The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1845-01-24
Twenty-Eighth Congress,
SECOND SESSION.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,.
FsmAv January "a lS45

were severally read Twice and appropriately re.
ferrcd, VIZ
A bill to establish land district in the State
Of Arkansas
A bill TO regulate the appointment and promo.
tiop OF officers IN the revenue service Of the United
States;
A bill making compensation To pension agents
A bill conhrpsisg and asserting TO act Of the
legislature OF Virginia further 10 amend the act ~
cooperating the Chesapeake and OHIO Canal Com
pany
A bill to repeal act for the better organization
Of the district court OF Louisiana, and for other pur
poses;
A bill to refunds balance due TO the State Of Mas
sachusetts for militia services; and
bill continuing the Cumberland road through the
States Of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois.
OREGON.
Mr. JAMES BLACK presented the petition Of I2i
citizens Of Cumberland county, State Of Penbsylya-
MA pray ng Congress that bill may be passed Tor
the organization Of Oregon into a territory Of the
United States, and that notice be given 10 Great
Britain that the joint occupancy shall terminate al
the end of twelve moaths, and that after that period
they be required to Withdraw their claims and pay
duties as IN other parts OF the United States.
CHINA.
The SPEAKER laid before the House, a message
from the President OF the United States, commun.
eating abstract Of the treaty between the United
States and China, and recommending to Congress the
proprey OF making an appropriation for either
permanent minister q commercial agent etc
This message was published in the Madlsonan Sc
On motion Of Mr.. ADAMS, it was referred to the
Committee Foreign Affairs.
Several other Executive communications were lad
before the House
Mr.. JAMESON presented the resolutions of the
Legislature Of Missouri, on the subject Of Texas
ANNEXATION.
The House resolved itself into Committee Of the
Whole on the state Of the Union, and resumed TIE
| consideration OF this subject
Mr.. HAMLlN, OF Maine, yesterday, after our
paper was put 10 press, insisted The justice ol
compromise between the slaveholding and non
shaving States in the acquisition of the lerntory-so
as to satisfy both
Mr. FICKLIN expressed desire for immediate
anne II alton.
Mr. DROMGoOLE, to-day, addressed the Com.
mttee, and said that he could not, and would not
vote for the proposition which had been lily intro
duesd by the Committee Of Foreign Affairs. He re-
garded the last expiring efforts of the Tyler sd
mnist alton to accomplish tins objec-a treaty enre-
dousiy and inconsideratey entered into when illus
trious and eminent statesmen believed that there were
difficulties in the way, there being at the time an a.
mstiee between Mexico and Texas 1t was rejected
by the power TO which was confded the revision,
confirmation, or rejection Of treaties; and there
was an effort made TO revive and rslify the elected
treaty, in totidem pertis. The power acquire new
territory, and that 10 admit States were sepa.
rate and distinct, and the not incidental to
the other The former belonged to the treaty making
power, IN support OF which he caused be read an
| extract from the writings of Mr. Adams, of Massa-
chusetts the latter 10 Congress In reply the
gament that foreign States could not be admitted III
| to the Union, he pointed to two instances in cur
history where this was done, by sim
pie act of ratification of the Constitution of
the United States by the Suites of North
Carolina and Rhode Island. Prior TO that pc
Rod they were treated foreign States by Congress
over which the laws were not extended until they
.,.tn q IT,,au
mont, and the manner of her admission into the
Union for the purpose OF proving that according 10
fair Interpretation of the Constitution, and its con
temporaneous history, new States included with
IN the limits OF other states, may be admitted into
the Unon--and thus he arrived at the conclusion
that Texas may be admitted into the Union He
thought that his own proposition to effect this object
was better than any of the others which had been
submitted Ii designed secure us coast upon the
Gulf, and did not make our Government Iespons bic
for the payment of her debts nor diminished her re-
| sources for that purpose.
Mr.. BARNARD, as to the policy, denied that any
necessity existed for the alton of Texas-that
there existed any such necessity make il the duty
OF Congress to rise above the Constitution and con
summate the measure-that ally such necessity ex.
listed as had been urged by its advocates-that Texas
would fall into the hands of any other power should
we eject her-that the acquisition of that territory
would afford 10 US any advantages not now posse
that the annexation Of Texas was necessary in or
der secure the institution of slavery to the States
in which 1t now exsted-the best possible security
was to let 1t rest where it was by the compromises of
the Constitution He denied that there was any ad-
vantage oil any sort, to be secured by the annexation
OF Texas, any more than by the anne xaon of Cana
da not halt as much. 1t would not strengthen our
Union or Government--nor aid in the perpetuaon of
our free institutions, Republican form of Go
vernment on the contrary, il would not add to our Re-
publican virtue or elevate our Republican character
quite the contrary, and would gain nothing on the
score of nationality and popular intelligence We
would not prosper better with than without il nor have
aDettermarket nor better security and proectont TO
our national and domestic interests, nor would It in
crease our revenues in Short would add nothing to
- public wealth, prosperity, or security, the national
responsibility or the national honor. He denied
that we had any claim Texas or Texas on us
But his purpose was to defend the Constitution of the
United States from the deliberate assault made on il
by the advocates of the measure before them and he
proceeded to do so the proposition as laid down
by him, viz: that the Federal Government had no
power right under the Constitution to acquire TO-
reign territory, and annex it to the United States
much less had the Government the power to form a
union between the United States and a foreign Gov.
ernment-that such acquisition and union wa. sub
santive aud independent measure and not incidental
to any positive grant of power.
n'r. ADAMS, from among many competitors was
assigned the floor. In his opinion the arguments
brought forward in support of the measure were
resoivsoie INTO this .Naire had gren 10 us Tt1as
and all other arguments we're founded in magma
ton and not on facts. Il true that in 1926 he did
propose TO purchase the territory Of Texas but II was
now proposed to be taken by force. The diHe.
renee was as that between purchase and burglary
or as gong into shop at midday and pricing an
article, and going to the same shop at night,
and taking II without the consent of the own
err tie mad always been in favor of ex
tending the boundaries Of the United States
to the Rio del Norte, condition that those who
owned ,he territory should consented to il and he
would DE now, provided the law Of that country OF
1873 and 1927 were in force which would secure us
me territory without slavery Give us the consent
OF the proPrietors and the law OF freedom which
then existed throughout Mexico, and he would as
sen, 70 annexation o-morrow-for, in that event. sla-
very would be abolished But since that perio1 nv