The North-Carolina standard., 1848-09-20
NUMBER 724.

80 - -s
send. Many questions went wrong that would have
gone right if this district only, had been represent
ed And now foresee that if in this district any
considerable number of Wings think It their duty to
in the support of Mr.. Van Buren, and in the sup
port of gentlemen whom his party may nominate tor
CongressI foresee the same thing will take place,
and shall be without Representative, in all pro-
bability, in the first session of the next Congress,
when the great battle to be fought this slave
ry question: that honest, intelligent and pat
rotic Whigs will lay this consideration to their
sciences, and judge of their duty in regard to their
action respecting, it, they ought. 1ssasA3s
u Gentlemen, I will detain you moment longer.
gave my vote, in the Senate of the United States,
against the ratification of the treaty peace with Mex
CO.. because that treaty provided for accessions of ter
ritory to the authority of the United States, and
brought under that authority, with the pledge of M
ture admission into the Union those great vast. al
most unknown countries of New Mexico and Cali
i fornia. ss+e-.-.t a5ss,s4s - g
At the session of Congress before the last Seuth-
ern Whig Senator, Mr.. Berrien Of Georgia, had NOV
ed aresoluton to the effect that the ought MOTTO
be continued tor the purpose of conquest and acquia
tion with any view to the dismemberment of Mexi-
co, the acquisitions by conquest of any portion
of her territory. That proposition he introduced in
the form of resolution into Congress and believe
that every Wing in Congress but one voted for it..
But the Senators belonging to the Loco FOeo or De-
mocratfc party voted against it.. The Senators from
! New York voted against it. Gen. Cass. from the
free State of Michigan; Fairfield, from Maine MIR.
Niles, from Connecticut, and Others voted against it
SO the measure was lost That is, these gentlemen,
some of them very prominent and firm friends Of Mr.
Van Buren, and ready to take the field for him and
for free soi-these very gentlemen voted not to ex-
cude territory that should be obtained by conquest
They willing to bring in the territory and then
have squabble and controversy about its population
whether it should be slave territory free terrto
ry. I was of opinion that the true and safe policy
to shut out the whole question, by getting no
territory, and thereby keep off the controversy The
territory would do US no good even If admitted as
free territory. It would be an incumbrance 10 the
whole nation, even if free. To very great extent
would give heavy preponderance to the South IN
the Senate, If free. We said Let therefore be
kept oat. But no But no! 1t must be had at any
rate. After had gotit there would be time enough
to settle its character.
Gentlemen, in an important era in English history,
is related to u.s. during the reign of Charles the
| 3d. when the country threatened with the acces-
sion to the throne of Roman Catholic Prince-then
called the Duke of York-a proposition was made in
Parliament to exclude him from the line of success
sion to the throne, account OF his religious opin-
ions and preferences. Some said that that would be
| very harsh measure-that it would be much better
to admit him, and then put restrictions upon him,
then limit him, tie him down, chain him down. "A
the controversy progressed, and while the debate
going on, member of the House of Commons is
reported to have expressed his opinion, certainly In
rather grotesquo sime, but of force, neverthe-
less, and much to the point
81 hear lion in the lobby roar,
Say, Mr.. Speaker, shall we shut the door.
And keep him out, or shall we let him,
And try if we can get him out again?"
L. gentlemen, was tor shutting the door and fdSten
ing it with bolts and bars. But other more daring
and confident spirits, those of the character of Womb.
we'll, for letting the lion in, and thereby dis
urbing all the interests of the country. And he
let in. And the country has right to call upon
them to seize and eonfine the lion.
And again. when the Mexican treaty came before
the Senate upon the question of its ratification, it
contained certain clauses ceding new Mexico and
California to the United States. A southern gentle
man, Mr.. Badger of North Carolina moved to strike
out those clauses. Now you understand, that if
motion to strike out clause be supported by one
third, it will prevail-that is twotirds of the Sen.
for each clause, in order have it re-
tained. The vote on that question 80 to Ia.
Not third.
And why were there not more than fourteen? Just
exactly because there were four New-England Sena-
tors voting for the acquisition of these terrific.
ries. That is the reason. They said that must
have peace at any rate. And there this sort of
apology-which, confess, rather annoyed me at the
time-that certain portions of the public press, that
good many respectable people of the country, and
especially in the large cities, many of those whom
hold in great estimation, cried out Peace peace
Staunch the wounds of war, and let us have peace
Now, gentlemen, l hope l am ardent a lover of
peace as any man living. But at the same time
would not permit myself be carried away by the
cry of peace, the notion of peace, on any terms
whatever did not then feel disposed to be carried
away by any such exuberant enthusiasm. believ-
ed then, and | believe now, that might have
stricken out those cessions-that we might havo
fused to have that errory-and still have had peace
willing go before the peoples upon this ques-
ton. l was not afraid to trust them. l not I'M
willing leave it to them to say whether they de-
sired to have the carried longer, at this inn
cost of blood and treasure for the sake of ac-
quiring this new territory. If they did, then they
would be the artfcers of their own fortune, and
could not have complained But was not afraid to
trust them.
And even if the rejection of those cessons had
operated to continue the some little time longer,
would rather that it should be than that these
immense regions should have in upon our
Southern frontier slave territory. But venture
my opinion this point with the more dfidence,
because other gentlemen of my own party thought it
their duty to vote in another way.
1 voted to strike out these articles of cession.
And they would have been stricken out if four New
tion. But they kept in through the votes
of these gentlemen That being the case, / then
voted against the ratification of the whole treaty. and
would have been ratified had three more of the
Senators from New England voted with me, and not
for the treaty. Whig Senators, too, they And
l must say that were the case again presented
to me. should again act in the same manner. l
would still greater risk, would encounter and
endure still greater shock before would vote to
ratfy any treaty, before would agree any thing,
before would participate in any thing which should
tend to the annexation of more slave
territory to these United States - ~
Gentlemen, after receiving the invitation of nv
of Marshfeld meet them here, I
found it necessary in the discharge of my public du-
ty, though great Inconvenience my health to 90
Washington and participate in the closing scenes
fho lafo zof Var