New-York daily tribune., 1845-01-29
The Texas Joint Resolution.

The Texas Joint Resolution
There are a great many who hurrah Tor e5es
-;,hou, being quite at ease on the Slavery aspect
Of the case. Your thick-and.thn Democrats
of the sckool Of Slamm and Rynders, have 20
opalrns of the kind, ror Of any kind. They cere
no, how much Slavery there is in the measure
the more the better-and they want no compro-
mise on the point. But there are others VINO as
Ike the reputalion-lhe gross, glafing, paipaoie
notoriety-of using Democracy as a cover ior the
extension OF Human Slavery, under the cant oi
extending the area of Freed0m BY the way 1t
Is p puzzler to US how the Annexation OF Texas
is to eztend the area Of Freedom, seeing that
Texas is (the Slaves excepted already Tree re
public, indisputably So II we were TO abolish
Slavery by annexing her, that would be extend
Ing the area of Ffeedom,' but no AnneEaiIonlst
proposes any such thing.
But how, says dubious Polk man, is Annex
alton TO extend and strengthen Slavery Just
This way, friend The Texans dare not extend
Slavery over half their territory while they remain
by themselves. If they push If toward Mexlco'
they will lose Their humsn live stock by escapfS
and BY Mexican irruptions; they will lose by the
neighborhood Of the Cherokees, Creeks and Co.
msnches Now ii Texan Slave escapes INTO
any country, savage or civilized, ne IS ires
man; for there is mol the least obligation on the
part of our People, or any other, to surrender the
fuyitive Slaves of Texas. But let Annexation
be effected, and every man of us becomes legally
bound to hunt and restore escaptd Slaves to their
taskmasters LIE. the Slave escape into the
Union, or even to Oregon, and wo arrest and re-
turn him. let him flee to the Camanches or other
tribes, and the arms OF the Union will compel his
surrender or take vengeance on his protectors IN
a war like that we lately waged in Florida
Practically, the triumph of Annexation will
shroud territory larger than The Northern States
in the darkness of eternal Slavery.
- But why may not Texas choose to form
Free instead of Slave States 2 il is asked. My
innoccn. friend vino and what is the Texas
which is to choose to be free or Slave The
Joint Resolutions which have passed the House
permit Slavery to spread itself over the entire re
zion, save small corner which never belonged
to Texas. OF course, the Territory, being pro-
tocted by our arms and rendered tranquil by our
laws, will very soon be oversp.ead with settlers
that is, with shareholders and their Slaves, from
whom Free Labor nstinctively recolls. Soon
follow applications for the admission OF New
States. But Oho apply Who framed the
Constitutions of these States Who decide
whether they shall be Free or Slave States
The Shareholders, not the Slaves. Their
voice is muzzled. They are not allowed
even to petition against Slavery. So the new
State forms Slavsholding Constitution, and
Congress admits her under it, the People, it is
said, being unanimously for Slavery. Alas! the
People who toll, and dig, and produce, have no
voice in the matter. Let them speak, and you
would hear very different story. But they arc
choked down, and tho whole region, so far as 1t
can be, is covered with 'slsveholding States
And this is Democracy.
A word on another point Texas is to keep
all her own public lands TO pay her debt with.
Very good. But then why not allow our present
States their public lands to pay their debts with
Ohio Indiana, Illinois, Maryland, Pennsylvania,
&C. are deeply involved in debt, and would like
help But we take the public lands belonging TO
these S,ates and use them for purposes common
to all, Texas included Indiana pays Half
Million year for Public Lands, which she d.
yides with Texas, aud pays her own deb! as she
can; Texas takes share of lndana's land pro-
ceeds and keeps all her own. This is not the
fair thing.