy attempt at
concealment. The same object of maintaining the
slave trade between the slave breeding States of this
Union and Texas, aud the perpetuains slavery in
Texas, is the avowed object of nearly every Dem
ocratic paper south OF Mason and Dixon's line, by
nearly every address upon that subject, and by the
proceedings Of nearly all the public meetings hold in
the slave States for the purpose of promoting the
cause of annexation. The Same motives fully
and frankly avowed on this floor during the debate
of yesterday by the gentleman from South CaroIiua,
mir HoMEs,) and in the debate of 70 day by the
gentleman from Virginia, (ir ATKINsoN,) and by
the gentleman from Alabama, (Alr BELsER.) These
gentlemen, with commemorate sincerity and frank
ness, met the issue fairly. Not with the gentle
from Indiana, (Nlr OwEN.) He is from free
State, and evidently felt somewhat embarrassed in
advocating the interests Of slave breeders and slave
dealers; he therefore,, far possible, avoided the
main issue. He, however, spoke earnedly Of treat
les, and boundaries, and Of early writer's upon inter
national law, and of governments 'de facto," and
Of governments SIDE ure," while his illusions to the
subject Of slavery s the slave trade very slight
although they had up the time Of his speech formed
the prominent theme of those who advocated with |
him the annexation of Texas.
! regret that the honorable gentleman has left the
Hall. was DESTROYS Of addressing some remarks to
him, well to his constituents. There are OBJ |
jectons to the annexation of Texas which meet at
the very threshold of the argument When ii is pro-
posed by the people ofTexas to erase the name Of
that republic from The list of natons to surrender
their existence separate independent people; and
to place themselves under the Government OF the
United States; we know there must be an object, an
actuating motive that induces them thus to minSe
with the people Of these States. These objects are
all forth in the treaty under discussion in the
other end Of this Capitol. The first of those objects
to which will call the attention Of the committee, ID
he payment Of their debts by the people Of h's CHton'
This is of the vital conditions Of the treaty, with
ont which the people of Texas would not for mo
lnent listen 20 any proposition for annexation.
To this think there some strong objections
%1he direct question was an amendment to the
naval appropriation bill, to restrict the expenditure,
so that not more than half the should be
expended prior to the first of January, lS45. This
amendment had reference the conduct of the Pres
dent in sending ships to blockade Vera Cruz. Here
The discussion turned upon the annexation Of Texas,