Weekly national intelligencer., 1848-02-05

heard gentlemen discuss them for many days. have
the array of parties in this House, rather of the lead
who speak here and who have explained their respective
views the great questions which agitating the
country and have heard them, with regret indugng in a
pareniy but sgused personalities in regard TO the motives
of gentlemen opposed them This has for the part been
done very modesy with entire decorum in point Of form
yet thing has been observable throughout; have
evidently been inclined to think and to say that those who
disagreed with themselves in opinion she great points Of
public policy, especially in regard to this Nzar enemies
10 their country. They have al least PermteAe communi
ty understand It, and this may say, bo\h sides.
Now, man may differ from me In opinion Nqaestion
deeply affecting our common country and yet be
enemy that country. The truth is this erect in their
minds standard of national prosperity, and Of the ends
and Of Government in its promotion and then they
take for granted that every thing which crosses their track
Of be hostile to the prosperity OF the country, be-
cause, with them, the prosperity Of the country estimated
| according to the standard in their mind
And now, travel back little, may ask what the
great ends and purposes for which Government is created
have dea less perfect OF those ends and is
this whatever advances nation in It's social condition.
sdered physical rational, and moral beings is the leg
end TO be pursued by its Government And the
accomplish this consist in the improvement of the country
the improvement of the of mutual intercourse, what
tends make homogeneous people, and promotes
the advance Of the entire society in comfort intelligence and
morals.
years since became member of this House but with that
amount Of Congressional experience and after carefully lis
tening the remarks Of gentlemen here constrained 10
conclude that there in this body gentlemen who have
erected in their minds very different standards of national
prosperity from that which deem just and proper. Accord
ing to their conceptions the prosperity OF nation consists in
what most advances its military glory: in whatever extends
the of territory in whatever gives ecat the
nation, by blood by gunpowder, by feas of With
them that is national prosperity II they think that to be the
true end and the proper for Government they will very
naturally conceive that those who would obstruct this end
who would put stop to such prosperity,
mics to their country, traitors to its Government. The
fundamental difference between them lies in the question
what it is which constitutes national glory am justified in
this conclusion by review of what has recently happened
our history What the great enterprise which we
embarked when adopted other than ordinary for
the and extension of territory by the annexation
Of Texas is not and cannot with honest and candid be
matter of dispute The people in portion OF the Union
said that Government ought to use its that
power operate slavery AT this doctrine the people Of
the South became alarmed Their alarm, think,
founded but it real and they resoed to the annexation
of Texas with view counteact the action they appre-
hended in another quarter. When the thing announced
by the official organ of the Government the object not
cavIed about Look at the language of Mr. Upshur and OF
Mr. Calhoun. When they announced the formation OF the
treaty of annexation to Mr.. King, to Mr. Pakenham Mr..
Shannon, officially the organs Of this Government, they
avoed the object to be prevent the abolition of slavery
Texas by the influence of England and the effect osuch abo
ion oslavery here Theobect not disguised The man
who that such the design othat charges
the organs of his Government with deliberate asehood,
else is endeavorng to humbug the people But what the
uniformly maintained that this Government had power
in any way the subject of slavery. The question
in which way Government should upon it but whether
it could ALL The people held that Government had
/ thing to do with it whatever.
Now ask, not the eaty-making power Of this Gov
eminent by the Texan treaty invoked exercise powers
reference slavery Most certainly And those who
in favor Of the treaty, invoking such action by this
Government took the very ground before occupied only by
the extreme aboitons that Government could touch
the subject any way But in regard to that treaty, had
it officially announced that the power Of the Government
exeed to effect slavery. Being thus driven the WALL the
only question which US in which way il shall
affect it There is however, but little question presume on
| that point.
say that the annexation, made, unconstitutional
but we are not gon that account to dissolve the Unlon
do say that bound by the practically
constitutional it What mean say is, that when
have resolved go ahead Of that kind,
neither the constitution any other obstacle long stand
in their way The whole question lies in NUTSHELL and
has been settled by the Supreme Court of the United States
who have declared that when the treaty power of this Gov
ernmen has annexed any territory the Union then have
legislative power it, and not before We may by
the treaty making power, but the legislative power has
jurisdiction till the territory actually brought by treaty into
the Union But in the of Texas the treaty rejected
and Texas could not consutonay be annexed any other
way.
No function of this Government lies at the
in two different branches of the Government IF a certain
function Of Government belongs the treaty power then
does belong the Legislative power So understand Mr..
Madison in which he lays down the doctrine asserted by Mr..
C viz that the power cannot belong each Of the de-
parments The specific function in belongs TO
any branches and be exercised separately by each
Of them such action would be unnatural in theory and dan
gerous in practice The annexation, Mr. O. went to say,
attempted to be effected by treaty could doubt
this would have been constitutional but if the uGaon Of an
nexng belonged to the treaty power then, according Mr.
Madson it could not be exercised any other branch Of the
Government But overrode Mr. Madison and the cons
tuition too and made contract by legislative action which
could only lawfully be made by the treaty power until
got the territory actually into the Union and within egs
lative jurisdiction. II all anomaly gross and pal
pablo contrsvcnton Of the constitution.
The treaty rejected and why Because went to the
Rio Grande Exactly for that reason, the joint resolution
annexation avoided that difficulty it annexed only what
should be found properly to belong Texas. We had al
ready settled by the rejection Of the treaty. that the territory
up the Rio Grande did properly belong her. Then
portion Of territory the inclusion of which in the treaty caused
the treaty be rejected Il in possession Of the Mexi
cans, who had arms towns, and forts there. That pos
session. There escape from this statement of fact
The country taken military possession Of by army
der the orders of the President while the actual pos
Of the Mexican people Mr. G. insisted that
ton could only be made either by treaty sword We
annexed Texas by the sword He affirmed the act Of the
President to be unconstitutional But TO say this
say that therefore the unconstitutional The Presi
dent might involve in any day he pleased he had
only insult foreign minister and refuse TO apologize and
we should be in a forthwith. We had for long time
difficulty with Great Britain II the President had marched