The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1845-02-21

act Of Congress. The tongue the religion, the
Government OF the people, would be the same either
way Was not the President and two-thirds Of the
Senate much safer authority lban tina msjorty OF
the House OF RepIeseniatisesf Two-tbirJs OF the
Senate, then, exceeded q majority OF Tho Senate by
only four votes. Were these four votes greater
security than majority OF The whole House OF Hep
resentaises Let gentlemen strip their agInations
Of these goygoN hydras, and ehisras dire. Were We,
Christians and Repu blicans lkly To admit State
Of Pagans and chist which continued 10 retain
Government and political to'ally contrary TO
ouBi No. Its Government must be republican,
Could We force foreign State into our embrace irou
ADDITION and aggrand'zementi Did the resolution
contemplate such Thing No. We only proposed
70 open the door for others come 10 not al their
pleasure. And he asked gentlemen whether II was
likely that people who differed totally from US Ia
language, in religion, in political habits and opinions
would AK 10 become a part of our Uniont Oti III
they did, was Il likely that a majority OF Congress
would permit 30 unnatural a unionS Was not
majority IN both Houses sufficient guaranty To the
contrary And II Il did not, would the treaty power
be greater or alter the much for the better
But what bad been our past historyl We bad i'd
mi ted States into the MON, but bad We admit
ted hofdes vi savsges, States ruled by yranls =
We had never Yet admitted single Government as
Government; none such had ever applied. We
acquired Louisiana, but we did not thereby admit the
French Government; nor did We admit the Stale UNI
al long Atier The annexation Of the territory. lhe
States We had admitted were chiefly Inhabited by men
Of our own blood, and men trained to the principles
Of our own Constitution. Could here be 80 great
danger as was pretended in admitting hundred thou
sand people reading on our own immediate border
our own bfethrtn-our own ehlldren-Our iellow-sol-
diep, who had fought with side by sidei our
fellow patriots, who, like ourselves, had commended
Tor Their liberties aud independence aud, like our
selves had established free Constituuonf BY re-
ceiSlDg such people We should not alter single
u he hat he ",
~e should increase the number Of its securities. In
the OF corporation could not new cofporators
be admitted without altering the ohansri How would
u hart the people of Massachusetts or Of New Hamp-
shire 10 admit 10 share In their privileges people
trained like themselyesl
IL was urged, however, that Texas, IL admitted,
would eounIsIbalanee the weight Of the Northern
States aud that would be very lmpruden 10 encoun-
ter such risk and this, when the Constitution gave
TO Congress the express power TO perform the act
The effect OF this resolution would be 10 extend our
UnIrn i've degrees further south, or eight IN some
places: whereas, by the acquisition Of Louisiana, We
had stretched II north eighteen degrees at stride
running In width Alo at the south only TO the Del
Norte, but al the north the ~boe continent 10
the Pacific. Mr.. w thought the danger, ifthere was
any, lay 10 the opposite direction. he was here TO
do justice well to the South to the North, aud he
did not believe in the danger of adding little at the
South, when such vast additions were contemplated
In the North and Nonhwe,L
Again 1t has been said that the trainers Of the Con.
stitulion never nemplated such a measure as thiS
ever expected that The Union was 10 be enlarged
yet, in the Madisonisn Poper they might nd oven
that early day, proposition by member from Mas
sachusetls 10 limit the number of States that should
lie formed west OF the mountains. But the limitation
had been opposed by Roger Sherman, who, with his
plain, good sense, avowed the desire 10 augment our
population and spread our doctrines There would
be danger IT both people and territory should be
led Drt plpI hey np. he
political principles and the same personal habits.
Again, against this resolution some gentlemen went
20 far as To maintain that the Constitution thought
only-looked only to the territory which was within
the Union at the time Of its adoption and yet had
the letter Of Gen. Hamilton in 1877, suggesting that
we must look to Louisiana and Florida and might
even icnk further South"
Mr.. Madison, too, had expressly maintained in the
Fedeiaist in 1888 that our form Of representative
republican government had no natural or necessary
limits but the physical ability of The representatives
to attend the regular meetings Of the National Legs
ature. He assigned it no limit but such space. Even
the old Confederation had contemplate the admission
OF Canada and other colonies, British, Spanish, OF
French. Could all this have been in conteppl alton
so early as l776, and it not much as to be
heard Of now, or in 1887 Would gentlemen say
that no enlargement of the Union contemplated
by those hardy Western settlers who were ready 10
fight for the possession of The mouth of the Missis-
slppii We had extensive northern regions yet IN.
settled, and every one knew that States at the
North were filled up with population in half1he time
that would he required far South. The space for
new States IN the North was faI greater and there
was far greater of foreign einigrants ready
move in that direction. The danger of overbalanc-
ing the Northern States was therefore ridiculous,
II had been said that if we first acquired the ter
rtory of Texas by treaty, there would be difficult
ty in the case, but that # we much attempted
II by legislation, there danger of dsunion. And
yet the very gentleman who urged this argument had
himself, at the last session, voted against annexing
Texas by treaty. Now they offered him PROPOSE
ton to annex 1t by legislation, and he was just as
much opposed TO that. Texas must not come in by
treaty. and she must not come in by act Of Congress
and yet gentlemen said they friends Of the adj
mission of Texas, that they actuaed by feel
ngs Of fraternity towards her, and wished to her
in the Union. And yet they would vote inexoraby
against both propositions for her admission Mr..
w. would put this question II these gentlemen were
friends TO Texas, who were her foes'
But dsunion, disunion, had been rung long and
loud Yes, and !, had been sounded Just as loudly
in 1912, when the State Of Louisiana was ADM ted ,
and IN 1903, when the territory of Louisiana
CURED The same threats had been made then II
had been admitted by both sides at that time that if
Louisiana ever came in as Stae. it must be by act
of Congress. She did come in by act signed by
Mr.. Madison's own hand. The Northern States did
not acquesce, but used very angry language them as
now. Ii was a sort OF monomania in trouble for a
Of US to talk loudly Of dsunion and ruin. The very
first threat of disunion heard in the halls of Con
gress was uttered by member from New England in
1879, and it then said that all the States
which had been admitted from territory not within
the Union at the adoption Of the Constitution were
not lawfully members of the Confederacy Yes, sir,
instead Of general assent and reclamation then, as the
Senator from Virginia Mr.. Rives) says, the same
tn eats hear muttering in certain parts OF our
country had then been heard 1t was held just as H.
legal and unconstitutional the admission Teyas
was now.
people only could legitimate the admission of Arkan-
and Missouri, because they had not been first ad.
mitted by the treaty power; and Massachusetts, had
denounced both lawfully the Union, although
purchased first by treaty. She difficult to suit
10 1912 what came in first by treaty was unlawful.
TheI last Senator who had spoken, from Virginia,
! Mr. Rves,) had insisted that the security of the
South would be incnm narahlx rreaier if Iexas