The North-Carolina standard., 1845-04-23

admit the territory so acquired into the Union.as
a sovereign State The acquisition of territory.
under the treaty-making power is wholly inciden-
tai. There Is no where to be found in the constr
tuition the power expressly conferred upon the
general government to acquire territory If the
admission of new States into the Union be made
dependent upon the exercise ofan incidental power
flowing from the treaty making power, to acquire
territory the express grant of power becomes the
inferior and subordinate to the incidental power,
which is an absurdity in itself: The admission
of sovereign State into the Union is not an rc-
QUESTION of territory in the sense thar ter
ritoy is or can be acquired under the trea-
ty-n1aking power. They are Wholly differ
ent When territory is acquired by this gov
nmentunder the treaty-nakng power, the entire
jurisdiction and right enures to this government
or, in other words, the territory so acquired be-
comes the property and creature of all the States
composing the Union at the time of such acquisi-
ton Not so with a State when admitted into
the Union; she comes in as an integral, clothed
with all the attributes ofthe other sovereignties
tanning the entire control and dis position other own
territory The admission of Georgia and North
Carolina into the Union, after the adoption ofthe
federal constitution by the other States, did not vest
the right OF territory in the federal government; for
long after their admission into the Union as States,
they made deeds of cesson Of their territory to the
general government
But there is another objection to the admission
of Texas into the Union that it is foreign State
and that there is authority, under the constltu-
ton, to admit States composed of foreign territory.
What meant by "foreign territory" by some
who had debated the question, he could not exact
ly tell The provision in the constitution author
izing the admission of new States into Union was
wholly silent to domestic or foreign territory.
There was no boundary line laid down in the
constitution of the United States, but would cover
as many States as Congress. in its wisdom, might
think proper to admit into the Union. AS to the
boundary line established between the United
States and Great Britain in the treaty of 1888,
there is one. at this late day, who can suppose,
for one minute, that the trainers ofthe constitu-
ton intended, or even thought OF, that being their
boundary of the Unhed States. If so, why was
it not fixed in the constitution? He said he would
read from the treaty the line agreed upon in 1888;
VIZ:
Commencing at the Lake of the Woods and
from thence in due west course to the river Mis-
sissipp thence by line to be drawn along the
middle of the said river Mississippi until it shall
intersect the northernmost part Of the thirtyfrst
degree of north latitude; south by line TO be
drawn due east from the determination of the line
last mentioned, in the latitude of tbiTty-one de-
grees north Of the equator to the middle of the rv
er Apalachicoa or Catohuche; thence along the
middle thereof to its junction with Flint river !;
thence straight the head of st Marys river; and
thence down along the middle OF st. Nlary>S river
to the Atlantic ocean"
He continued by saying, is there any one that
can believe for one moment that the trainers of
the constitution never expected or intended that
new States should be formed beyond this line,
which were to be admitted into the Unionf IF
Texas be foreign State because she is beyond
this line, and cannot be admitted on that account,
Iowa and Florida, now knocking at the the door
for admission into federal family, must be ex-
cluded, and kept out; Missouri, Arkansas, and
Louisiana must be turned out of the Union, be-
cause they have all been formed out Of " foreign
territory" or territory beyond this line He said
by reference to the writings of Mr.. Madison we
could get some little light upon this point He
then read as follows:
GA second observation to be made IS, that the
immediate object Of the federal constitution
Is to secure the union of thirteen primitive
States, which we know to be practicable, and
to add to them such other States may arise in
their bosom, or in their neighborhood, which we
cannot doubt to be equally practicable. The ar
rangements that may be necessary for those angles
and fractions of our territory which lie on our
frontier, must be left to those whom
further discoveries and experience will render |
more equal TO the task" Federast, letter No. xiv,
James Madison.
"In the articles of confederation, no provision
is found on this important subject. Canada was
to be admitted Of right on her Joining in the meas
ure Of the United States and other colonies by
which were evidently meant the other British col
ouies, at the discretion of nine States. The even
tual establishment Of new States seems to have
been overlooked by the comPers of the instrument,
We have the inconv enience ef this omission,
and the assumption Of power into which Congress
have been led by it,. With great proprieIy, there
fore, has the new system supplied the defect"
FederaIist, letter No. xLIt-Jsmes Madison.
Mr.. J. continued by asking if Texas was not
in the neighborhood. Was she not sovereign
State2 And had not this government, under that
provision of the constitution, which says, " New
States may be admitted by Congress into this
Union" the power to admit Texas into the Amer-
can family Of States. Take both Of the para
graphs together which showed conclusively that
this provision inserted in the constitution for
the express purpose of curing the defect in the ar
ticles of confederation The power to admit new
States was intended to be broad and general He
thought further cotRment upon this head was un-
1t must be clear to all
Mr.. J. said, las to the expediency and propriety
of admitting Texas into the Union, he had no
doubt This Union, when formed would en-
brace within the government of the Uniied States
all the valuable cotton soil, nearly so upon the
habiable globe Cotton vas destined to clothe
more human beings than any article that had
ever been discovered. The factories of England
would be compelled to stand still, if was not for
cotton ); her operatives would be starving in the
streets, without subsistence the means to obtain
it, if it was not for cotton.
Give this government the command of the raw
material cotton, and it would be putting Great