The North-Carolina standard., 1845-04-16

tassshe does for so great dlstanee IN time Of peace
She would have been troubl lesonne enelg hbof and
IN war shesmighf have been dangerous enemy.
The similarity of her prodactiens and the genius
4 of her people would at least have made her our
commercial rival She would no doubt have mo-
nopolized the larger part Of The cotton trade which
We now possess amounting to more than half OF
all the exports of the United States. Cultiyating
the friendship and commerce of those natous
(which afforded hersa 1rhark fer Rer cotton and
Eother productions, she would have purchased her
Esupples of them, and, not of US, But when she
Ibrcomes part OF the Union, notwithstanding she
Twill suppfant some Of the States in the culture Of
Ec0hon, Which would occur any how. yet her trade
will then be governed by our laws, aad she ca can
not enter into any treaties OF alliances 10 prejudice
1.-The interests of the United States She will then
lafford market to many Of the States for their
surplus of agricultural and manufactured articles;
apd thus the products Of her fertile soil will not
only cnure to Texas, but will contribute, TO the
wealth of all the States Then the slgbtest, in
suh offered from abroad to her most distant sister
State would be considered as offered to herself;
and when any internal commotion arises, she will
unfurf the " stars and stripes" and plant herself
on the constitutions preserve our laws, and main
tain this GLORIOUS Union. - ..f.i-s =
=. 1t has been alleged that Texas belongs to Mexi-
CO. and that BY annexation we Should be robbing
the latter Of her territory. l have never viewed
it in this light Texas never did, belong TO- Mexi-
co :: she acquired her freedom from Spain by re-
Volntfon, as Mexico herself did; and when she
entered the Mexican confederation, twas as an
equal retaining her sovereignty as aState, When
| she rebeTIed against Santa Annals dcspotism, a
sanguinary revolution ensued, by which she com
pletey defeated the Mexican forces, and fully es-
tablished and declared her, independence, This
was followed BY an acknowledgement OF her indie
pendcnce by the United States and the other prin
cipa nations of the world and that independence
she has maintained for about nine years. So we
find that Texas established her freedom by the
great and nalienabie right of revolution. "inest-
mabie to freemen, and formidable to .yrants only"
and, having thus established and maintained her
liberty she is free to do any act which pertains To
the sovereignty OF a nation. Instead Of carrying
out his boasted threats against Texas Santa Anna
has been driven from his own; capital. ..... ,
Policy points out the line of our duty and to
be deferred from it by the threats of Mexico or
Great Britain, would evince sucha disregard of
our Interests and of our national honor as has
never characterized the conduct Of our people.
With this question Great Britain has no right to
interfere in any way whatever. With Mexico
the boundary of Texas will be legitimate ques-
tion of negotiation, and in its adjustment l have
every reason to bclieye that this government will
do herample justice. The anne Xation of Texas.
instead of involving us in war with either Mexi-
co or Great Britain, WILL in my opinion, do mnch
to ultimately secure our peace with both. By ad-
ding to our wealth and increasing our strength,
the acquisition of Texas will cause other nations
TO respect rights and to cultivate our friend
ship. 1t will distribute the balance of power
more equally among the different sections of the
Union, and more efectually secure the domestic
Institutions Of the South against that policy which
was disclosed by the British Minister Of Foreign
Affairs when he avowed that it was the object ofI
that government to use her influence to abolish
slavery throughout the world.
1t has been contended by some that annexation
would leopard the Union of the States AS es-
sential as regarded this measure to be- had be-
lleved that it would endanger the existence of the
Union it could not have received my tote; for, fI
there is any one political consideration dearer TO
me than all others, except liberty ITSELF it is the
preservation Of this Union That beautiful Ameri-
can sentiment. !" The Union must Ee preserved
peaceably if we can-forcibly if we must" ought
to be taught to every child as soon as ii learns to
lisp, that it may never be forgotten. But the an
nexaton of Texas, instead of endangering the
Union, will, In my. opinion, promote its harmony
and perpetuate its existence Experience has
shown that the Union is as secure with twenty
six States it under the original thirteen IL
is fact worthy Of observation, that most of the
questions which have threatened dissolution ofI
the Union arose in SOME of the old States anG
that the admission of every new State has had |
tendency to allay discord and to harmonize the
government. Texas was once ours, but not lost
by any act of her own. We therefore receive
her, not as prodigaI who had wandered off, but
as one Rnjustly discarded, and invite her to take
place among the great family of States, with the
hope that thus reunited, the hes Of friendship
and of union will remain forever. 81, 49,. II
A bill passed the House 10 organize a terrific
rial government in Oregon, and directing the Presi-
dent OF the United States to Hotify Great Britain
OF the intention of this government at the end of
one year. TO abrogate the treaty Of 1927, which
provides for the joint occupancy of said terrific
ry For this bill I voted, but it was lost in the
Senate. France and Spain claimed Oregon by
discovery, and the United States claims through
them, as we'll as by her own discoveries made by
Captain Gray and others. As early.as 1853. La
Sale, Frenchman, navigated the Mississippi
from Canada to its mouth, by which France claim
ed the sovereignty of all that country wateFed by
that river and its tributaries west Of said river;
and, upon the principle of continuity and cont-
guilty. all the country not pre-oecupied westward
TO the Pacific Ocean. The claim to the coun.
try west of :he Mississippi extended from its
mouth to at least the 49th degree of north Iat
tude, and this claim was recognized by Great
Britain IN the treaty of Utrecht 1913, and oft
Versailles in 1868. In 1903 this claim was trans
ferred to the United States by France, in the pur-
chase of Louisiana. In 1919, in the treaty bv
which we acquired Florida from Spain, the 42d
degree of north latitude from The sorrca or ,io