Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1846-12-31
To the Freemen of the 9TH District.

-, w.. --
To the Freemen of the 4th District.
The 9Th of January is at hand-a day which we
soemny believe is to decide the most important
questions ever submitted to you, By the law OF
the state, the person who receives the greatest mum
Der of votes on that day will be elected. AT the
last trial, Lucius i. Peck received 1897 votes, Geo
b. Chandler received 4249, and A. j. Rowell re-
ceived 1859. 1t is morally certain, therefore,, that
Mr.. Peck or Mr.. Chandler must be elected-that
every freemen who votes for any person except Mr..
Peck or Mr. Chandler, will in fact lose his VOTE
OF course it becomes the duty, as 1t is the high
privilege, of every Freeman seriously to consider
for actor he shall vote,-hoO he shall best conform
to the eeman's oah-ho,o best subserve the inter-
ests of his state and his country. No question as
to the character of The men in nomination need en-
barrass US: both are highly respected and esteem
ed to their political character need there be
any question Mr.. PECK is nominated and urged
upon the freemen as a friend and supporter of the
present national adminstration--Mr. CHANDLER
is publicly pledged against the policy adopted by
that administrations In point of fact therefore, the
great question for each to determine is, wheth-
or he will sustain oppose the policy Of President
Polk To this question we ought all TO give candid
consideration, and an honest answer. Our own con-
vicons of duty are clear, and we hope to be able
to make them in some degree clear to all who VIII
read.
care cannot fail to see that the most prominent fea
ture in the policy of the administration is q vast
ACCESSION OF TERRITORY.
The President claims and by our army he has
already in fact occupied, the territory between the
Neuces and the Rio Grande, which a friend of the
administration, Senator BENTON,] in a speech
delivered in tho summer of 1S45, described as ga
slice of The Republic Of .Nerico,
TWO THOUSAND MILES LONG, AND SOME
HUNDREDS BRoAD"---
territory which, if it averages 15S miles broad, is
more than equal in area to
80 SUCH STATES AS vERMONTI
1t will also be seen that the President informs us
that we have conquered New Mexico and the Cal
ifornias" Well-New Mexico we suppose is in
cluded, partly at least in the territory above de-
scribed by Senator Benton, we have only to
certain the extent Of the CALIFORNIA;, TO wit, 1900
miles long, and averaging about 100 broad-or
equal to about SIXTEEN STATES AS LARGE
AS VERMONT. The sum total of the territory
now claimed by President Polk and acquired, or in
the process OF being acquired. is therefore
81 TIMES AS LARGE AS VERMONT!!
The result of our examination of the documents
and maps astonshes us, and we feel that the sim
pie truth is almost too vast to gain credence. But
such the facts, as any reader can see for him
self by examining any modern map; yea, in the
very Message of the President the nation is told
that we have " acquired military possession of the
Mexican provinces Of New Mexico, New Leon,
Coahuila, Tamaulipas, and the CALIFORNIA; terri.
tory larger IN ertent than That embraced in The orig
inaL thirteen states Of The Union" 1t is TO be re-
marked that here he does not include all the Rio
Grande territory. 1t will be seen therefore that
the President fully confirms our statement.
And ,Chere. we beg the reader to inquire, is this
immense territory Uhere are the TliIRTY-FIVE
STATES equal to Vermont, which President Polk
insists are part and parcel of Texas and therefore
already annexed to the United States? We an
swer that all of any value-all approachable by
water and open to commerce-neary all fit for civ
zed man to dwell in, LIES BELOW THE LINE
of latitude 36 degrees 30 mlnutes-which line, by
the Missouri Compromise and by the resolutions
anneXing Texas is made the line between
FREEDOM AND SLAVERY.
Taking the whole territory, including the Cali
fornas, we find that THREE-FOURTHS lie be-
low 80 degrees 30 minutes; and of the one-fourth
above that line, at least two-thirds consist of des-
ert, containing the great Salt Lake discovered by
Col. Fremont and all described by him "TEE
GREAT BASIN, diameter II degs. of latitude, 10
degs of longitude; elevation above the be-
tween 1000 and 5000 feet, surrounded by lofty
mountains contents almost unknown, but believed
to be filled with rivers and lakes which have no
communication with the sea, deserts and oasos
which have never been explored, and savage tribes
which no traveller has seen or descrbed."- See
Freemont's Report, pages 275-6, and the accompa-
nyiug map. There is, then, comparatively no ter
ritory fit for free states. Nearly all that is available
lies in the sIare region possesses stare climate,
and contains population for the most part better
fitted for slavery than for any other condition.
.ools into the Message and satisfy yourselves of
our correctness when say, that President Polk
claims these THlRTY-FIVE STATES as ours
aiready-ours by the annexation of Texas and as
serts that in New Mexico and California our
officers have already established temporary govern
ments and declares that at may be proper 10 pro-
ride for The security of these important conquestS by
making adequate appropriation for The purpose Of
erecting Jor fcationS and derayng the expenses ne
cessarity incident 10 the lI.4L.NT'E.N.4.NCEo Of our
POSSESSION and AUTHORITY ouer them"
Freemen of the Fourth what think We was the
origin Of this wholesale policy of annexation?-
what is its object: For what purpose are you of
the North to be taxed to build Notifications and
support armies in New Mexico and the CALIFORNIA;
for what purpose, must you contribute to liqui-
date NATIONAL DEBT now amounting to "a
millions, and which the President shows you will
shortly become
A DEBT OF 47,OOO,OOO
The answer we believe is TO be found in one
woodland that word is
GST n TE TsrT& ~ 2