The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1848-04-19
SPEECH OF nR. WEBSTER,
~ sESATE-ThaEsdsy, March -, 1873.
ON THE WAR WITH MEXICO.
Concluded.
or MASSACHUSETTS,.

N0ncluoeu.
! But, or. I rome to the sll-ahsorhing
question. more particularly. of the creation
Of new States. When came inln The
councils OF the country. Louisiana had
been obtained under the Ieaty with
France, and shortly afterwards Florida
was obtained under the treaty with Spain.
These 1--we countries were known 10 us.
They lay upon our frontiers. They
commanded The outlets Of the great river.
As have had occasion to say, and shall
now only repeat without argument, in ,lie
first Of these instances, The President OF
the United States. Mr.. Jefferson. supposed
the acquisition to be Unconstitutional: he
acted upon that supposi,ion. Mr. Mad
ison was then Secretary Of State. lie
proposed that proposition for an amend.
menl Of the constitution ,heu'd be SUBJ
mitled, in order 10 bring Louisiana into
the Union. lie drew up the proposition
-..I ~.Lass;sss.l 60 Az a .l..s..~. Sc.
Madison did not go upon the general idea
tina, new States might be admitted. lie
did not proceed urun ihe motion Of gene
raj amendment to the constitution in this
respect, but the amendmen, Of the consti
tuition which he proposed aud submitted
TO Mr.. Adams, was article 18th, amendato'
~ of the constitution" The province Of
Louisiana is hereby declared 10 be part
and parcel oil The United States"
Public opinion, owing 10 the great i'm
portance Of this acquisition, tonk turn
favorable to the affirmation Of the power,
without any new constitutional provision.
The power was acquiesced in. Louisiana
became part nf The Onion; aud, following
the example Of Louisiana, Florida was ad.
miited. Now sir, consider these iransac-
tons as past, settled, legalized. There they
stand. They are part flour political history.
They are facts against which !, would be
idle a, this day TO contend. My first agency
in these matters was upon the propositiou
for admitting Texas into the Union. I'ha
] though, it my duty TO oppose. upon The
general ground cf opposing all annexation
Of new States; and may add, and Ough
10 add, in Justice, because there was 4
proposition then before the country, as tC
Southern States, having slave population
being represented in the Congress of the
United States. upon the ground ofincqual
ily. I. happened to me, sir, to be called
tsn TO address a political meeting in New
! York, in 1878, after The recognition oi
Texan independence. may state now
+ sir, what have often stated before, thai
no man from the first has been better
! wisher-a more sincere wcll-wisher--tC
the people and government of Texas than
! myself. Hooked upon the achievement
Of their independence at the hattie OF San
Jacinto as quite neutrality-suspicious.
a marvellous incident in the affairs Of man
kind. was among the first to be dis
posed TO acknowledge her independence
but from the first, and from the first dow
TO this moment, have opposed as far as
was able the annexation Of new States Il
this Union. | stated my reason on ih'
occasion TO which referred. have then
in a short abstract before me, hut ii i
hardly worth while that should trouble
the Senate with reading them.
, For few years | held a position in tn
!. Executive department, Of the government
! LEI, the department. Of State in ls43, II
May. Within a month after, anothe
i. most worthy aud respectable gentleman
who came to very untimely end-ha
taken my place, had occasion TO know
r no, officially. but from circumstance:
: that the annexation Of Texas to the Unite
States was taken up by Mr.. Tyler's Al
: minisira,ion as an administration measure
0 pushed, pressed. insisted on, and lbeliev
c TN, The honorable gentleman to whom