The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1845-01-16

q W. aud them Who aes wo, that We should %
ihu. sorvpuous In admitting .nto our coatodsssey
territory now loirrstng slavery BECAUSE la 70 DONG
We arc still t. continue, over tha territory os ovos
portion Of IT, 10 tosrste, for time, that issttuioo
Who We. and what hes been our COURSE nsss
we hitherto sd.pd oSs foot To tho national domain by
Treaty with the Red Man, SOY nos without tsssss
evils the added territory ou, without e'eas'y .he
there What think you OF the transition state oil tbe
Indian, brought upon him by US IN which We taAe
him from the bold rude virtues Of aboriginal lie, ana
be.ow, 10 return. ly 'hs love wees oil
What ,hnk you OF the slavery Of incompetence, inc
mserios Of disossc-our fatal s,its u the original
lords Of this broad land now melting them away VII
their very will disappear from the iiSng uioos
Of earth Yet when did the consideration Of such
consequences arrest the signature Of an indian
treaty. -
But Texas annexation will psrpsiuais slavery. To
INC probable consequences seem the very reverse
Of this. The impression is becoming general, thatH
would speedily drain of large portion Of the slave
popul son Of the northern slave States, and ala 10
shscung, what modern abolition has retarded, 'ne
peaceful and gradual emancipation OF slaves 10 hen-
lucky, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and then IN
other States But there is yet another view 10 De Ia
ken Of IT, Slavery, like monarchy, is temporary
evil. Ii will disappear as all temporary evils must
disappear, soon as becomes and Is generally ie'
to be, commercially Improbable. We are rapidly
nearing that point The growing density oil poPula.
ton and consequent increasing composition IN manual
labor, driving US, year by year, towards H. Aud As
II gradually reached, IN the several States as Inc
day arrives when a slave becomes a negative quant'
" IN The market when his master shall DESIRE py
emancipation 10 free himself from an ocumoraoce
In that day, whittier shall the negro go' Are his
friends wise, IN desiring TO have The United states
hsmued IN on the southwest In wishing 10 see 10
reign IL might be hostile Power interposed between
and Mexico' IL there be Tor the liberated Airi-
can path Of deliveranee and place Of refuge be-
md hal la hat mis- al
fuge, where the suits his blood and the lnstitu-
lions recognise the equal rights Of his color IS to be
found IN Mexico, IN Guatemala and The stat lar
Their South. Shut him out from theso-and are
you not, by that very act, virtually proiongng his
bondage
Slavery is not the true difficulty. In replying to
the arguments of the Abolitions, are lot al the
bottom of the question. We have not penetraied 10
the depths OF the opposition against annexation
We have not yet touched the Argument, the strong
est the deepest seated In the minds Of Its opponents
Late indications distinctly reveal IL TO US. In the
columns Of the leading Metropolitan Wing Jour
nal-ihe most moderate and respected organ OF the
pany-in the leader Of the National lntelligencer,
under date the 18th December last, | find the fol-
lowing;
Deprecaing any extension Of the territory Of the
United states beyond its present limits evil, in
itself Of great magnitude, protesting against IT, under
any circumstances, for the sake OF the interests OF
IN our opinion deeply involved in 1T; yet If in any
form, ke.n
/ pray you to note that. ask you to observe dis
uDcty how the matter stands II avas not TO argue,
with our opponents, the question OF right to annex
IL Is Idle TO subsaDtiate to them, from the pages OF
international law or the dictates of common sense,
the legal Independence Of TcIas These outworks
carried, there Is a barrier beyond-towenng lar
above them standing untouched, If they were lev
To fha - nj
national deman on its southwestern irontierj 1t is
ANY extension, which our opponents deprecate. il
IS not Texas, as such, they reject they would reject
equally country 10 any other latitude, Peopled by
any other race, bearing any other name. They pro-
test not against annexation Tor that it may increase
and Perpetaate slavery, they protest against 1t, as in
1903 they protested against the purchase of Lousia
ma, under ANY circumstances"
Is the Wing party wrong In this their great obJ-c-
tion' rs wings, am not prepared to assert that
they are
Rome in the heydey of her power, added prov
ince to provinces and this extension Of her territory
but seemed to hasten her decline and fall. The mad
ambition of Alexander sufhced 10 conquer half
world; yet within year after his death the
grown empire purchased by the blood Of millions,
fell to pieces, 1t seemed, from its weight, Are
these to be held beaconghts for US, iD the pre-
sent juncure' II ours be Government like that Of
Rome under the Empire, like that of the Macedo-
man conqueror, undoubtedly yes If it is fated gra-
duay TO approach such character, still, undoubted
ly yes Or If, like Mexico, we at last to settle
down upon centrasm; ii the rights of the States
to be stolen piecemeal, and the central power here
invested with their spoils if this city of Washing
ton is 10 dispense, did the mistress of the
world from her hills, all laws to govern our
land; nay, without proceeding so far, If all
doubtful powers in the Constitution to be
assumed as lawful if the sphere of Federal egisla-
ton is to be gradually increased if to inter-
fere with commerce, favorng under the Of pro-
lection, section OF our country, by taxing the
dustry of another it, closely connected with our 60
vernment, there Is to be central money power,
stroDgr in these days, and therefore dangerous
to liberty, than standing army; if the checks
which the wisdom of revolutionary days incorpora-
ted in constitution the haste of party
IN It's lush OF power If these restricting checks
to be swept away in word, if the progress Of our
federal policy is to be from the less the more of
legislation then reject Texas abandon Oregon add
not, by treaty, one acre Of Indian lands Nay
if such is to be our policy, Union is far too large
already; it ought never to have been permitted to
overpass the Aileghanies
But will such be the progress of legislation among
ust Ought 1t to bef In following out from age to
age the story of the ceaseless struggle between the
privileges Of the few and the rights of the many,
forth from every page blazoned on the experience of
every nation shines forth the great TRUTH that over
legislation has been the curse of mankind; and
that law has become (alas how few the exceptions)
weapon Of aggression rather than an eyis Of de-
fence. AS we read, we feel, that the protection Of
government has been overpaid for by its intermed-
dlings; and that the people might we'll in the words
of the Cynic philosopher, tell the Aexanders of the
world that the only favor they asked of them was
to stand out of their sunshine! ..re
Men are not wise and good enough to dispense
with law. Would that they we're! Government,
like medicine, is to necessary evil There is such
thing as the despo,ism of anarchy and a king IS
not indispensable to reign of terror The practical
question u.s. how many of The Skyline leaves of legs-
lation we may safely burn, yet leave the remainder
more valuable than the entire code
From the fate of past decisions we may determine
the trendngs of future reform. When miner sinks
his shaft and strikes productive vein of ore, it i.
his practice first 10 follow far to observe its
leading direction then, emerging the surface with
that observation for his guide, he Sinks at remote
distances other shafts confident that he will again
a hiant nf Go ..h