Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1845-03-25

| nexation of Texas. The substitute, u wiz NC
perceivcd, does not-crcct upon ecridt" eoa.tns -
cics. OF which our Senators IN Congress WIZ 49,
be the Judges Men are not swayed oy uouo.s
when their minds are determiheu-annu ~
the conditions indirectly destroyed the eec' Vi Tue
rssolr,;on. for they intimate, without asserting,
thai the General Assembly did not feel assured Una.
annexation could be effected consistently WIN inc
welfare of the State or the obligations OF liie Co
stirulion-consistenily with the peace OF inc
MON or The faith and honor OF The country. III
fact. soemnly enactns, that II was doubled oy lhe
General Assembly, whether it was eSpedie,n' of
constitutional safe or honorable, 10 annex ie1as
TO the United States. Would sane men auup'
snch course, in order 10 accomplish desirable
object? Was not this plan OF moo!ins many
questions and deciding none equivalent 10 de-
Ginning all action and calculated 10 defeat annex
alton without meeting the question presented III
the Senales resolution, fairly and candIdiyf !,
On the motion of Democratic member, Inc
resolution above Iecited was amended by an aa,
dition. stating that the conditions mentioned wound
be performed by the Joint resolution ADOPTED ny 'he
House of Representatives on inc lo'h OF ;'anuaa3
Pending The debate on The substitute ana amend
ment. thew were referred 10 select Joint COM
,ni,ree That committee could effect nothing, and
was discharged Both the resolution and amend
ment were Withdrawn, and the Senates resolu-
lion was carried; ,hiry-four Wing members vo,-
inc in favor Of it, and lhirty-one against IT, That
resolution il will be borne IN mind, mooted no
constitutional question, bnt simply declared The
sense of the Senate TO be in favor OF annexation.
II The Whg members were originally IN favor OF
that resolution. why did all those in The Senate
vote against il in that bodyl II The members OF
the House of Delegates were in favor OF il, why
did they cucumber it with implied doubts as 10
whether the interests of Virginia would be in
iurcd, the peace Of the Union, the good faith and
honor of the country be compromised These
oueslions cannot be answered on the hypothesis
that the Whig members acted openly and IN good
faith either 10 carry out or destroy Inc measure.
And vet in The face Of these facts, we ma that
the authors Of this Wing Address claim credit 10
their party for the motives which actualed them
in referring The resolution 10 The House and lis
amendment 10 select committee, because II
mieht lead 10 ''lhe suggestion OLA resolution which
might receive a vote approaching as nearly as
possible 10 unanimhy and which, II was argued,
would for that reason carry with il greater moral
weight and exert more powerful influence upon
1 nubic sentiment as we'll as upon our Senators,
/ upon whom il was designed more directly 10 ope-
rate than could possibly attach 10 resolution,
adopted if adopted al all, by strictly party vote,
and BY bare majority" We will examine lur-
Their into the history Of this matter 10 see II Inc
members Of the Wing party desired 10 give mo-
raj weight TO- and influence public sentiment in
favor OF, a measure which had been so unan-
mously opposed in The Senate, and cIossed with
such remarkable conditions in the lower House,
by men who insisted on pretcrniting the const-
luronal question by expressly raising II, for The
purpose, il seems, OF making known their doubts
10 the Senator'S
After The adoption Of the first resolution on this
subject BY The Senate, and before The action on il
BY the House Of Delegates, information OF The
passage Of the Hon. Milton Browns joint Iesolu-
ton had been received and it is but fair to pre-
sumo, that The Wing members OF the Virginia
Legislature were informed of The position occu-
pied BY our Senators in Congress. Here, then,
was some definite proposition 10 be acted on. No
one could fear 10 commit himself 10 any particu-
lar mode OF annexation, lest it should be the mode
a,opted by Congress- whilst The constitutional
.crupes of our Senator'S (Mr. Rives and Mr..
