Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1845-02-18
THE ENQUIRER.
Richmond, February rs.
TO THE FRIENDS OF TIE CAUSE, AT
WASHINGTON.

Richmond, February Is.
TO THE FRIENDS OF THE CAUSE, AT
WASHINGTON.
The Press must again speak out. It's Ian
euage mus be stronger because its eye is purged
of the cataract which partly obscured its Vi
sion New light has broken upon it-And as it
sees the danger more distinctly, il must speak in
stronger tone. 1t will still be liberal in its sp-
rit and will certainly Try not to be offensive in its
manner.
1t is time 10 be done with visionary calcula-
lions and with deceptive expedients. The day Of
hesitation has passed. Some Of the friends OF
Texas have been led on in a spirit OF Cancellation,
until they have almost been conducted TO the very
verge of the precipice. The ,gtis fatuus Devil
ders only 10 destroy. II is time for US to see our
danger. We are 80 much distracted BY PROPOSE
TONS that we are about 10 lose the great object for
which we have been struggling We are about
10 lose Texas, from The course OF events which
have taken place in the Senate. We will moi
share directly or indirectly, in his fearful response
bilily; and Tor one we wash our hands of Col Ben
toms bill, and go only for the House Resolutions.
There is really now but one string TO The bow. -
Too many projects serve only 10 distract our ener.
gies and defeat our object. Let all the friends o.!
Texas but lake one bold and decided course, and
the annexation may YET be accomplished in the
remaining days of the session-ihough there are
but thirteen working DAYS left
We have no disposition 10 complain Of Col.
Benton. We Still have loo much OF the Aud
Lans SINE feeling about Us 10 forge; the services
he has rendered 10 the Republican party. We
would not take a single eattTom his wreath but
il cannot be denied, that his course on the Texas
question has been most extraordinary Every
true friend of his country is anxious 10 settle This
most important subject We wish 10 save Texas
from The in,rgues ofEngland, and our owncoun-
try from The agitation which threatens her. De-
lay only breeds danger. Alter debate Of nearly
month in the House OF Representatives, and al
ter various propositions have been submitted 10
them, here is a proposition which was selected
from the budget, and was adopted BY a majority
Of % in The House. The proposition obtained
voters from both parties, and from every section
OF the country. The great body Of its friends
were Of course from the Democrats OF the South
and West. 1t was proposed BY a Wing, who had
the honor OF sacrificing all party considerations
10 the good of his country. The proposition was
wise and efficient II mol only was sufficient 10
secure Texas. but on liberal terms. No section
OF The country could righllully complain OF lis
provisions II was based upon the Constitution.
II admitted ncw State inl0 Tie En,On, by So
lcmn Resolution OF Congress. II respected the
interests Of all sections OF The country-cven the
preiudiccs Of all. 1t surrendered all north oflhe
celebrated Missouri compromise line OF BOZ de-
srecs, absolutely and unqualiiicdly 10 our brclh-
rem in the non-slavehdldinS States. The South
might Mtn have fairly claimed all The terrl-
tory south ofhe line 70 lis own purposesa and TO It's
= Id N.1rt
an immense and magnifccn; region, which sweeps
10 the Pacific, and embraces Oregon itself. As
Randolph Of Roanoke states, in powerful Epis-
tie which he has addressed TO "Fhe Democracy
OF the North" and which We shall lay before
our readers on tomorrow morning, "rhe North
has full command over al Northern Ter
as-m NcJroska and Oregon, embracing an
area Of eighteen degrees Of latitude and thirty
dcerecs Of longitude, wiM territorial capacities far
frc and trrcnfv States Of tic acreage 1-e." Ought
not the North 10 be content with her share oil The
public terrilory7 But 10 make The terms still more
favorable to her, the House resolutions do not
unqualiiiedly give us all South OF the thirty
six and half degrees. In fact, II gives no
Thing certainly and peremplorily for the slave
populalion. but il provides in the most libe-
raj way. that neither Texas herself, nor any OF
The States hereafter 10 be formed out OF her bosom,
should enter the Union with slavery, unless their
own people should so decide. And besides, The
fact is well known, that a portion oil Texas is so
mountainous and cold, as probably TO shut out
large proportion of slavery from is borders.
This proposition, so liberal in itself, SO consist.
ent with the Constitution, so respective even OF
the preludces OF the Northern people, had passed
BY majority of %, received the decided appro-
baton OF the Legislature and People OF virginia,
and apparently of all the South, and many OF the
ci,izens of the North. Il seemed The best means
of eaectine an immediate annexation, and oil
milling to rest question: which was 50 we'll cal
culated to agitate and distract our country;
These resolutions went TO the Senate. u Col.
BENTON had thrown his whole soul and his great
energies into the scale, there could have been bu1
i;ue douht oftheir success. His personal and po-
litical friends would have had al their scruples
dissipated hy his influence. His own moral
courage would have Infused itself INTO theif
bosoms, and they, and The other unhesitatinS
Democrats Of the Senate, with three or iour pup
lic.sprited Wings, would have DECIDED me cues
ton. Every thing might have oeeh se'.iea-
The Constitutional questionable slave question:
Texas annexel-Great Britain bafied IN her &C.
sions-our own country rescued from agitation
and fany difficulties had hereafter occurred about
The nublic lands, about the Indians, new States,
A. &c which were not covered BY The Resoltl-
tions ali would have been quietly and amca p'y
settled between Texas and the United STATES, by
commissioners and by compacts. IL was MOI tnen
~ have been expected that any man would nave
ventured al The fag end Of short session, to put
The .hip TO sea again, when she was almost il,
nou by broaching new proposition 10 distract
nnr own parly. and 10 encourage The wings
That Hill 100 is decidedly worse than The resolu-
,;ons Of The House. II keeps the Pandora-box open
whereas then substantially close II up. Col 3.
would open new negoliation-tn MOI m0m oirecllp
with the consent Of Mscioo, or WIN MS slave pro
iect directly embraced)-but there are conn,s-
s;oner. 10 be arpointed-the responsibility IS 10 De
thrown upon Mr. Polk OF framing Instructions
that might d,splease a part Of the country-the
responsibility of selecting The tribunal 10 whom
The compact' is to be submitted, whether The treaty
nover (two-thirds oflhe Senate, which can scarce
l. no obtained) or the legislative power, whose
.r,hor;,v will be disputed By the Whigs-and
then The responsibility of forming the terms OF
The comnact which will rip up again the slave
question and bring on the same, or worse oaltle
nov, winter than we have seen at The present ses-
SION II is impossible 10 see this movement OF
Col genton without "regret, Interpretation and
anprebension." But soon the idea was propagateo
Al Washington, that Browns resolution could MOI
mass and that Benlon's bill coud-and that II
was better to take his proposilon than 10 lose the
whole. Influences were called 10 20 aa us sue.
cess which il might be improper to specify al
,h;s time. But we repeat, the moment of hes
;ration has passed. II becomes US TO wash our
hands of the whole scheme. II only distracts
and weakens us-and there is now eminent
dan,er of the whole scheme of immediate
annexation being defeated. The projectors of
The new nropostion are too sanguine. We are
assured by the most respectable authority, that 1t
cannot pass either the Senate or The House. Many