Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1847-03-17
5REMARKs OF MR.. CALHOUN
4 IN REPLY TO MIR. BENTON.
In Senate, February q, 1S41

Fl
81 In Senate, February "a, le47.
Mr. calhoun rose aud said: One thing.
MIR President, at least, may be inferred
from the unprovoEed attack Of the Sena.
) TOR, and the great solicilude he evinced 10
trace the authorship of The war TO me
? and 3tha, is, that the war is unpopular
There can be no mistake. He felt that
the tide Of public sentiment had turned
sagains, it, aud hence the anxiety exhibited
!. 10 placeits responsibility OH my shoulders.
and take it from those on whom thought
Justly to rest. Had he supposed the ops
posite-had be believed that the warswas
necessary aud unavoidable, and thai its ler-
animation would he successful mthe
last man to whom no would attribute any;
agency in causing it. am graiifed thai
Z sshe Senaior has furnished this evidence.--
Itsaffords reasonable hope, that those who
are responsible for il, will exert them-.
selves, and i hope with success, TO brinsit
80 b.a speedy termination.
He traces ahe authorship 10 me, cause,
as ho assells. 1 am tile real aai tlpr q She
EaaieGs z exas. has aIl,lsxatioTl
ySsfbG ffHEscdHsSerD Isfr.
President, there will be no dispute: :hereaf-
tessas TO The real author OF anne exatiOu. -.
Lessthan twelve months since, had ma,
nv competitors for that bonor the official
organ here claimed, ifmy memory serves
me, a large share for MIR. Polk and his
Administration. and no, lesslhan half a
dozen others from other quarters claimed
10 be the real authors. But now. since,
the war has become unpopular. They all
seem 10 agree that l, in reality, am the au
thor of annexation. will not put the
honor aside. may now rignluily and
indispulably claim TO to be the author of
that great eveu,-an event which has 80
much extended the domains Of the Union.
which has added so largely to its produc-
i've powers, which promises SO sogreatly 10
extend its commerce, which has sliinula-
ted its industry, and given security to our
rnost exposed frontier. | take pride TO
myself as being The author Of this great
event.
But The Senator objects that / so con-
Quoted the question of anuesa'ion as neces-
sariiy TO lead 10 the var. Gu what does
he rest this charge? lie rests i. ou The
g;round that selected the Resolution as
It came from The Hodse Of Represe ita'ises.
as the basis oE The annex eXati0n, Instead Of
giving the Texan Government the choice
between the House Resolution and III.
amendment of The Senate originally mo.
we'd by The Senator himself. He COM
planned bitterly that tn. Senate Resolu
lution-passsd a; the very heel of the ses
sion, under the expectation that il would
be carried iuto effect by The present Ad-
ministrarion, then just coming into power,
and not by Mr.. Tyler's Administration,
then about 10 expire-had no! been adopt
ed.
He seemed TO think that the then admin
islra,ion had NO right 10 act upon ii, and
that, undertaking to do so, was deprivlng
its successor OF some Of its ri2h,s. He
accused me OF acting with the greatest
promptuess. The fact is So The Reso
luton. if Irecolecl, was sisued by The late
President about the first OF March. saw
the importance Of acting promptly, and
advised the President 10 act wilhouI delay,
that he had the cous,ilutional.rig ght Of doing
so, aud that deemed il necessary that he
Should act in order effectualIy TO secure
the success of measure which had orisi-
mated with his Administration. His cab
met was summoned the%n next day, and
colcurred in The opinion That night |
prepared the despatch for:Mr. Donelsou,
our Charge in Texas, and The next day,
la,e in the evening of the third. of March,
II was forwarded to him. Ii wasmy last
official act Of any importance as Secretary
of State. -
q selected the Resolution Of the House
in nreference TO the amendment Of which
5s,he Seuator from Missousi was the author,
because Lclearly saw, not only thar it was
every way preferable, but the only certain
mode by which annexation could be eff:
& iscled... My reasons for thinking so were
J euily setforlh in my despatch, which may
be found amlng the public documents ac;
compsuying the first annual message OF
the present Executive. They will speak
for themselves; they never have been
con,royerted, and never can be success
fully. Indeed, l never considered tine
Senator's amendment as expressing the