Archer) must have been known 10 their political
friends in Richmond Immediately we find the
Sena,es resolution. which the Wings had twice
voted against taking up By strict party vote,
showing concert and arrangement, prouShi 10 inc
consideration Of the House. After the proceed
inps had been had, which we have before stated
The Senates resolution was adopted Before this
period no expression OF opinion could be obtained
for or against the constitutionality OF annexation
in any manner. The information arrives, that
Mr.. Browns resolution is The manner determined
on in Washington and Immediately the opposi-
ton assumes definite shape The expediency
OF the measure could now be admitted, though
denied previously BY The Wing Senators. Hence
forward, the JOINT resolution is the thing TO be OPP
posed
As the next move, Mr.. Gordon offered the fol
lowing resolutions "Iha The admission of Texas
on The conditions and guarantees set forth in the
Joint resolution passed by the House of Represen-
la,ives on the 25h day of January, 1915 and sent
10 the Senate for lis concurrence, in the opinion
Of The General Assembly, is Just and proper, and
will he approved b. the people" This resolution
which like that OF the Senate which had been
adopted, made no mention of the constitutional
question, would not suit the Wings although they
had insisted on preermitting that question and
made that desire Ike basis Of their opposition to
the Democratic party. Accordingly leading
Wing member brought forward substitute CO.
veIing the whole ground of Mr.. Gordon's reso-
luton, with this addition: " THIS General Asscm-
Hv hoccver, fojedrirg 10 cypress any opinion as 10
he constiufionality Of annexation By he moic ~
joint resolution Of The tire Houses ef Consr'@."-
This substitute, suggesting again the constltu-
tonal doubt for the express purpose, II seems, OF
not deciding il, was adopted by strictly party
vote two Wing members only voting against II,
the one instructed, and the other virtually IN
s,rucled Does this look like desire 10 infiu-
| ence pubic sentiment IN laNOI Vi lhc ucdsu'ct
or a wish to make known 10 our Senators the
! TACT that the General Assembly had doubts as TO
the constilutionality OF the Joint resolution, and
wished 10 throw those doubts against the resoln-
toni We will presently show that those doubts
| did not exist in the minds OF those who wished 10
parade them before the world.
The substitute above reciled was passed BY
party vote, and a resolution was offered
inslructins our Senators 10 vote for me JOINT
A tl.n It
| sentaiives on the 25th OF January. THIS re-
solution was rejected hy The Wing MAORI
IT, The substitute which had passed the House
With the constitutional doubt attached TO il, was
amended in the Senate: Isl by declaring the Joint
| resolution "lawiu and CONSTITUTIONAL and 2dly
by striking out The last clause which brought for
ward the constitutional question The House re-
fused 10 concur in those amendments com
miitee circumference was then appointed by tnetwo
bodies. The committee OF the Senate proposed
10 withdraw the frs, amendment, if the House
committee would agree 10 the second This course
il will be seen would have led 10 the adoption OF
a resolution which would have made no mention
of the constitutional question But even ms
| wonld not satisfy those who did not wish 10 COM
nit themselves They would only consent to
sanction this arrangement on condition that the
! fact that the General Assembly tor6orc 10 cypress
am opinion, on the constitulionaliiy OF lhe JOINT
resolution, M0Rtd ne a1ted IN He ftp0ft " ne eoh-
mites 10 tteir resPecfirc HouMS-ihus again IN
forming The country in Terms that our Legislature
was not prepared to sanction The annexation oil
Texas. The Senaie's committee very properly
rejected this proposition, which ended all action
on The subject 1t has generally been thought that
legislative action was based upon the convictions
of Legislators. twas reserved for The Wing Lee
| gislalure 10 cncloud their functions by enacIing
what they did not believe.
Ii will be seen, from the sketch we have given
OF the Legislative proceedings on this matter,
that up 10 the time of the passage OF the joint re-
solution BY Congress, The Wing party in The Le-
| gisalurc had not given any opinion, even as TO
The expediency OF annexation Every effort 10
bring up the question had failed. In the Senate,
they were committed against it even on that
\ Ground Rnl ,rhen lie mini resolution was