Mobile register and journal., 1845-12-04

Aber o The democratic party but one, and all the uhigs aho had voted for them n Inc first instance.
 truly say lhal in reference To this mrasune al heayed tle lead every inch of the way.' Thus il wili be seen thai not only voted iii favor of annex aun in every iurm in wh ich Il WIS pfesenled that after the treaty was re ecied aided m preparing measure ior the accuni, ,lishmcnl of the object III e eislatlVe l0rmHnd, allef the defeat of illc prnEosi liun from the House oi Representatives was nscer- iained la be e,itHhle aided in preparing and sus | tanning the amendment hy which the measure Nas finally saved IL is not little curious la the ger ayidiIy with which ] have been pursued upon this subject Did entertain doubts with respect to the cousltutionalitv of annexalIoni-l charg- ed with opposition to the measure, and vio Ialion of instructions Did l waive fhcse doubts, and vote for the measure in the enly lorn in which lt the tune it could possibly pass !-i am char ged with violating the constnuliun and the ywning gull of ollcla perjury is opened before me In short, Is | Il uo obyiuus that those who have condemned me have been much more intent upon that object than upon the annexation of GeXnst
 1t also is said urlendered my conscience to the keeping of the President, by voting for lhe arrna | tive proposition. and leaving the selection ol the mode to his discretion. Every member of ihe two Houses of Congress- who voted for the resolutions, | including every member oi the demacralc party but one, lid precIsey lhe very same thing; and am at | loss 10 conceive why that which IS considered Il | merit in others, should be looked upon crime | in me- l not only anxious To carry out your wishes in the accomplishment oi great measure, but am anxious to do it upon right prIncIples-1n manner that would not only satisfy he ieyerish citement oi the hour, stimulated as that excitement | was by the two most powerful incentives tp human action, avarice and ambition, but in manner that would be sanctioned by intelligent generations in ai ter times, ben the transaction should undergo the stern inhexbe ordeal of impartial history, and be seen only through Ihe calm and undisiurbed medium of truth and IL has not hcen lhe habit oi my public life 10 attempt To sustain ny acts hv leaning to ton has not led me to seek distinction by attaching | myself 10 the of some ambitious popular iead- CT, 10 he dragged through ihe mire and dirt of bordinate lactIonist, To be held dog in the
 leash, o be let loose and suffer ed to join in llIe chase whenever it became necessary 10 hunt down a politica opponent or rival who stands in the way. | l leave that 10 those whose tastes lead them to the occupation of that envable field, and the elevation of whose natures qualities them to he actors in it. | My desire has been to be permitted To act an humble but honest for nysalt and my constituents, and for the gooi of my country.
 But il were disposed to do so on the present oc- casion, and in reference the great measure of The annexatIon of Texas 10 the United States. l could avail myself of the opinions of some o tte highest inellects and purest patriots our country has pro- duced. hape he trideace under his omH hand, that | that remarkable man, General Jackson, who Tor ! more than quarter ofa century attracted larger share of adma ion and re specI than any human be- ing on the stage of ofexstence, and whose mesory is
 
 ireenen. exprt ssed short time before hcIGscended
 the tomb of his fathers, clear and decided pre- l ference for the amendment l advocaed, over every | proposition which had, al any tune, been brought forward for the annexation Uf Texas 10 inc United Statcst,nd that preference founded upon reasons in | perfect accordance with the sound tnaxims and saga cinus views by which his public life Was. I aremar- kabie deg,ee, distinguished. It Is not improbable that those who have eynced predelcrmnatio 10 condemn ne, will be disposed 10 cut me ol from the | .T ti,. | ground, that vas moi 0,iglnai Jackson man.