The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1845-01-31
ANNEXATfON-TrS EFFECTS IN A
NUTSHELL.

The Hon. William l.. Goggin, mem
Der Of Congress from Virginia, has ad-
dressed his constituents through the Ma
- It-.-tli'f.eae9r dgcliaips 4 reelection
IONS on all the great questions Of the day
as unchanged. In reference to Anncxa,
ton, he holds the following language;
" la regard TO the annexation Of Ierus,
which, since my election, has been much
discussed IN some portions of the district,
feel il 10 be but due to eandar TO declare,
that, as your Representative, | consider it
ms duty Ia oppose II. Though elected
wilhou, reference at all 10 this question, II
is my business to consider and to meet il
fairly. Whca first presented to me felt
inclined, without examination, TO favor It
subsequently reflection has tended to fix
my opinion against it. The annexation of
foTlign TERRITORY TO our own was, |
think, never contemplated by the trainers
of the Constitution. Ii the power, how
ever, was beyond doubt, deem the pro.
jecl, if carried out, as likely to enIanger
the Union nself-a5 unwise and impolltic
IN the existing state Of our own, as well as
,ae relations Of Texas with those Of Mex.
CO.
ave have, too, ia Virginia alone, moro
land than Is sufficient to maintain thlrty
millions Of inhabitants. We are possess
ed, also, (besides tho lands Of all the 9th
or twenty-five States of a rich and bound.
less domain in the West, that must remain
unpeopled, great portions ct II ages to
come. Why, then, II may be asked, shall
we covet that WHICH IS our nelghbor's -
Why need we acquire more, (and that, too,
by payin. many millions Of dollars for II, }
when we have already an abundance, and
TO spare, even TO the foreigner at one dol
lar and quarter per acre why, IN
grasping more, should we diminish the va.
lue of that which we already possess for
this must be the effect. Bring into mark.
ct without our own the lands of this for.
eign country: tempt tho Virginia slave.
owner with the prospect OF immense pro-
fits in the Texas cottonfields, and his Nlr'
GINA lands will soon be offered for sale
he will be induced to sell AT a low Price
because he can buy more where his slave
labor will, MS he supposcs, be better rrmu
ncratod But the man with small farm
and limited means, who has TO perform al
his labor himself wishes TO remove TO the
West or Northwest, to some free State
and he, too, offers his land for sale but
he finds his more opulent neIghbor compe
tiny with him, finally undcrselling hun, and
thus reducing the value of his farm until
il is made almost worthless. The man Of
wealth will not buy out the small farmer
because he is going TO IeTds, and the
small farmer does not purchase the land o
his opulent neighbor because he has not
the means to do so, and has already, per
haps, determined to 90 in another dlrec
ton. The lands of each and every class
OF our citizens will thus be lessened in va
lue, whether they wish to remove and L
sell or TO remain in the Old Dominion.
That it would, in all probability, add few
dollars to the value of each slave in Vir
gina for a time, think may be conced
ed We, this advantage is small in compa
rison with the evils TO which have bu
adverted.
"In these views may be mistaken, ye