Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1845-01-17
PLANS FOR ANNEXATION.

published in our Wednesdays paperlhe plan
of MIR. Foster, Wing Senator from Tennessee.
We hail. spirit which he displays, with great
plcasule-anI we concur with the Mad'sonian, IN
regarding il Gas more just and practicable lllil
some others which have been propc:ed-and il
the regular propositions should mol succeed, we
should joylully hail its adoption
The bill OF Mr.. Dlomgoole in the House OF
Representative is calculated 10 command great
attention. II admits Texas in the words oil The
Constitution, as ''ncw Slatc'-allowng II
certain dimensions, not disproportionalely large;
and the rfsdu0rV icrrif0rV would, OF course, be-
long 10 The "new State" until ceded by ii 10 tie L.
.Si0tes, in pursuance of the words Of the Consll-
tuition. We are disposed 10 think, upon high and
very respectable authority, thai admission as a
STATE is the only form in which il can pass Con-
sress-and that il we are distracted by DIVERSE
~ of views as 10 a compromise about slavery
in this residuary territory, We may fail in the
annexation-if not that we shall succeed "All
"a correspondent writes us) depends upon this
II this be the case, who can hesitate about il!
What politician. who regards the great Interests
Of his country, can pause for one moment amid
the multitude Of counSellors, and the multiplicity
OF projects! Give us, then, Texas as State,
according TO Dromgooles plan. Lei US have adj
mission in lis simplest form, and in conformity
with presidents We would not hesitate a mo-
menl about the measure. The views upon This
matter are so strongly presented in the n. York
Morning News ofihc 18th ins that we lay them
at once before our readers
"ASNEx.TloS an THIS SCssIoN.-We earnest
" trust that the present Congress will not adjourn
without settling this question. Constitutional
obstacles are now out Of the way, which stood
before like lion in the path, against the earlier
forms which were proposed for the action OF Con
lsr,nN
SYa," into The Union, with siipulations as 10 her
surplus territory solves all that difficulty. This
is the fundamental idea common TO the three Sc
veral plans Of Mr.. Niles in The Senate, and Ge-
neral Dromgoole and MIR. TibbattS in the House
of Representatives We take il as pretty well
settled now that the action Of Congress on the
subject, in one form or another must and will
take this direction Dromgoole'S is The briefcsl
and simplest OF the three, and 50 far The most
desirable independently Of the question Of slave
rv II makes no stipulation, indeed in regard 10
the surplus territory Of the new State 10 he adj
mted, though il proposes 10 fix certain limits 10
the dimensions of that State; leaving that surplus
territory, oil course, TO the continued ownership
Of The State, precisely as some of our own orr
ginal States, at the time of the formation OF The
Union, held vast tracts Of Western territory,
which they afterwards coded 10 the Federal
Government. It also leaves untouched the
whole debt question. The United States assume
no more liability for the debts of Texas than they
now have for those Of Pennsylvania or n. York.
This feature is Il capital recommendation of
DromgoolcS plan. After the admission of the
new State is consummaed, il will be time enough
10 negotiate with her simultaneously about her
lands, and the debt charseable on them. Niles
plan is defective in this respect, that it provides
for the cessiDn of the lands without correspond
ing assumption OF The debt Both, or neither is
but fair play. With General Drom.oole, We
prefer the latter, decidedly. II smpifies the mca-
sure. II removes from il all semblance of that
stock jobbing character which is fastened upon it
in the prejudiccs of many of its opponents. And
il will leave time Tor more deliberate survey Of
the whole ground of the questions VIC SO often
hear blindly moocd in the dark-iiow much is
The debit and what is the extent and value OF the
unappropriaicd lands? There remains, then, but
one serious difficulty in The way-he question OF
slavery Mr.. Niless plan compromises that at
once, like Col Bcnton's, b. making the l00lh
meridian Of longitude dividing line, on The
East side Of which slavery may he allowed, and
on the West side prohibited This is about an
equal division Of The territory, though slavery
gets all the coast Corresponding 10 The natural
laws OF the climate and SOIL this appropriates TO
Free Labor the portion less adapted 10 The negro
race and leaves TO slavery the portion suitable for
cotton and sugar culture. General Droomgoolcs
bill leaves this question: like that OF The deti, open