Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1845-01-14

ID, had The act before nlln We %. w
the province of Louisiana as the State OF Loui-
s;,na The Sabine was made the boundary oil
the State. but it did not follow that Inc Saolhe
was The boundary of the province II Tue gen
tleman from Pennsylvania, (Mr. J. K. lnSersol'
would insist that, because the Sabine, IN Tue acl
of 1912, was declared TO be the boundary OF 'he
State of Louisiana, therefore 1t was OF couise
the boundary between rs and SPAN, men, py lne
same course of reasoning, The line laid down IN
that same act as the Northern boundary OF Lou
isiana would also be our boundary WIN oPaih
and so Arkansas, and Missouri, ana Wisconsin,
and Iowa, would all be expelled al once i'o'ii tie
Union.
One word more and he would take his iare-
well of the honorable gentleman from Pehnsyi-
vania, (Mr ]. r. lnsersoll) The fgenlieInah
commended, that as the act OF lol2 eSanlsneu 'ne
boundary between Spain and the United STATES,
and Texas was left outside of il, BY establishing
that line we los, Texas An, indeed IL So
then the gentleman furnished one instance IN
which Congress had made a contract with 10
reign nation on the subject OF boundary. II me
gentleman was right in his position then ne hau
succeeded in proving that Congress had power 10
sell a foreign country, and if Congress could
sell il, then Congress could buy II back AGAIN
The oentemans own argument annlhiated his
own objection, and Mr. D. freely gave him The
whole benefit of it,
BIT now as 10 The treaty Of 1903. The third
article OF that treaty, by which we purchased Inc
Province OF Louisiana, extending AS u ana 10 inc
Rio del Nonc and Of course including Iexas
provided that the inhabitants OF mat province
should be received into the Union a. soon as pos
sible that they should be secured in Tue rights OF
American citizens and i'll The full enjoyment OF
their religion. These solemn pledges were given,
a. If No RIGHTS
American citizens and an admission INTO The
Union as soon as it could be effected, and yet in
direct violation of that treaty and OF those pledges
we made The treaty of 1919, by which we sod
Texas 10 n foreign lespol. Yes; we sold the peo-
pie of Texas Ia whom We had made these solemn
guarantees, and thus by our act converted body
Of American citizens into the serls OH dcspolsin,
thus betravng them with all their rights and prl-
yjlepes Was there not here some material on
which the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr.
Winthrop0 might have dwell, with advantage
while protesting his philanthropy and his great
desire for the extension OF the area OF freedom!
Was il nothing 10 crafty 50 phanihropic
heart, 10 bring back this betrayed body OF men,
rens!ate them in their rights ensure 10 them The
endowment oil their religion, and by admitting them
into the Union redeeming our broken faith and
pucking up our national honor, drowned and
Ii was for all these reasons that Mr.. D. had
recited the facts contained in the preamble 10 his
resolutions, and ii seemed TO him that they prov
ed very concusively that the act now TO be per-
formed was an act OF remuneration.
But gentlemen insisted that, although the treaty
OF 1919 did violate the treaty of 1902 still as it
was ratified il stood as valid treaty. and we had
now los, all claim and title 10 Texas. Mr.. d.
admitted the fact he admitted il with humilia-
ton and with regret. He freely confessed that,
BY our own wrong, and to our own lasting dis
grace we had lost all claim or right or pretext of
right 10 Texas. He made the admission 10 lis
fullest extent He should abide by that sound
principle Of law, that no party might take advan-
iage of his own wrong, and this compelled him 10
admit that we could pretend 10 no legal claim 10
Texas; but, although we had lost our rights, we
were not thereby shielded from our obligations 10
DO Justice 10 Texas. True, we could moi claim
Texas; but the people Of Texas had right 10
demand that we should fulfil the pledges we had
given them in the treaty Of 1903, and she did de-
mand it, And should this nation refuse 10 COM
ply with our guarantees and solemn public pledges
by receiving Texas back again, il must stand
forever disgraced in the eyes OF The whole world.
Ii Mr. ID. had time. he might trace the course
Of the people Of Texas, and show That within
three months after the signing of the treaty of
1919 they had assembled in what they called their
supreme council, and entered their solemn pro-
ties, against our sale Of them 10 the King of Spain,
and declared that they never would abide by it.
Mr.. ID. gave these facts as he found them stated
in Niles Register and elsewhere.
And now, without referring 10 the great COM
mercial advantages which would attend lhe
remuneration, from opening market 10 The
manufactures OF the North and East; from
extending The trade and navigation of the
Union; from augmenlns our political pow
er; from obtaining better boundary; from
bringing the Arkansas and the Platte, the Red
river and other lesser streams within our own
bounds, and thereby avoiding collision with the va
rious nations inhabiting the banks OF those
streams; without making this appeal 10 our
pockets and addressing an argument 10 our in
lercs,s alone, he thought he had shown enough,
when he had shown that the national honor and
the national good faith required OF us The object
Tor which he was pleading. He put il 10 gentle
men 10 say, what was The moral difference be-
tween repudiating treaty stipulation for the pro-
lection OF human rights, and repudaiDg mere
bond for money! 1t was said by some gentlemen
that the blacklist Of crimes ofwhich any people or
nation could be guilty, was TO rcpudiaie their
obligations Tor the payment Of money. Yes, oil
money. Yet here was n guaranty of human
riehts-the rights of conscience included; yeti
sunk into perfect insigntcance in the minds oil
certain gentlemen. Mr.. d. could not so consi-
der it, lie held, that faith and honor required
that that guaranty should he redeemed When
a nation repuda,ed her money contracts, she was
in The downward road 10 ruin, just as was the
individual who first became gambler, and then
highwayman. He demanded Of gentlemen the
redemption OF the national lailh--the vindicaiior
OF the national honor.
And now 10 The consideration Of difficulty
thrown before him by way OF ,tumbling-bloclS by
the gentleman from Massachusetts, (Mr. Win
throp) He did not complain at ALL that the gen
leman should have thrown this impeachment il
his way, or should have required him TO remove
il, and thereby make CHAR path for himself anC
for others who should follow him. He must &c
what he could TO remove il out Of The way. The
stumbling block to which he alluded was the al
legged want OF constitutional power 10 admit o.
10 annex any foreign territory. The gentleman
had presented the question fairly, and had taken
high ground. And he had done more; he haC
acted upon his own principle BY refusing 10 ar
que the question al all which was certainly a very
prudent course The opponents of annexation
seemed 10 be proceeding on this plan; The game
was 10 suggest difficulties, 10 throw in obstacles
10 build up objections, and dcii;n The friends q
the measure in ansWerin. these things, Instead o
going al large into i full and Tree discussion OF
The merits Of the plan The reason was pretty
obvious These gentlemen had found on, that il
would not do very we'll 10 enter into the mers.-
And why? From the little ioretastc they had
thus far had, they found that The people were
against them. Yes, the people were against
,he.n Never had any public question been
more expressly and more specifically placed
before the minds OF the people. This Tex
as issue had been made every where; there
had been no lodging; and the people, hy
their fiat had decided that The annexation
should take place; and in such a manner aud
in such a tone had they spoken their dcci-
sion that il their representatives dared 10 disc
bev, they nigh, expect 10 hear that voice in tones
ofihunder. II ever representatives were pledged
and instructed 10 any measure, the representa-
,ives of the people on that floor Che spoke, OF
course, OF The Majority were so pledged and in
Sructed 10 annex Texas 10 this Union. Fiji was
not done, gentlemen might expect 10 hear that
they had been false 10 their pledges, that they had
been recreani 10 their own principles, and could