Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1847-11-23
THE ENQUIRER.
EFCHMOED, VA.
saturday Morning, November 20, ls47.
Mrf,ay,, resolutions at Lexington.

cscGIngS al Lexington. W. 'h>'
could ste nothing in The position assumed oY MI
CLAY which did mol bear the impress of his parry
attachments and his political an!palhies. 10
keep himself before the people as fhs ieaoel VI
The Wing party, and lay down the most p'lllic
course 10 be pursued hy his allies IN 'as heA'
Congress, we Think must be apparent 10 an,
who consider the time and circumstances when
he has selected unbinded by their feelings. we
adverled yesterday TO The manner in wh'cn Inc
Wilmo, Proyiso The greatest and most absorbing
question OF the day, had been avoided by 'he
sage OF Ashland. The anxiety 10 hear MI.
Claws views, we believe, was founded as much
upon a wish 10 know his position with regard
to ,be exclusion OF slavery from The terri
tory which may be acquired in Inc present
war, as any thing else. The people, DOM
Norm and Soulh of the Potomac, have shown
great anxiety 10 knox The opinions oil al oil our
public men and parry leaders on thai mater
Mr.. Claws privacy must have been most pro-
found, and his ignorance OF current events most
absolute. if the knowledge Of this TACT did not
reach him; yet he seems 10 have taken The mini Oh
The correspondent OF The National lntellisencer,
who. some time since, urged upon the Wing
patty the Improperly and inexpedency OF making
an issue OF the Proviso; not because il was wrong
in itself, not because the bulk OF The Wings were
upfavorabe 10 il, but because they would De beat
en- by The Southern Democrats and their Northern
allies il they did This same gentleman recon-
mended 10 his party 10 substitute the No-'crritory"
issue for the W ilrol Proviso because that would
satisfy the Northern Wings, by preventing The
further extension Of slavery, without driving oil
The Sou,he;p Wings in requiring the General
Government to forbid and prohibit slavery in any
territory hereafter 10 be acquired. This proposed
movement we denounced AL The lime as coall-
ton with The AboIiIionsls and Wilmot Proyiso
men Of the Norih by which The rights and inter
es,s and honor of The country were 10 be sacrih.
ced to pal,ry considerations Of party eIpediency.
As we denounced this move, coming from an un-
known correspondent OF the National lnselllsen-
Ger. we must denounce il when coming from the
great Western leader OF The Wing party. We
do not say That Mr Clay gives the same rea-
sons for hi. course. That matIer will be beuer
understood when full report OF his speech is
received But The resolutions proposed BY him al
Lexington, contain Inc same recommendation As
rha, made By The anonymous correspondent al
luded 10, who wished 10 confederate win the
Aboltioni.,s. View them 10 every aspect, and that
is pain and palpabr. We are 10 lake no more
territory by treaty peace with Mexico than we
have now. And, when we ask why is Ihs-have
we not right 10 some satisfaction for The blood
OF our officers and men-some indemnify Tor
the past spoliations On our commerce, and The
present expenditure Of The war; when these
questions are propoundtd, we hear no answer,
bu: the urlrne one that Mexico has nothing 10
give. To This, the rjoinder must be made, that
she has something To givc-that she has fertile
lands and navisabte streams and safe bays and
connections harbors, some CT which would add
vastly 10 our national wealth and commercial in
teress. Here The great Wing politician pauses,
and we can we'll imagine his pcrplexity. II he
stated otherwise than in general terms in his
speech that the introduction Of this territory
would cause quarrel between The STAKEHOLDER
and the non-slaveholder, then the necessity OF
himself in favor of The one side
or The olhcr-of taking ground for or against
The Wilmol Provso-woud stare him in
the face. YET be must do something
and thence comes The necessity for The seventh
resolution which, al FIRST sight, is equivocal, buf,
taken in connection with The remarks which he
made thereon, and The concurrenl circumstances,
VIC cannot think doubtful. The resolution dis.
claims and disavows wish or desire 10 acquire
any foreign territory 1oiateucT for tie purpose Of
pyopagatlng siavery orof introducing siares from
he q States INTO such foreign territory" Now,
il should be remembered that no one has ever
expressed desire 10 acquire Mexican territory
for any such purpose. Why, then, this disavow-
al Some CT the Northern fanatics have chare-
ed such a scheme upon those who desire 10 force
an indemnity from Mexico 10 be paid in land
But Mr.. Clay and his Wing friends in and about
Lexington who wish for no indemnity, could not
be obnoxious 10 that charge. They had said
enough in their previous resolutions TO prove that
Why, Then, we again ask, was this disclaimer
madel Surely The sage OF Ashland has no, fall
en- into The habit, which some old men have, OF
speaking without aim or object-wihout forecast
or design. We have given the subject our best
consideration and can see no reason for Ibis dis
claimer but TO satisfy the Proviso men and enc
mics Of slavery a, the North. We can ina.
CINE no other end /, could serve. We arc
strengthened in this belief when We see in
the sketch of his sps"ch, meagre as it is, that
"Mr. Clay apo,-cd l,ms'ftobc strongly opposed he
eztens.on Of Slavery" This sentence in his speech
would Justify us in writing him down as Will
nut Proyiso man. bntlhlt in common charity we
should wait until fuller and more perfect repoF,
of his speech is before The pubic. But the reso-
lulions are full and complete, and they show that
any expression OF hostility TO the Wilmol Prov.
so is sedulousy avoided.
But we will pass from this view OF the subject
"a painful one, since il shows great leader
among us in no ve.y enviabe Highland turn
our attention 10 another poin, OF the Lexington
Resolutions. No one can have f,rgoilen that
Mr.. Clay in one, ii mol most Of his many letters
in 1874 rs 10 The propriey # annexing Texas to
the Uuiled States, con,ended that the mere fact
of annexation would be an annexation OF the
war which that Republic was then wagins with
Mexico. Now he alleges that The immediate
cause of ho,tilitsss was the march of our troops
from Corpus Christi 10 the Rio Grande. This
question ha. been debated so often, that We deem
i. unnecessary TO say any thing on The point
But MIR Clay goes on TO say, in his frs. resolution,
that this order was unconaituional. Here We
would beg leave TO say, that in all The corresPon-
dencc as 10 the boundaries of Texas, the represen-
ta;ives Of The u. STATES have, wirhou. exception.
claimed The Rio Grande as The Western bounda-
ry Texas. MIR. Clay has mol been behind The
rest in making his declaration. As !ale as 1874 he
claimed that river as the Western boundary Of
Texas, as we ceded il 10 Spain. This being
50, how can he now say that |, was "unf0nstitu-
tic,oi" 10 march our troops 10 Fort Brown7 II
the country beyond the Nueces was part of
Texas, was j, not part of the United States