The Daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1845-1850, 1847-01-13

| ployed 10 bring 1t to speedy termination.
1t is too manifest to require argument that
the two important measures of which | have
spoken, the revenue bill of 1885, and the war
with Mexico, have been produced by and are
the result OF that extraordinary action of the Ma
tional Legislature by which, in 1874, a foreign
republic was brought into this family of States.
The tariff bill passed the Senate by the votes of
the two Senators from the State of Texas irreg-
ularly, and, as believe, unconstitutonally intro
duced into the Union.
The war grows out of that act, and is on our
| part, to vindicate the unascertaned and undefin-
| ed boundary line between Texas and the parent
| State of which she had declared herself indepen-
| dent
| The motive which, with such undignfied haste
annexed the State of Texas to this republic, gives
| aprofound importance to the subject The mo-
tive appears with much clearness through most
OF the published public documents in relation to
it. though in some parts of them there is an effort
to conceal it. But one distinguished public func-
tionary to whose efficiency its success is more to
be attributed, perhaps than to the efforts of any
other man, unwilling to conceal the truth, public
ly declared the measure to be necessary to give
permanency and security to the institutions of the
South. With manliness and holiness which
belong to his character, he proclaimed to the
world the reason which led to this great enter
| prise.
Since the contamination of the act he has re-
affirmed this motive under his own hand, and said
that its PRONUNCIATION alarmed the friends of the
measure at the South, because it might drive their
friends at the North, upon whose aid they relied
| to carry it, from its support.
Disdaining to attain his object by indirecton
he frankly declared it, and although members
OF both houses of Congress from his own section
OF the country, were constrained by their own
sense OF the injustice and unconstitutiunality of
| the measure to vote against it, members enough
from the free States were found to vote for ito
carry it.
Texas was annexed as a slave State, and the
overthrow of protective tariff, and a war with
Mexico, have thus far been the consequences
1t has extent of territory enough to make FIVE or
six other States of large size. The President.
in his message to Congress, :" congratulates them
on the success which has thus attended our mill
tary and naval operations and says, we have
acquired military possession of territory larger
in extent than that embraced in the original thir-
teen States of the Union.' Are other Slave
States, carved out of the territory of Texas or of
other foreign territory acquired by conquest or
by treaty, to be hereafter admitted into this
Union
This is question upon which the people of the
free States, who love the Union, and who intend
to stand by and vindcate the glorious Constitu-
ton under which they have been prosperous and
happy, and under which we have become great
anu PONOliui lCPuOlC1 OuSHt 10 pOnQef and re-
fleet with a seriousness and soemnity becoming
the magnitude of the subject.
Judging from the past, it is not improbable that
1t may practically be presented at no distant day
1t may, in some form, come before the national
representatives, for their decision during the pre-
sent session of Congress.
The institution OF slavery preceded the exs-
tence OF the Federal Constitution. That Consti.
ton leaves it, where it found it, State institu.
ton. As a compromise, it did confer political
power upon States which held slaves, by reason
OF their slaves; but was it intended that that
power should be extended beyond the States who
were parties to that compromise The people of
the free States have always been told, by their
brethren OF the slave States, that slavery was en-.
tirely State institution, and that the general
| government had nothing to do with it. 1t has
been conceded that this was the true exposition
OF the matter But has it been practically so re-
! garded by the South when the support or extern
sion OF the institution required the action of the
Federal Government
At the time OF the adoption of the Constitution
of the U. States, there were seven free and SIX
slave States The public opinions of leading
statesmen of the South, and other historical facts
go to show that the final extinction of the nstitu-
ton looked for at no very distant day. So
carefully was the Constitution formed, that when
that event should take place, not one word or
| phrase OF it would require to be altered, and no
expression in 1t would give notice to posterity that
such an institution existed.
In 1884, committee OF the Continental Con-
gress, consisting of Mr. Jefferson of Vir sinia Mr.
Chase of Maryland, and Mr.. Howell of r. Island,
reported bill for the temporary government of
the Northwest territory of the U. States, one pro-
vision of which was +" that after the year 1900 of
the Christian era there shall be neither slaDerv
nor Involuntary serritude in any of the Sates'
to be formed out of said territory That bill did
not become a law. The whole or nearly the
whole of that territory had been claimed by the
State OF Virginia. Previous to this time she had
ceded her right to the confederacy. Massachu-
sets had also claimed part of said territory and
in April 1885, she ceded all her right to the con-
federacy. On the 18th day of July, 1857, Con-
gress passed an ordinance for the government of
the territory northwest Of the river Ohio the 9Th
article Of which provides, that there shall be
formed in said territory not less than three nor
more than FIVE States;'' and the 9th article de-
clares " there shall be neither slarery or invot-
uptdry serUitude IN the said territory, otherwise
than IN the punishment Of crimes" The dele
gates from eight States were present and voted
on the final passage of the ordinance .fue of
those aoere Stdue States, and the cote Of every
State were unanimous. Maryland, the other
slave State, was absent The FIVE new States
provided for IN that ordinance, added to the sew
en- then existing, would make twelve free, to the