-- That is very true. One ci the ch,ei merits of my public lie, al least in my own estimation ls that l have not. at any time, been any mnn's man; and il l Is p6ssille, that Il knowledge of that fact may, to s,tne exteut, have nstigaed ,he unparalleled per. | seculions that have been ievrlicd aganst me 4'e But l came to the support of this great md ven- T erabe man in the down hill of hIs life, when the phanloms ci power and popularity were vanishing be- Q, fore him; when patriotic and disnerested support was most agreeable and consoling to him, and when many of those whD had ieasled upon his public boun- iy and run riot in his popularity, were pouring out upon his patriotic and venerable head those vials oi wrath tlP dregs of winch seemed 10 have been re- served for me- It only known 10 me that ] Gen. Jackson preferred the Senate's amendment, but while the fate of Texas trembling in the bal- ance l was informed by three gentlemen, high m the confidence of the democratic pariy, two of them members of the Senate of the United States, that they had called the President elect of tue United States for ihe purpose of ascerang his views, and he assured them, If the amendment coul be adopted aud the measure saved. he would act under the amendment, and appoint the first men in America to carry il into effect mention this for other pur- pose than 10 show, that, while charged with acting part calculated, and was under the influence of secret desire, to defeat the measure of annexa- | ton, l was acting m exact accordance with the views and opinions of those who ehoy ed the largest portion of the confidence of the Repub can paruy.- l was extremely anxious, as the Texas question was one great and important element in the election ol the present Chief Mag gsirate of the Union, that he and hIs administration should have been permitted 10 accomplish It. Indeed, this was, so far as I knew, the general feeling of the democratic party Tn | Congress. No one, to my knowledge, expected that the preceding administration would have laid hold of this great in the very last hours of their Istense. remember distinctly when the possibil. ity of such thing intinaed, that distinguish ed Southern democratic Senator said, publicly in the Senate, that 'they would not have the audacity 10 do it." But he, we'll as others, was ms takcn.- Such believed 10 be the healing efficacy of this measure upon the political fortunes of public men, that many seemed 10 think it was only necessary [, touch the hem of it's garment 10 be made whole - The Cabinet was convened on the Sabbath day, d thing very unusual m time of profound peace, ln- s'rucIions prepared, and messenger despatched 10 our Charge des Afaires al Texas, 10 proceed under the resolutions as they came from the House of Rep- resenlati,es
 Upon the proprleiy of the pursued by the tprecedng administration upon this and other great questions of national policy, il is not my intention to descant. The hand of impartial history will soon be upon the curtain, and will, in due time, bring all Ills excellence and all it's defects fairly and fully to light. My object is self vindicaon, not to crimnate CT inculpae others. As this is the frs, and last explanation with which shall trouble the public upon this subject, you must bear with me a little longer. have been arragned before the great
 tribunal Of public opinion upon charges that strike al my responsibility Il public man, and my useful ness as Il Senator. put myself upon lhe country for delserance. and am entitled 10 patient hearing aad have enjoyed too many proofs oi your indul- gent lberahty 10 doubt, for moment, that you will cheeruly accord it 10 me. It would be uncandid in me not 10 state that dissened from many Of the po- | sitl0ns advanced m support of annexation by some of its best and ablest friends. For instance, did not think, and said al the time, (ior am not in the habit oi concealng my opinions upon great public questions, where inclination and duty alike Impel me to express lhem,) that we derived any additional power to annex Texas to the United States from the fact of its once being by the purchase of Lon- isiana For, admitting that to be tue, we had part ed with all right and title to it by the treaty of 1879, and by the subsequent recognition of the ndepen- dence of Texas, and the establishment oi perma- nenl boundary with her. l also dissenled from the position assumed in debate, that Ihe purchase of Louisiana was parallel case 10 the annexation of | Texas, or in any way analogous To il. That was Il sale 0t distant Iovnce by existing metropolitan l government wielded al the lime by the extraor- dinary man and absolute despol who has appear ed | upon the stage of action in modern times--perhaps
 in the history of nal ions. The annexalion Of Texas exhibited the novel spectacle nt one independent na
 ton voluntarily merging itself in another, and is, before stated, without parallel m he recorded his
 tory of nations--a which the hoary records oi | the past furnish preo eden. also expressed my t0ial dissent the position that the annexaton of