Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1845-02-08
PROCEEDINGS IN CONGRESS.
IN SENATE.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1915
ANNEYATION OF TEXAS

ANNEXATION OF TEXAS. ~
Mr. BENTON remarked that the Committee on Foreign
Relations having reported yesterday upon the subject of
nexaon which brought back all the propositions before the
Senate he asked that the bill submitted by him short
back taken up for the purpose of enabling him withdraw
it from the Senate and TO submit another in its place.
The bill accordingly taken up when Mr. b. on leave,
withdrew it and submitted the following in lieu thereof viz
BILL provide for the Texas the United
States.
BE enacted &c. That State formed Of the pre-
sent Republic OF Texas with suitable and boundaries,
and with Representatives Congress until the appor
tionment OF representation, shall be admitted into the Union by
virtue of this equal footing with the existing States,
the terms and conditions Of such dmisop aud the
eession OF the remaining Texan territory the United States
shall be agreed upon by the Governments Of Texas and the
Sec 2 find further enacted That of hun
red thousand dollars be and the same hereby appropriated
deay the expenses Of and negotiations TO
upon the Of said admission and cesson either by treaty
TO be submitted TO the Senate by articles to BIC submitted to
the two Houses OF Congress- the President may direct
The bill having been read
Mr. BESroS said he would avail himself of the indulgence
of the Senate to state the which induced him to offer
it. II copy, he said, substantially, Of the bill which
he had previously offered, with the of all the
and conditions which that bill contained. He had been in
duced omit all these conditions because of the difficulty Of
agreeing upon them, and because it clear that what
ever bill passed upon the subject Of Texas the
Of must devolve upon the President who had been
jus. elected by Ae people with view to this object He had
confidence in Mr. Polk and willing trust the question
and conditions his discretion cer
that would do the best that he could for ,e
the Object the harmony OF the Union. and the
of tho country He had therefore, Withdrawn all the
and conditions which his previous bill contained and
only retained It's cardinal features namely the admission of
Texan State by law, the cesson Of the remaining Texan
Ttoy the United States and the adjustment of the
and conditions of this admission and by envoys or
commissioners subject to the confirmation of the two Govern
ments This seemed to him to be the natural practicable
way OF proceeding and certainly the respectful
Texas tGsr4 'M n
The joint resolution up from the House OF Representa-
tyes was nothing but proposal and proposal clogged with
ly,,tal q
of our Congress- might be rejected by Texas and then the
process of making proposals would have again
Legislative propositions ntechanged by Legislative bodies
sitting in two different countries, at the distance of
thousand miles apart slow of coming conclu-
sions and, unless practicable method adopted
the annexation of Texas might be looked upon event
deferred for years Commissioners or ENJOYS to discuss
propositions face to face, with right give well to
take-wh power to yield well denand-can alone be
competent to the successful termination of such business
He therefore adhered to that part of his former bill which pro-
posed send Ministers settle the Of annexation
The occasion (said Mr.. b is extraordinary one and
requires extraordinary mission The voluntary union of
two independent nations and worthy
be attended by circumstance which lends dignity,
promotes its success and makes satisfactory When Eng
landand Scotland united of last
century, no less than thirty employed
10 upon the terms and the they agreed upon
ceved the sanction of the Pariamen the kingdoms
and completed which had been attempted for
hundred years Extraordinary MISSIONS nationally con-
stued, have several times been resoed to
not. The first Mr. Adams Marshall, Gerry and
Pnckney to the French Directory 1898 Mr. jefferson sent
Ellsworth Daye, and Murray the French Consular
ment OF 1900 Mr.. Madison Adams, Bayar Galatin
Clay, and Russell Client in 1914 All these missions
and others which might be named, naona constituted
composed OF eminent citizens taken from each political party
and from different sections OF the Unions and Of course all
favorable to the object for which they were employed An
occasion has occurred which, my opinion requires mis-
sion similarly consituted-as numerous as the missions to
Paris Ghenand composed of citizens from both polal
tho aanl}n
ing States Such commission could hardly 10 be
full not merely in asrAeins .h IS uaier, in
agreeing upon which would be satisfactory to the people
and the Governments Of the two countries And here to
avoid Misrepresentation and the appearance srepec where
the contrary is felt would that the gentleman now in
Texas the Charge of the United States in my opinion
emneny t and proper be of the ENJOYS Extraord
nary and Ministers Plenpoentiary which my bill conempaes
The bill which now propose said Mr.. d. is brief and
pan but comprehensive and electual proposes admit
one Texan State TO obtain cesson of the remaining Texan
territory and settle the and conditions of the adms-
sion and cesion by the usual and practicable mode of
taton
The admission Of the Stale, rather lis right admission
Is to be complete under the BILL is to be admitted by
Of the that future legislation will be necessary
for that purpose and the possibility OF Missouri controversy
will be entirely avoided The admitted State is to have ali
the rights Of the existing States from the Of her adj
mission, only theoretically, but practically for the bill
fixes her representation in the federal Congress and avoids all
delay debate upon that point nothing about Sena
tors for there the Constitution alone sufficient: both
gives the right TO Senator's and fixes the number To Repe
senatves gives the right leaves il to Congress 10 fix
the number This bill fixes it, and gives the first Texan
State two members number which her present popua
ton will ene her. and which win be sensby increased be-
fore the process Of admission be accomplished and do-
bed tbed before the apporonent under the census
OF 1850 can be extended TO her.
State Of proper being formed the ccson Of the re-
naming Texan territory to the United States becomes nds
pensabe and here the joint resolution from the House
representatives. is essentially defective II admits the whole
public OF Texas State, and provides
ing her limits without her In fact when once ad
United as STATE she he reduced without her con-
sent the Constitution Of the United States fobids and the
equilibrium OF our system viii admit of such overpowenc
preponderanee IN any member of the Union This is
not new point in history il has occurred before and
has been decided The early history Of our Confederacy
full Of instruction upon IL Many Of the States at the close
Of the Revolution, found be too large for the safety
the rest and the most persyerng efforts reduce
them As early as $780, they called upon by the
nents Congress reduce their limits and ede their surplus
territory. Some yielded readily from feelings of harmony and
concatonthose feelings being rather stronger then than tey
are now Virginia coded grauiousy all her territory beyond
the Ohio river Connecticut did cede twenty wears and
then got two and half millions for her small claim ON the
shore Of Lake Erie Georgia held until lsoz and then
got million and quarter 10 money! five millions Of acres OF
land scrip, and obligation extnguish Indian titles and
remove Indians which has Of millions for the
tory alone which forms the single State of Missssippi II
required the most pcseverng exerto as we ali know aid
ed by the kindly spirit which then prevailed and the oyer
erng necessity provide for the Revolutionary debt 10 Obtain
from the great States the contraction Of their limits and The
ceson of their surplus territory the Union Our apces
tors accomplished the work. and they took care as they fully
believed to guard against the like danger in all time to come
They took at once, and in the very Of csson 10
fix the number and Of the States making them 81
proper number and that the danger Of