Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1845-07-18
LET US ALONE"

The new State of Florida has adopted ban.
ner on which the above words are emblazoned,
and the new Governor, Mosely, addresses to his
Loco Foco brethren Of the Legislature Mes.
sage in which the doctrine of Nullifcation-or,
iu the smoother cant, State interpostion'
most unequivocally asserted as matter Of estab.
lished lava part of the unwritten Constitu.
ton Of the country Indeed he very coolly gives
notice that If the Tariff is not promptly over
hauled and cut down to the Revenue standard,
Florida will nulfy and deinolish it. Rather a
modest beginning, it strikes us, for the youngest
and feebest State of the Union.
Thirty years ago, Gen. jackson made his first
ncurson into Florida. then and formerly col.
ony OF Spain. with which we were at peace.
He capture Pensacola on the pretext that il
had become virtually citadel and rallying point
for the forces Of Great Britain, with which coun.
try We were at War. He abandoned il soon al.
ter, however; and, Spain being feeble and alb
sorbed in European war, no serious consequen.
ces followed. -Four year later Gen. ]. again in.
vaded and overran Florida, on the pretext,
(groundless. VIC beeve) that the Creek and
Seminole Indians attacked and murdered our
borderers and then fled into Florida for shelter
beneath the Spanish Flag. Gen. Jackson, in
express violation Of his orders, attacked and cap.
tured ST. Marks, the Barancas and Pensacola,
substituting the flag and authority of the United
States for that of Spain. Our Government, he.
ing called on by Spain for reparation, concluded
| 10 adopt and justify the Generals course. Soon
after, Treaty was made with Spain, whereby
we purchased her title to Florida for some five
or six millions, due our citizens for Spanish spo.
liatons of their commerce. Since then, we
have had one more Indian War in Florda--a
war provoked and commenced by our people
originating in land.stcallng, abominable fraud:
and slavery, and which we steadily refused tc
close on any terms which did not require the
utter expulsion of the Seminoles from the Ter
ritory. The reason for this was the proved i'm
possibility of chershing Slavery in the neigh
borhood of Indians, as the negroes ran away tt
the Indians and were harbored By them. So We
drove the savages to desperation, pursued then
through the swamps and everglades, shot so,nt
of their women and children, and starved man,
more, until we led the remnant 10 submi
to exile. The cost of these various wars ant
purchases to the People of the United State,
has not been one farlhing short Of Fifty Milion
Of dollars over and above all they have receive,
for Florida Lands, to say nothing Of very many
valuable lives.
AT last we have been buled into admttin,
Florida as Slate, though she has not nsar The
population requisite to entitle her 10 admission
Her entire vote at the late excited Election wal
less than hay that of many Congressional Dis
trict in this and other Free States. And he
Constitution contains clause making SLAVERY
perpetual, and forbiddng the Legislature tho
right to repeal il, which ought never to have
passed the House Of Representatives.
Such are the circumstances under which
Florida was annexed to us and now comes in
to the Union. There is no honest working maj
throughout the last twenty years IN the LAM
who has not performed five or six days hard Ia
Dor, unrecompensed, for the benefit of Florida
Let us alone" say you Good faith /! Hoy
we do wish you had said that thirty years age
and stuck to it Tribune.